Freight Forwarding Glossary: Plain-English Shipping Terms

Container and load terms

• FCL (Full Container Load) - you book the whole container
• LCL (Less than Container Load) - you share a container with others
• TEU - Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, a 20ft container measure
• CBM - Cubic Meter, the volume unit for LCL pricing
• FAK - Freight All Kinds, a blended rate regardless of commodity

Route and timing terms

• POL - Port of Loading (where cargo departs)
• POD - Port of Discharge (where cargo arrives)
• ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
• ETD - Estimated Time of Departure
• Cut-off - deadline to deliver cargo for a sailing

Documents

• Bill of Lading (B/L) - sea freight contract and title document
• AWB (Air Waybill) - air freight contract (not a title document)
• Commercial Invoice - value and description for customs
• Packing List - weights, dimensions, package count
• ISF / AMS - U.S. advance cargo declarations

Parties and charges

• Shipper - the sender (often your supplier)
• Consignee - the receiver (often you, the importer)
• NVOCC - carrier that issues its own B/L for LCL/FCL
• Demurrage - container sitting at the port terminal
• Detention - container used beyond free days outside terminal
• THC - Terminal Handling Charge