FAK Container Shipping: How Freight All Kinds Works in FCL and LCL

Freight all kinds is one of the most useful and most misunderstood ideas in ocean shipping. Shippers often assume it is simply a consolidation product for small loads, but FAK is a rate structure, not a shipping method, and the same principle can sit on top of either a full container or a shared one. Understanding both versions, FCL FAK and LCL FAK, is what lets a shipper book the structure that actually fits their volume rather than defaulting to the one they happened to hear about first.

At its core, FAK groups goods with different classifications under one unified rate, so a box of varied products is priced as a single blended shipment rather than item by item. The goods still need their correct HS codes for customs, but the freight itself is quoted as one number. This guide shows how that plays out across a full container and a consolidated one: how each is rated, documented and loaded, where the volume line sits between them, and which structure suits which shipper. Knowing exactly what qualifies as a FAK commodity is the starting point, and from there the two structures diverge in clear, practical ways.

FAK applied to a full container load (FCL FAK)

FCL FAK is what you get when a single shipper fills an entire container with a mix of different products and rates the whole box under one freight all kinds tariff. Instead of classifying and pricing each commodity in the load separately, the carrier or forwarder applies a single blended rate to the container as a unit. The shipper owns the whole box, loads it exclusively with their own varied cargo, and pays one flat container rate regardless of the commodity spread inside.

This structure suits an importer or distributor moving a full container of assorted goods, say a mix of housewares, tools and packaged products in one shipment. Without FAK, that variety would mean multiple rate classes and a complicated quote. With FCL FAK, it becomes a single, predictable number for the container, which is simpler to book, simpler to budget and simpler to reconcile. The cargo is sealed at origin and stays sealed to destination, so it carries the security and speed advantages of any full container while keeping the pricing simplicity of a blended rate.

FAK applied to shared container consolidation (LCL FAK)

LCL FAK is the version most shippers picture when they hear the term. Here the container is shared, and a consolidator combines cargo from several different shippers, each sending a mix of goods, into one box at a container freight station. The consolidator applies a freight all kinds rate across that shared container, and each shipper pays for the portion of space their cargo occupies.

This is the natural home of FAK, because a consolidated box is almost always full of unrelated commodities from unrelated shippers, and rating every item individually would be unworkable. A blended rate keeps the shared container commercially simple, which is exactly why forwarders lean on FAK for consolidation. For a shipper with a modest, mixed load that does not fill a container, LCL FAK is the route that reaches ocean markets without paying for empty space, and it is the structure behind most palletized FAK movements, where varied cartons ride together on shared pallets inside a co-loaded box.

How the rating differs between the two structures

The rate structure is where FCL FAK and LCL FAK truly separate, and it comes down to how the blended rate is measured.

FCL FAK is rated as a flat rate per container. You pay the same for the box whether it is eighty percent or one hundred percent full, so the more you load into your own container, the lower your effective cost per unit. The blended FAK rate applies to the container as a whole.

LCL FAK is rated per cubic meter, or per ton where the cargo is dense, whichever is greater. Each shipper pays only for the space their goods occupy inside the shared box, with the blended FAK rate applied to that measured volume. This is what makes LCL FAK economical for small loads and FCL FAK economical for large ones. In both cases the point of FAK is the same, a single blended rate instead of commodity-by-commodity classification, and seeing the difference between FAK and commodity freight rating makes clear why shippers with varied goods reach for a blended rate in the first place.

Documentation: Master Bill for FCL FAK, House Bill for LCL FAK

The two structures produce different bills of lading, and the distinction matters for both control and customs.

With FCL FAK, the container is a single consignment, so it typically moves under one Master Bill of Lading issued by the carrier directly to the shipper, or a single house document where an intermediary is involved. One box, one bill, straightforward clearance.

With LCL FAK, the shared container carries multiple consignments, so it needs two layers. The carrier issues one Master Bill of Lading to the consolidator for the whole box, and the consolidator issues a separate House Bill of Lading to each individual shipper for their portion of the cargo. Every shipper in the container holds their own House Bill, which is the document they present to their bank and use for their own clearance. The heavier documentation is the trade-off for sharing the box, and it is coordinated by the consolidator rather than the individual shipper.

Volume thresholds where FCL FAK becomes available

The choice between the two structures is driven mostly by volume, and there is a rough break point where a full container starts to win. As a planning rule, cargo under roughly 13 to 15 cubic meters usually ships more cheaply as LCL FAK, because you pay only for the space you use. Once a load approaches or passes that mid-teens range in a 20-foot container, or the mid-twenties in a 40-foot container, the flat FCL rate often matches or beats the accumulated per-cubic-meter LCL charges, and FCL FAK becomes the better structure.

Container loading: dedicated versus co-loaded

The physical handling of the two structures is as different as the pricing. FCL FAK is a dedicated load. The shipper's mixed cargo is loaded into a container that holds nothing else, the box is sealed at origin, and it stays sealed until it reaches the destination, with no intermediate handling. That means fewer touch points, lower handling risk and a faster, more direct routing.

LCL FAK is co-loaded. The cargo is delivered to a container freight station, measured, and stuffed into a shared box alongside other shippers' goods, then deconsolidated and separated at the destination station before release. Those extra consolidation and deconsolidation steps add handling points and a little transit time, which is the practical cost of sharing a container. Neither approach is better in the abstract, they simply match different volumes, and the loading method follows directly from whether you are filling your own box or sharing one.

Which structure fits which shipper profile

Matching the structure to the shipper is usually straightforward once the volume is known.

• FCL FAK fits importers, distributors and manufacturers who move a full container of varied products at a time, want the security of a sealed box, and prefer a single flat rate for a mixed load.
• LCL FAK fits smaller or growing shippers with mixed goods below a container, irregular volumes, or a need to ship frequently in modest quantities without waiting to fill a box.

Many shippers use both over time, running core volume as FCL FAK while sending smaller or urgent mixed loads as LCL FAK, and the broader FAK and LCL relationship shows why the two are complementary rather than competing. Structured FAK consolidation lets a shipper move between the two as their volume changes without relearning the process each time.

When FAK is not the right fit

FAK is powerful, but it has boundaries worth knowing before you assume it applies. It is used for standard dry cargo, so refrigerated, hazardous and oversized or out-of-gauge goods fall outside it and need their own classification and handling, whether the shipment is full or shared. FAK is also less advantageous for a single homogeneous commodity, because a load that is all one product can sometimes be rated more cheaply under its own specific classification than under a blended one. The structure earns its value on mixed, standard dry loads, which is exactly where the classification workload it removes is heaviest, so it is worth confirming your commodities qualify before booking either FCL FAK or LCL FAK.

FCL FAK versus LCL FAK at a glance

Frequently asked questions