Road freight: FTL, LTL and PTL
| Term | Meaning | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| FTL – Full Truckload | The whole truck is booked for one shipment | Large, regular inbound deliveries; often direct with no reloading on the way |
| PTL – Partial Truckload | A large part of a truck, usually shared with few others | Mid-size shipments, often around 8–20 pallets |
| LTL – Less Than Truckload | Your pallets share the truck with other shippers' goods, often via terminals | A few pallets at a time |
A standard 13.6-metre European semi-trailer typically takes 33 EUR pallets on the floor. LTL is usually priced on pallet places, loading metres or weight, whichever is higher. See EUR pallets.
Sea freight: FCL and LCL
| Term | Meaning | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| FCL – Full Container Load | You book a whole container | Larger import volumes; container sealed at origin and opened at destination |
| LCL – Less than Container Load | Your goods share a container, consolidated at a container freight station | Smaller volumes; more handling and often longer total transit time |
An FCL container can be delivered to the warehouse for unloading, or devanned at the port terminal and delivered as pallets. Floor-loaded containers need hand unloading and often re-palletising.
TEU and container sizes
TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) measures container capacity: a 20-foot container is 1 TEU, a 40-foot container is 2 TEU. Ports and container ships state their capacity in TEU – see the port figures on ports and airports.
| Container | Internal length (approx.) | TEU |
|---|---|---|
| 20-foot standard | 5.9 m | 1 |
| 40-foot standard | 12.0 m | 2 |
| 40-foot high cube | 12.0 m, about 30 cm taller | 2 |
What it means for receiving at a 3PL
- FTL / FCL: one large arrival – plan dock time, space and staff in advance with an advance notice.
- LTL / LCL: several smaller arrivals – each needs clear references so it can be matched to the right purchase order.
- Palletised vs floor-loaded: palletised goods go straight to receiving; floor-loaded containers take longer to unload and sort.
See goods receiving and container unloading.
Frequently asked questions
When is FCL cheaper than LCL?
It depends on the route and rates, but once a shipment fills a large part of a container, a full container is often cheaper per unit and is handled less on the way.
What does a 3PL need to know before a container arrives?
Container size, whether goods are palletised or floor-loaded, number of cartons and SKUs, weights and the expected arrival time. See container unloading.
How many pallets fit in a container?
As a rule of thumb, around 11 EUR pallets fit in a 20-foot container and around 23–24 in a 40-foot container on the floor, depending on pallet type and loading pattern.
Short definitions in the glossary: FTL – Full Truckload · LTL – Less Than Truckload · PTL – Partial Truckload · FCL – Full Container Load · LCL – Less than Container Load · TEU – Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit
This page gives general information about logistics terms. It is not legal, customs or tax advice, and it does not describe the terms of any specific agreement with Karlholm Logistics.