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Understanding Shipping Options
Letters & Documents
This category typically includes paper-based items, important documents, and very lightweight correspondence. It’s ideal for time-sensitive paperwork or small, flat items.
Typical Characteristics: Up to 0.5 kg, fits in standard envelopes. Handled by postal services and express couriers.
Best Use Cases: Contracts, passports, legal documents, personal letters.
Small Packages
Refers to individual items or multiple small items packed together, typically weighing less than 30-70 kg, depending on the courier. These are often handled by parcel delivery services.
Typical Characteristics: Up to 70 kg, fits in standard boxes. Handled by express couriers and postal services.
Best Use Cases: E-commerce orders, personal belongings, small electronics, samples.
Pallets (LTL/FTL)
Goods are stacked and secured on a wooden or plastic pallet, making them easier to handle with forklifts. Used for larger, heavier, or multiple items that can’t be sent as small packages.
Typical Characteristics: From 70 kg up to several tons. Handled by freight carriers (LTL – Less Than Truckload, FTL – Full Truckload).
Best Use Cases: Bulk goods, machinery parts, multiple boxes, retail stock.
Containers (FCL/LCL)
Large, standardized metal boxes used for intermodal freight transport. They can be shipped by sea, rail, or road. FCL (Full Container Load) is for exclusive use, LCL (Less than Container Load) is for shared space.
Typical Characteristics: 20ft, 40ft, 45ft lengths. Used for very large volumes of goods. Handled by ocean carriers and intermodal transport.
Best Use Cases: Bulk commodities, large machinery, international trade, moving household goods overseas.
*Images are illustrative. Actual dimensions and services may vary by provider.
Valuable Shipping Resources
Official rules for the delivery of goods between sellers and buyers, defining responsibilities and costs. Essential for international trade.
Track parcels from various carriers worldwide in one convenient place. Supports over 1,700 logistics providers.
Direct tracking for FedEx shipments globally, providing real-time updates on your package’s journey.
Official source for import/export regulations, duties, and border security information for shipments to/from the United States.
An essential legal document in freight shipping that serves as a contract, receipt, and title of goods. Crucial for cargo movement.
*External links are provided for informational purposes only. MyForwarder.com is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Freight Market Indices
A leading global container freight index providing daily and weekly market rates for 40′ containers across major trade lanes. Based on real-time business data.
A composite index of container freight rates on 8 key East-West trade routes, updated weekly. A respected source for ocean freight benchmarking.
Provides transparent container rates indices based on an extensive database of contracted ocean freight rates, reporting short-term FAK rates.
A widely referenced weekly index for spot freight rates from Shanghai to various global destinations, key for understanding Asian export market trends.
Monthly Producer Price Index (PPI) series from the St. Louis Fed, tracking average price changes for various types of freight trucking services.
Provides weekly and monthly trends for spot rates, load-to-truck ratios, and fuel prices in the North American trucking market.
An independent provider of global air freight data, publishing weekly air cargo price indices based on transactional data.
*External links are provided for informational purposes only. MyForwarder.com is not responsible for the content or accuracy of external sites.