Every textile import quotation comes wrapped in abbreviations: FOB, CIF, CNF, FCL, LCL. They look like jargon, but they answer the two most practical questions in any deal — who pays for what, and who carries the risk at each stage of the journey from Mumbai to your market. Here is what each term means in plain language, and how to choose the right combination for your order.
FOB — Free On Board
Under FOB Mumbai, we handle everything up to and including loading your goods onto the vessel: production, packing, inland transport, and export customs clearance. The moment the goods are on board, cost and risk pass to you. FOB usually gives the best total price if you already work with a freight forwarder, because you control the ocean freight and insurance yourself and can negotiate your own rates.
CIF — Cost, Insurance and Freight
Under CIF, our price includes the goods, marine insurance, and freight all the way to your named port. You take over at destination: customs clearance and inland delivery. CIF is the simplest option for first-time importers — one price, one responsible party, insurance included. Most of our new customers start with CIF and move to FOB as their volumes grow.
CNF (CFR) — Cost and Freight
CNF — also written CFR or C&F — sits between the two: we pay the freight to your port, but insurance is your responsibility. Buyers who hold their own annual cargo insurance policies usually prefer CNF, because paying for insurance twice makes no sense. If you are not sure whether you are covered, ask your insurer before choosing CNF over CIF.
FCL — Full Container Load (20ft & 40ft)
FCL means the container is yours alone — sealed at our end, opened at yours. The 20ft container (a “20FCL”) is the workhorse of the textile trade, and a 40ft doubles the space for larger programmes. Folded textiles load densely, so a 20ft container carries a remarkable quantity of shawls, keffiyehs, or sarongs — we calculate the exact loadability for your product mix with every quotation. FCL clears ports faster, is safer because no other shipper’s cargo touches yours, and gives the lowest cost per piece once your volume fills most of a container.
LCL — Less than Container Load
LCL means your cargo shares a container with other shippers, and you pay by volume (per cubic metre). It is the right choice when your order doesn’t justify a full container — and it pairs naturally with our minimum order of 5,000–10,000 pieces, which often ships comfortably as LCL. Expect slightly longer handling at both ends, because the container is consolidated and deconsolidated at freight warehouses, and budget a little more per piece than FCL rates.
Which combination is right for you?
For a first order or a smaller quantity: CIF + LCL is the simplest — one all-in price to your port, no container to fill. For growing repeat business: CNF or FOB + FCL puts you in control and brings the per-piece cost down. Whichever you choose, we handle the export side completely: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, and bill of lading. Tell us your port and preferred terms with your enquiry, and your quotation will come back in exactly that format.
Shipping terms decide more of your landed cost than most buyers expect. If you’re unsure, send us your port and order size on WhatsApp — we’ll quote FOB, CNF, and CIF side by side so you can compare like for like. New to importing? Start with our guide to MOQ and first orders.