Indonesian Seafood Shipping: FCL vs LCL 2026 Cost Guide

A practical, numbers-first break-even guide for Indonesian frozen seafood in 2026. See when a 20ft reefer FCL beats LCL, the fees that swing the math, and worked examples for Jakarta–Los Angeles, Jakarta–Rotterdam, and Surabaya–Singapore.

If you’re buying or selling Indonesian frozen seafood in 2026, the most expensive decision you’ll make isn’t which fish to choose. It’s when to switch from reefer LCL to a 20ft reefer FCL. We’ve run real quotes every week this year and here’s the short version: the break-even swings more than most people expect, and it’s usually the small line items people forget that tip the scales.

The quick answer: when does FCL beat LCL in 2026?

Jakarta to Los Angeles. FCL starts to beat LCL around 10–11.5 metric tons loaded in a 20ft reefer. In cartons, that’s roughly 1,000–1,150 cartons if you’re using 10 kg cases.
Jakarta to Rotterdam. Similar to US West Coast, typically 10.5–12 metric tons. Call it 1,050–1,200 cartons of 10 kg.
Surabaya to Singapore. Short sea keeps LCL efficient. Break-even sits lower, around 7–8.5 metric tons.

Those ranges assume normal 2026 market conditions, not peak season spikes or blank sailings. I’ve found that just two things can shift these numbers by a ton or more. Your actual carton size in CBM, and whether plug-in or monitoring fees at origin CFS stretch by a couple of extra days.

How to calculate your break-even in minutes

Here’s the simplest FCL vs LCL calculator we use in-house. No spreadsheets required.

Estimate your packing density.

Most Indonesian IQF seafood in 10 kg master cartons sits at 0.018–0.020 CBM per carton. That means 1 CBM holds roughly 500–555 kg.
Example products with typical 10 kg case formats include Grouper Fillet (IQF) and Mahi Mahi Portion (IQF). If your master carton is taller or uses loose pack, your CBM per kg will go up and LCL will get more expensive.

LCL cost per kg.

Add up your per-CBM items: origin CFS handling, reefer plug-in and monitoring at CFS, LCL ocean rate per CBM, destination devanning and cold storage intake. Then divide by your kg per CBM.
LCL cost per kg ≈ (All per-CBM charges) ÷ (kg per CBM) + small fixed fees spread across your kilos.

FCL cost per kg.

Add fixed FCL items: 20ft reefer ocean freight, origin THC and export handling, pre-gate plug-in and monitoring, drayage, documentation, destination handling. Divide by your loaded kilograms.
FCL cost per kg ≈ (All fixed FCL charges) ÷ (total kg loaded in the container).

Break-even.

Solve for kg where FCL cost per kg equals LCL cost per kg. In practice, keep increasing your assumed load from 7 MT to 12 MT and watch where the FCL line crosses under the LCL line.

Need help plugging in your exact carton dimensions and lane rates? Just reach out via WhatsApp. We’ll run the math against current Jakarta or Surabaya quotes.

What assumptions should I use for a 20ft reefer capacity?

Usable volume. About 28 CBM internal. With airflow space, plan for 26–27 CBM practical.
10 kg cartons. At 0.019 CBM per carton, you’ll fit around 1,350–1,420 cartons by pure volume. In reality, shape, airflow, and floor-loading reduce this to about 1,050–1,250 cartons for most frozen seafood. That’s 10.5–12.5 MT.
If you palletize inside the container, reduce by 10–20 percent depending on pallet pattern.

We routinely see 1,100–1,200 cartons in 20ft reefers for IQF items like Sweetlip Fillet (IQF) or Grouper Bites (Portion Cut) when floor loaded with consistent carton sizes.

Worked examples for 2026 lanes

The ranges below reflect Q1–Q2 2026 quote bands we’ve seen from Jakarta and Surabaya, excluding destination customs and inland delivery. Your forwarder’s bundling may differ, but these are realistic for planning.

Jakarta to Los Angeles. Is 12–15 CBM worth booking FCL?

Typical 20ft reefer FCL all-in at origin: Ocean 4,800–6,600 USD. Origin THC and handling 220–320 USD. Pre-gate plug-in and monitoring 60–150 USD. Drayage and documentation 250–400 USD. Destination handling allowance 400–650 USD. Working midpoint, total FCL fixed ≈ 7,100 USD.
LCL reefer per-CBM stack: Origin CFS 18–28 USD/CBM. Plug-in and monitoring at CFS 8–15 USD/CBM/day for 3 days ≈ 24–45 USD/CBM. LCL ocean 180–240 USD/CBM. Reefer surcharges 20–40 USD/CBM. Destination devanning and cold storage intake 20–35 USD/CBM. Midpoint total ≈ 340 USD/CBM.
With 10 kg cartons at 0.019 CBM, 1 CBM ≈ 525 kg. LCL cost per kg ≈ 340/525 ≈ 0.65 USD/kg, plus small fixed fees.
Break-even: 7,100 USD ÷ 0.65 ≈ 10,900 kg. So FCL starts to pay off around 10.9 MT. 12–15 CBM equals about 6.3–7.9 MT. At that size, LCL still wins on cost in 2026 unless FCL spot rates dip sharply or you need the operational control of a full box.

Answering two common questions:

How many 10 kg cartons make FCL cheaper from Jakarta? Roughly 1,050–1,150 cartons.
Is 12–15 CBM worth booking FCL? For LA in 2026, usually no. LCL remains cheaper unless you’re prioritizing fewer touchpoints or faster destuffing at destination.

Jakarta to Rotterdam. Does Europe look different?

FCL fixed stack midpoints: Ocean 5,200–7,200 USD. Origin handling 220–320 USD. Pre-gate plug-in 60–150 USD. Drayage/doc 250–400 USD. Destination handling 450–700 USD. Total ≈ 7,700 USD.
LCL per CBM midpoints: Origin CFS 18–28. Plug-in 24–45. Ocean 170–230. Reefer surcharges 20–35. Destination devanning and cold storage intake 25–40. Total ≈ 330–360 USD/CBM.
Per kg at 525 kg/CBM ≈ 0.63–0.69 USD/kg. Break-even ≈ 7,700 ÷ 0.66 ≈ 11.7 MT. That’s around 1,150–1,200 cartons.

Surabaya to Singapore. Short sea changes the math

FCL fixed stack midpoints: Ocean 850–1,200 USD. Origin handling 200–280 USD. Pre-gate plug-in 50–100 USD. Drayage/doc 220–350 USD. Destination handling 350–500 USD. Total ≈ 1,900–2,300 USD.
LCL per CBM midpoints: Origin CFS 16–24. Plug-in 24–45. Ocean 35–55. Reefer surcharge 10–20. Destination devanning and cold storage intake 18–28. Total ≈ 115–170 USD/CBM.
Per kg at 525 kg/CBM ≈ 0.22–0.32 USD/kg. Break-even is roughly 1,900 ÷ 0.27 ≈ 7.0 MT on a good week. Expect a 7–8.5 MT threshold depending on dwell and CFS plug-in days.

Which LCL fees are often missing and can swing your break-even?

From Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok and Surabaya’s Tanjung Perak, these are the line items that catch people out:

CFS reefer plug-in and monitoring. Quoted by the day and billed by CBM or pallet. If your cargo sits 4–5 days instead of 2–3, your LCL per kg can jump 5–10 percent.
Destination devanning plus cold storage intake. Often listed vaguely as “terminal handling.” You’ll still pay cold store intake and sometimes an outbound pick fee.
Reefer surcharges on LCL ocean freight. Not every forwarder itemizes these. If they roll up into the per-CBM ocean rate, check seasonality.
Minimum charges. LCL quotes sometimes apply a 2–3 CBM minimum per shipment. Small test orders feel pricey if you don’t account for it.
Documentation and export handling. Modest, but they add up on small lots.

Practical takeaway. Always ask your forwarder for itemized per-CBM and per-shipment charges at both origin and destination. Then plug them into the simple calculator above.

Do plug-in and monitoring fees really change the decision?

Yes. We’ve seen plug-in at origin CFS move between 8 and 15 USD per CBM per day. Over a 3–5 day dwell, that’s a 21–35 USD per CBM swing. On Indonesia to US or EU lanes where your ocean per CBM might be 170–240 USD, plug-in variance can shift your break-even by 0.5–1.0 MT. For FCL, the same plug-in cost is a small fixed number, so it dilutes across your full load.

Jakarta vs Surabaya for reefer LCL in 2026

Jakarta has more frequent reefer LCL consolidations to both the US and Europe. Most weekly or fortnightly sailings route via Singapore. Surabaya is reliable to Singapore and Hong Kong, but direct LCL options to Europe or US are thinner. In practice, many Surabaya LCL lots transload or gate via Jakarta anyway, which can add a day or two of dwell and extra plug-in at CFS. We recommend price-checking Surabaya-origin LCL against a truck-to-Jakarta-and-load scenario when your schedule is tight.

Beyond price. Why teams still choose FCL early

Temperature control. Fewer touchpoints. Less risk of carton punctures or mixed-temperature staging during consolidations.
Speed at destination. FCL can be picked up and gated straight to your cold store. LCL waits on devanning windows.
Predictability during peak. LCL rollovers can be painful if the consolidation doesn’t fill on time.

That said, if you’re validating a new SKU or market channel, LCL is a smart way to test at 2–8 CBM before you commit to full containers.

Quick rules of thumb you can use today

Use your actual master carton dimensions. A switch from 0.020 to 0.018 CBM per 10 kg can drop LCL cost per kg by 10 percent.
Don’t palletize inside a 20ft unless the buyer requires it. Floor loading adds 1–2 MT of capacity in many cases.
Re-check the break-even every quarter. In the last six months, we’ve watched per-CBM LCL rates rise while FCL spot dipped on some weeks to the US West Coast. The crossover moved by nearly a metric ton.

If you need sample packing specs to optimize density, feel free to View our products for typical case formats across IQF fillets, portions, and tuna blocks.

Bottom line

USA and Europe from Jakarta. FCL starts winning around 10–12 MT loaded in a 20ft reefer. That’s roughly 1,000–1,200 cartons of 10 kg.
Singapore from Surabaya. Think 7–8.5 MT for the break-even because the ocean leg is short and LCL is efficient.
The biggest swing factors. Your carton CBM, CFS plug-in days, and whether destination devanning and cold storage are baked into your quote.

In our experience, teams that measure real carton dimensions and demand itemized LCL charges make better mode decisions and avoid surprises at destination. If you want us to sanity-check your lane and carton data, reach out via WhatsApp. We’ll run the math and tell you exactly where your break-even sits this week.