In terms of total costs booking an fcl container will be more expensive given the sheer volume.
Fcl container volume.
What matters as well is the container s size.
Lcl shipping is a cost effective solution for smaller shipments as you only need to pay for the volume space used.
It involve cargo volume and weight as well as transport rates.
Unlike fcl which usually has a flat rate per container lcl is charged based on the volume set in cubic meters.
Full container loading is that goods need about 20 feet or even 40 feet of space when the importer or exporter has enough goods to fill the full container.
Fcl freight is considered to be the most optimized container shipping method.
Fcl is intended to designate a container loaded to its allowable maximum weight or volume but fcl in practice on ocean freight does not always mean a full payload or capacity many companies will prefer to keep a mostly full container as a single container load to simplify logistics and increase security compared to sharing a container with.
So the cost per freight is higher in the case of lcl booking although in terms of the total cost it is the more economical option.
This is why fcl containers are sometimes cheaper than lcl containers even though the container is not completely filled.
However if the dimension wise cost is considered the fcl booking is generally cheaper.