Container Shipping UK to Australia - Costs & Info

When shipping your household goods from the UK to Australia, sea freight container shipping is typically the method of choice. Depending on the size of your move, you can either choose a Shared Container or a Full Container service. Continue reading to learn more about these types of services and how to choose the right one for you.

What is FCL?

FCL stands for ‘Full Container Load’ and provides you with the full use of your own dedicated 20ft or 40ft container.

Benefits of FCL Container Shipping to Australia?

Choosing a sole use container to ship your household goods to Australia has several benefits:

• Space: With this option you have sole-use of your own dedicated 20ft or 40ft container. The ideal option for those shipping larger quantities of belongings, such as the contents of a 3-5 bed home. For reference, a 3 bed home can typically fit in a 20ft container once packed. For 4-5 bed house moves we typically recommend 40ft containers.
• Speed: Once your container is loaded, we immediately book it onto the next available vessel for shipping to Australia
• Security: All containers are security sealed and tracked from the moment of departure. Your belongings remain untouched until arrival. You can track your container on it's journey from the UK to Australia and delivery to your door can be arranged.

What is LCL?

LCL stands for ‘Less than Container Load’ also known as ‘Shared container’ or ‘Groupage’. This allows you to share the space and the cost of a 20ft or 40ft container with others.

Benefits of LCL Container Shipping to Australia?

Shipping your household goods in a shared container, often referred to as a "groupage" service, also has a number of advantages:

• Ideal for Smaller Moves: Perfect for those shipping less than the contents of a 3 bed house as it allows you to share container space with other smaller shipments.
• Cost-effective: Sharing container space also means sharing the cost of the container, making it the most cost-effective option if you do not require the space of a full 20ft or 40ft container.
• Secure Professional Packing: All shared container shipments are meticulously packed and palletised to protect your belongings during the shipping process, and to ensure easy handling and clear identification of your shipment from others. This also allows for more accurate billing. You only pay for the exact space that your pallet requires.

Did you know? 1st Move International can get your belongings to Australia faster with our faster shipping services. How? We use consolidators to allow us to ship out every week, guaranteed. We never have to wait around for our containers to be full before shipping. This could save you 2-3+ months compared to traditional shared container shipping services. We also provide unbeatable packing to ensure the best protection for your belongings in transit.

Find out which items you can/cannot ship to Australia via container.

When shipping to any country, there are certain items that are either prohibited or restricted. Australia is no exception. Check out our guide on prohibited and restricted items when shipping to Australia for more information.

You can also find a full list of all prohibited and restricted items on the official Australian Border Force website.

These include:

• fresh fruit and vegetables
• live plants, bulbs, tubers, corms and cuttings
• prohibited and restricted seeds
• unidentified seeds (including spices)
• live animals (including pets) that require an import permit
• biological products including some plant based, herbal medications
• unprocessed goods of plant or animal origin
• soiled goods, or goods containing organic residues
• goods knowingly infested with pests or a disease.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry also provide very helpful information and tips when it comes to importing your items into Australia by container. Check out their guide on importing personal effects for more information.