What CY, CFS and SD mean and how to read combinations such as CY/CY, CFS/CFS, FCL/LCL or LCL/LCL in a quote.
These abbreviations tell you at which point the carrier, or the consolidator, receives the cargo and at which one it delivers it. They are always read from origin to destination.
The yard at the port or terminal where a full container, already loaded and sealed, is received or delivered. It is the point for FCL cargo.
The warehouse, at or near the port, where the loose cargo of several customers is loaded (consolidated) or unloaded (deconsolidated). It is the point for LCL cargo.
The door of the customer: their factory, warehouse or home. With SD the service includes the inland transport to or from that door: it is door to door. Some carriers write just “Door”.
The first abbreviation is the point where the cargo is received at origin; the second, the point where it is delivered at destination.
| Combination | Same as | At origin | At destination | Typical of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CY/CY | FCL/FCL | The exporter loads and seals the container; the carrier receives it at the yard | The consignee collects the sealed container from the yard | A single customer with enough cargo for a full container |
| CFS/CFS | LCL/LCL | The loose cargo is delivered to the warehouse and consolidated with that of other customers | The container is opened (deconsolidated) at the warehouse and each customer collects their own | Cargo that does not fill a container |
| CY/CFS | FCL/LCL | A single shipper loads the full container | It is deconsolidated at the warehouse to deliver to several consignees | An exporter supplying several buyers at the same destination |
| CFS/CY | LCL/FCL | The cargo of several shippers is consolidated | A single consignee receives the full container | A buyer gathering cargo from several suppliers |
With SD: the service adds the inland transport to or from the door of the customer. For example, SD/CY (pickup at the exporter door and delivery at the yard), CY/SD (from the yard to the consignee door), SD/CFS, CFS/SD or SD/SD (door to door).
Both end with deconsolidated cargo at destination. What changes is how the cargo leaves the origin.
The loose cargo arrives at the origin warehouse, the container is built with the cargo of several customers and it is deconsolidated at the destination warehouse. You do not pay for a full container, but for the volume or weight of your cargo.
A single shipper fills the full container, but at destination it is opened at the warehouse to split the cargo among several consignees. It works when one export supplies several buyers in the same port.
It depends on how many shippers and consignees there are, and on whether the cargo fills a container. Tell us about your operation and we will point it out when we quote.
At a CY the container arrives loaded and sealed; at a CFS the warehouse that consolidates or deconsolidates takes part. Each point has its own handling and its own charges (for example the THC), so always ask for the quote stating the combination.
At a CY the container is subject to the free time of the carrier or the terminal; at a CFS the cargo is subject to the storage conditions of the warehouse. Collecting on time avoids charges.
CY, CFS and SD are points of the transport service. The Incoterm defines who pays for freight and insurance and who bears the risk between seller and buyer.
We coordinate FCL and LCL ocean freight and LCL consolidations, port to port or door to door (pages in Spanish). When you ask for a quote, tell us whether you need port to port or door to door and the combination your supplier or buyer asks for. See also the guide to B/L, sea waybill and telex release.
CY (Container Yard) is the yard at the port or terminal where a full container, already loaded and sealed, is received or delivered. CFS (Container Freight Station) is the warehouse, at or near the port, where the loose cargo of several customers is loaded (consolidated) or unloaded (deconsolidated).
SD stands for Store Door, the door of the customer: their factory, warehouse or home. When a quote includes SD, the service covers the inland transport to or from that door, that is, door to door. Some carriers write just Door; if you see the abbreviation in a quote, confirm with your forwarder which legs are included.
It is a consolidated cargo service: the carrier or the consolidator receives the loose cargo at the origin warehouse (CFS), groups it with the cargo of other customers in one container and, at destination, opens it (deconsolidates) at the warehouse (CFS) so each customer collects their own. It is equivalent to LCL/LCL.
It is the full-container service from yard to yard: the exporter loads and seals the container, the carrier receives it at the origin yard (CY) and the consignee collects it sealed from the destination yard (CY). It is equivalent to FCL/FCL.
In LCL/LCL the cargo is consolidated at origin with the cargo of other customers and deconsolidated at destination. In FCL/LCL, a single shipper fills a full container at origin, but at destination it is deconsolidated to deliver to several consignees. The difference is at origin: a full container from one shipper versus loose cargo that is consolidated.
CY/CFS (FCL/LCL) starts from a full container from one shipper and ends at the warehouse, deconsolidated. CFS/CY (LCL/FCL) is the opposite: it gathers the cargo of several shippers at origin and delivers the full container to a single consignee.
No. CY, CFS and SD describe the points where the carrier receives and delivers the cargo within the transport service. The Incoterm defines who pays for transport and insurance and who bears the risk at each stage between seller and buyer.
We are at Jiguas 127D and Víctor Emilio Estrada, Urdesa, Guayaquil, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00. You can also write to us at info@fecargo.com.
More terms in the logistics glossary (in Spanish).
Tell us origin, destination and combination — we respond the same business day.
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