Ocean freight
Ocean freight quotes from India — FCL and LCL
Full container and consolidated shipments, port to port or door to door. Tell us what is moving; ops comes back with a priced quote within four business hours.
FCL / LCLthe box, or a share of it
FCL or LCL: which one you are quoting
The dividing line is volume, not preference. FCL gives you the whole box: your cargo is loaded once, sealed, and untouched until it is unstuffed at the far end. Fewer handling points, and a rate that does not change if the container goes out half empty. LCL puts your consignment into a container alongside other shippers’ cargo, so you pay for the space you actually use — but it is stuffed and unstuffed at a container freight station on both ends, which adds handling, and handling adds days.
There is a crossover point where a full container costs less than the LCL space you would need to buy, and it moves with the lane and the season. If you are near it, submit the same cargo both ways and compare what comes back.
Full container load. Port-to-port and door-to-door. 20′, 40′, and high-cube options.
Less-than-container load. Consolidated bookings for smaller volumes — pay only for the space you use.
What you choose on an ocean quote
FCL and LCL ask for different things, and the form only shows you the ones that apply.
- FCL or LCL, first — everything after it depends on the answer.
- For FCL:container type and count. 20ft and 40ft standard, 40ft high cube, 20ft and 40ft reefer, open top, flat rack.
- For LCL:package lines with dimensions and weight, totalled live into gross volume and chargeable weight.
- Service level:express or standard.
- An Incoterm, required on every international lane, with a built-in helper for choosing one.
- Who clears customs — shipper, consignee, or a broker. Leave the broker name blank and TFFx recommends one.
- Hazardous and temperature-controlled declarations, including reefer ranges.
How to get an ocean freight quote
No account, no sales call. About three minutes of form.
- FILLFill the five short steps: your details, route and parties, cargo, service preferences, review.
- VERIFYVerify your work email with a one-time code. That is the only gate, and it is what keeps the queue clear of junk.
- SUBMITSubmit. You get a TFFx reference immediately, and a priced quote from ops within four business hours.
Common questions
- What is the difference between FCL and LCL?
- FCL is a container booked entirely for your cargo: loaded once, sealed, and opened at destination. LCL is a share of a container consolidated with other shippers’ freight, so you pay for the space you use rather than the whole box. LCL costs less on small volumes but adds stuffing and de-stuffing at a container freight station on both ends, which costs time and adds handling. FCL wins on volume, on transit certainty, and on anything you would rather nobody handled twice.
- How is ocean freight priced?
- FCL is priced per container, so the rate depends on the box — 20ft, 40ft, high cube, reefer, open top or flat rack — the lane and the sailing, not on how full it is. LCL is priced on chargeable volume or weight, whichever is greater on the lane. The TFFx quote form computes gross weight, volume and chargeable weight from your package lines as you enter them.
- Can I get a door-to-door ocean quote, or only port to port?
- Both. The quote form takes a full pickup address and a full delivery address rather than port codes, so a door-to-door movement is the default shape of the request. If you only want the port-to-port leg, say so in the instructions field and ops prices it that way.
- Do I need an IEC to get an ocean freight quote from India?
- For an international shipment, yes — the form requires an Importer Exporter Code at the first step whenever pickup and delivery countries differ, along with a country of origin and an Incoterm further in. A domestic Indian movement needs none of the three.
Price your shipment
The spot quote form takes about three minutes and needs no account. You get a TFFx reference the moment you submit, and a priced quote from ops within four business hours.