LCL freight
Billed per freight tonne (greater of tonnes or cbm). The chargeable basis is the single most disputed input on LCL invoices.
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:
- lcl freight
- lcl ocean freight
- consolidation freight
- lcl charge
- less than container load
- groupage freight
- lcl w/m
- freight w/m
- ocean freight (w/m)
- lcl sea freight
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
- Bill of lading
- Measurement certificate
- CFS receipt / warehouse receipt
- Line-by-line calculation breakdown
Before you book
This is normally quoted. If it is missing from your quotation, ask why before booking.
Ask: Confirm the chargeable basis (W/M), the volume it was priced on, and what happens if the CFS measures differently.
Check a lcl freight 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
- Ocean freightThe base port-to-port move. Should tie directly to a quoted rate and the bill of lading.
- StorageDay-counted. Needs a start date, a free-time allowance, and an end date to be checkable.
- DemurrageContainer sitting inside the terminal past free time. Requires availability date, last free day, and gate-out …
- DetentionContainer held outside the terminal past free time. Requires gate-out and empty-return dates.
Common questions
- What is a lcl freight on a freight invoice?
- Billed per freight tonne (greater of tonnes or cbm). The chargeable basis is the single most disputed input on LCL invoices.
- What is a lcl freight 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 lcl freight?
- Ask for original rate quotation, bill of lading, measurement certificate, cfs receipt / warehouse receipt, line-by-line calculation breakdown. The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis.