carload

Carload is a term used in freight transport to refer to the quantity of goods carried in a railcar, typically representing a full carload shipment. It contrasts with less-than-carload (LCL), which covers shipments that do not fill a car and are consolidated with other consignments.

The term is used by rail carriers and freight forwarders to describe shipments sized to fill a single railcar. Capacity depends on car type and commodity; common railcar types include boxcars, gondolas, hopper cars, and tank cars. A carload is often priced on a per-car basis rather than a per-ton basis in many tariff structures.

In practice, carload shipments are typical for bulk commodities such as coal, grain, aggregates, chemicals, and liquids when the quantity warrants moving an entire car. Smaller quantities are often hauled as less-than-carload shipments, which may require transshipment, consolidation, or multiple pickups.

Historically, carload measurements were central to railroad tariffs and scheduling, and the concept remains in use, though modern intermodal and containerized freight has altered some patterns. The term is related to other freight concepts such as full carload and less-than-carload, and it remains a basic unit in rail freight operations.