What is the Difference Between Freight and Shipping? 

Freight shipping means transporting goods commercially from one place to another. The freight is the cargo being moved, while shipping describes the process of sending it.

Freight shipping can take place by road, rail, air or sea. One journey may use several transport methods, for example, a shipping container might travel by lorry to a port before continuing by sea. Although the term is often associated with large or palletised consignments, there is no single weight or size that defines freight across every transport provider.

Freight and cargo can both mean goods being transported, so the words are often used interchangeably. The difference is that freight has several additional meanings.

Cargo normally refers to the physical goods carried by a ship, aircraft, train or commercial vehicle. Freight can describe the goods, the service used to transport them or the price charged for that service. For example, “the freight arrived” refers to the goods, while “the freight charge was £500” refers to the cost of transporting them. The intended meaning is usually clear from the sentence.

No. Shipping can mean transporting goods by sea, but it is also widely used to describe the broader process of dispatching and delivering something.

Within maritime transport, terms such as container shipping, shipping line and shipping route normally relate to movement by sea. In retail and e-commerce, an order may be described as “shipped” even if it travels entirely by road or air. If the method matters, more precise terms such as sea freight, road freight, rail freight or air freight should be used.

Parcel shipping usually involves smaller, individually packaged items that can pass through a courier’s normal collection and sorting network. Freight services are more often used for palletised, heavy, oversized or high-volume consignments that need different vehicles or handling arrangements.

There is no universal weight or measurement separating a parcel from freight. Each carrier sets its own size, weight and packaging limits. A box sent to one customer may travel as a parcel, while several boxes secured to a pallet may be booked as freight. Both are still being shipped because shipping describes the overall process of sending the goods.

No. Freight can be transported as parcels, on pallets, in road trailers, tankers, rail wagons or specialist cargo equipment. The right option depends on what is being moved and where it needs to go.

Shipping containers are especially useful when goods need to travel securely over a long distance or transfer between road, rail and sea transport. Their standard dimensions allow the whole container to be lifted and moved without unpacking the freight at each stage. This reduces handling and helps protect the contents throughout the journey.

Most freight containers used for international transport must carry a valid CSC Safety Approval Plate and have an up-to-date examination status. The plate records information about the container’s design approval, identification and operating limits.

Containers must also be examined at the required intervals to confirm that they remain structurally safe. A CSC plate relates to the container itself rather than approving or certifying the freight placed inside it. At our Aldridge depot in the West Midlands, our experienced Depot Team can carry out CSC recertification, checking that containers are structurally fit for international transport. For anything else relating to CSC plates, you can find more information in this dedicated guide.

No. We are a shipping container supplier, not a freight forwarder, shipping line or international shipping provider. We do not arrange the shipment of customers’ goods.

We supply new and used shipping containers for sale and hire, alongside bespoke container conversions. Our Aldridge Depot Team can also carry out CSC recertification when a container needs to be used for international transport.

If you intend to export goods, the freight journey will need to be arranged separately with a suitable freight forwarder or shipping provider. Tell our team how you plan to use the container when making an enquiry, and we can help you identify an appropriate container for that purpose.