CFS / deconsolidation
LCL deconsolidation, usually per freight tonne. Compare the CFS-measured basis against the quoted basis.
What it is calculated on
Per freight tonne — the greater of the weight in tonnes and the volume in cubic metres.
A freight tonne is whichever is greater: the weight in tonnes, or the volume in cubic metres. Light bulky cargo is charged on volume, dense cargo on weight. This is the single most common reason an invoice exceeds a quotation without anybody having done anything wrong — and also the most common place a remeasurement quietly changes the total.
What it appears as on real documents
Providers write the same charge many different ways. All of these mean this charge:
- cfs
- cfs charge
- cfs handling
- container freight station
- deconsolidation
- deconsolidation fee
- devanning
- unstuffing
- destuffing
- warehouse handling
- cfs warehouse fee
- break bulk fee
- handling in/out
What settles it when you question it
The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis. If the basis changed, that is the thing to ask about rather than the total.
Ask for:
- Original rate quotation
- CFS receipt / warehouse receipt
- Measurement certificate
- Line-by-line calculation breakdown
Before you book
This is often missing from a quotation entirely — not excluded, just not mentioned. A charge a quotation is silent about is the one that arrives as a surprise.
Ask: Confirm the CFS deconsolidation rate and that it is billed on the same basis as the freight.
Check a cfs / deconsolidation on your own invoice
Free, and no account needed to start.
Upload your quotation and final invoice. ChargeBasis pairs every charge on its normalised type rather than its wording, reports which part of the difference your documents actually explain, and names the document that would settle the rest.
Charges that travel with this one
- Destination chargesDestination-side handling. Frequently excluded from an origin-only quote — check the quote's inclusion scope b…
- Terminal handling chargeTerminal-set tariff. The provider should be able to point at the published terminal tariff for the arrival dat…
- DrayagePort-to-door truck move. Waiting time and dry-run charges on top of drayage need a driver record.
- Final deliveryFinal leg. Accessorials such as liftgate or inside delivery should match what was actually requested.
If this charge is on an invoice you are questioning
- Charges that were never on the quoteSome charges legitimately cannot be quoted in advance and some should have been. How to tell which is which, using the q…
- Your freight invoice is higher than the quoteA practical method for reconciling a freight invoice against the quotation: which differences are contemplated by the qu…
- Can you refuse to pay a freight invoice?What withholding payment on a freight invoice actually does, why a lien over your cargo is the risk nobody mentions, and…
- How long you have to question a freight invoiceFreight trading conditions commonly carry short notice periods. Where to find the one that applies to you, what the cloc…
Common questions
- What is a cfs / deconsolidation on a freight invoice?
- LCL deconsolidation, usually per freight tonne. Compare the CFS-measured basis against the quoted basis.
- What is a cfs / deconsolidation calculated on?
- Per freight tonne — the greater of the weight in tonnes and the volume in cubic metres.
- What should I ask for if I question a cfs / deconsolidation?
- Ask for original rate quotation, cfs receipt / warehouse receipt, measurement certificate, line-by-line calculation breakdown. The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis.