LCL stands for “Less than Container Load.” It is a type of shipping service used for smaller shipments that don’t require an entire container. With LCL, multiple shipments from different shippers are consolidated into one container, and the cost of the container is shared among all the shippers. This allows smaller businesses or individuals to benefit from the economies of scale associated with shipping in bulk, while avoiding the cost and complexity of having to fill an entire container. The cargo is loaded and unloaded at a freight forwarder’s consolidation warehouse, where it is consolidated with other LCL shipments bound for the same destination. From there, the consolidated cargo is shipped in a shared container to its final destination.