Consolidation / Deconsolidation
What Is Consolidation?
Consolidation is the process of combining several smaller shipments from different shippers into one shipment for transport. It commonly combines sea LCL (less than container load) cargo into a shared container, but the cargo does not have to be a container. A consolidation can also be loose cargo grouped for one routing or an air consolidation.
In ocean LCL, the shipments are collected and loaded at a container freight station (CFS) before the container sails. A container booked by a single shipper is FCL (full container load).
Freight cost is charged by the space or chargeable weight each shipment uses, not by the whole consolidation. For sea freight, this is usually per CBM or per revenue ton. Below roughly 13–15 CBM, consolidated LCL freight usually costs less than FCL.
What Is Deconsolidation?
Deconsolidation means receiving a consolidated shipment at destination and separating the goods inside.
The consolidated shipment may be a shared container, other grouped cargo, or an air consolidation. Workers move it to a container freight station or warehouse, separate the shipments, and give each one to the correct receiver. This is the reverse of consolidation.
Both are charged handling services. Destination CFS fees typically cost $15–40 per CBM, with a minimum charge of 1 CBM on small shipments.
Devanning, sorting and release usually add 2–5 days after vessel arrival, compared with direct FCL routing.
Quote UsFrom CFS Stuffing to Doorstep
We manage the whole consolidation and deconsolidation chain — the number you see is the number you pay.
Get a Free Quote