Dried flowers and sola flowers pose an unusual freight question: they weigh very little but take up a lot of space. A carton of pampas plumes or sola roses is mostly air, and that one fact shapes what each shipping mode costs and which one makes sense for a given order. This guide compares sea and air freight for dried botanicals shipped from India, explains LCL and FCL, and shows how the Incoterms® 2020 rules fit each option.
It deliberately gives no transit times or rates. Both change with route, season, carrier and market conditions, and your freight forwarder can quote current figures for your lane.
Why volume matters more than weight
Freight is rarely charged on actual weight alone:
- Air freight is charged on chargeable weight: the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric (dimensional) weight, which is calculated from carton dimensions using a divisor set by the carrier or forwarder. Light, bulky goods are usually charged on volume.
- Sea freight, LCL is usually charged per cubic metre or per tonne, whichever gives the higher figure. Dried botanicals almost always pay by volume.
- Sea freight, FCL is charged per container, so what matters is how well you fill it.
The practical lesson is that carton dimensions and packing efficiency drive your freight bill. Ask for carton dimensions and gross weights in the quotation, and discuss whether long or airy items such as Pampas Natural (GR04) or Palm Sun Spear (LE16) can be packed more compactly without damage.
Sea freight and air freight compared
| Factor | Sea freight | Air freight |
|---|---|---|
| Charging basis | Volume or weight, whichever is greater (LCL); per container (FCL) | Chargeable weight: the greater of actual and volumetric weight |
| Cost for light, bulky goods | Usually much lower per cubic metre | Usually considerably higher per cubic metre |
| Speed | Slower; depends on route and sailing schedule | Faster; still allow time for booking, handling and clearance |
| Moisture exposure | Longer, with temperature swings and container condensation | Shorter, though condensation on arrival is possible |
| Transport document | Bill of lading or sea waybill | Air waybill |
| Suits | Bulk, repeat and planned seasonal orders | Urgent, smaller or high-value consignments |
Ask your forwarder for current transit times and rates on your specific route before planning a launch or event around either mode.
LCL or FCL?
LCL: less than container load
With LCL, your cartons are consolidated with other shippers’ cargo in a shared container, packed and unpacked at container freight stations at each end. It suits orders too small to fill a container. The trade-offs are extra handling, time at the depots and origin and destination charges that weigh more heavily on a small shipment. Strong cartons and palletising help goods survive the extra handling.
FCL: full container load
With FCL, the container carries only your cargo, which can include many different products. It is sealed after loading and normally opened only at destination or for a customs inspection, so handling is reduced and you control what shares the space. Standard sizes are 20-foot and 40-foot containers, with 40-foot high-cube containers giving extra height, which can help with light, bulky goods. Beyond a certain volume, FCL becomes more economical than LCL; the crossover depends on current rates, so ask your forwarder to quote both.
Building a mixed container
Many importers reach FCL volume by combining categories in one order, for example sola flowers, dried grasses, dried leaves and potpourri. Long items such as Bamboo Reed Natural (BA02) need long cartons, while dense items can fill the gaps. Each product line still needs its own classification and any required certificates; see Importing Dry Flowers and Natural Botanicals.
When air freight makes sense
Air freight suits consignments that are needed quickly, such as event deadlines, a gap in retail stock or a product launch, and small, high-value lines where freight is a smaller share of landed cost. Finished pieces such as Sola Rose (SO31) or the Naturals bouquet (AR27) may carry more value per carton than loose grasses, which can make air more viable for a small, urgent top-up.
Some importers split an order: a small urgent portion by air and the balance by sea. Express courier services are commonly used for samples and very small parcels; see request a sample. Whichever mode you use, cartons must fit the carrier’s size and handling limits, and rigid export cartons still matter because light goods are easily crushed.
Incoterms® 2020 for sea and air
Incoterms 2020 contains seven rules for any mode of transport and four for sea and inland waterway only (FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF). Using a sea-only rule for an air shipment, such as “FOB airport”, creates confusion about where delivery and risk pass. For containerised sea freight, the ICC suggests FCA rather than FOB, because containers are usually handed over at a terminal before they are loaded on board.
| Rule | Mode | Delivery and risk pass | Main carriage paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Any | At the seller’s premises, not loaded; buyer handles export clearance | Buyer |
| FCA | Any | When handed to the buyer’s carrier at the named place, cleared for export | Buyer |
| FOB | Sea only | On board the vessel at the named port of shipment | Buyer |
| CFR / CIF | Sea only | On board the vessel at the port of shipment; CIF adds insurance | Seller |
| CPT / CIP | Any | When handed to the first carrier; CIP adds insurance | Seller |
| DAP | Any | At the named destination, ready for unloading; buyer clears import | Seller |
| DPU | Any | At the named destination, unloaded; buyer clears import | Seller |
| DDP | Any | At the named destination, cleared for import with duties paid | Seller |
Two points are often misunderstood. Under CFR, CIF, CPT and CIP, the seller pays freight to the destination, yet risk passes to the buyer at origin. And the insurance levels differ: CIF requires minimum cover (Institute Cargo Clauses C), while CIP under the 2020 rules requires broader cover (Institute Cargo Clauses A), unless the parties agree otherwise.
How to choose
- Deadline: is there a fixed date, such as a wedding season, an event or a retail launch?
- Volume: are you close to filling a container if you combine lines?
- Value density: can the product absorb a higher freight cost per carton?
- Destination: is the final delivery point near a seaport, an airport or inland?
- Moisture sensitivity: will the product need extra protection on a long voyage? See Protecting Dried Flowers and Sola Products from Moisture in Transit.
- Cash flow: slower transit means stock is paid for but unavailable for longer.
Planning the timeline
Whichever mode you choose, a shipment passes through the same stages. Build each into your plan rather than counting transit alone:
- Sample and specification approval (see Samples and Specification Approval).
- Production and packing, with lead time confirmed in the quotation.
- Export documents and any phytosanitary inspection your market requires.
- Freight booking and cargo cut-off.
- Transit.
- Import clearance and any inspection at destination.
- Delivery to your warehouse.
What your forwarder needs for a quote
- Number of cartons, dimensions, gross weight per carton and total volume.
- Whether cartons are palletised or loose, and whether they can be stacked.
- Origin in India and the destination port, airport or delivery address.
- Your Incoterms rule and named place.
- Commodity description and HS codes agreed with your broker.
- Any certificates or inspections required.
Ask Floral Mongers for carton counts, dimensions and weights with your quotation. International Mongers coordinates export packing and documentation for Floral Mongers orders; read more on our export page.
Floral Mongers supplies dried flowers, grasses and sola flowers wholesale and for export by sea or air. Request a quote with your destination and preferred Incoterms rule, or ask for samples first, quoting product codes where you have them.