In short: a shared, or part-load, container is the cheapest way to ship to Australia. Your goods share a container with others and you pay only for the space you use, which suits flats, part-homes and box-only moves. Plan on roughly 10 to 16 weeks door to door, as a shared load waits to be filled and is split at a depot on arrival.
Typical cost: from about £1,200 for a small load, rising with volume. We match you with one FIDI-certified mover free of charge; we are not a removal company.
A shared container is the cheapest way to move from England to Australia. We match part-load households across the United Kingdom with one vetted removalist, so you pay only for the space you use.
A shared container is the cheapest way to send a part load by sea from the UK to Australia. Instead of paying for a whole container, your belongings share a 20ft container with other shipments heading to the same Australian port, and you only pay for the space you use. It suits studios, one-bedroom moves, and anyone shipping boxes and a few pieces of furniture rather than a full house.
The trade-off is time. A shared container, sometimes called groupage or LCL, waits until it is full before it sails, then it is unpacked and sorted at the Australian end. That makes it slower than a container booked just for you. If your dates are flexible and your load is on the smaller side, the saving is usually worth the extra wait.
The UK is one of the top three countries of birth for migrants arriving in Australia, and most of those movers are not shipping a four-bedroom house. A shared container covers that middle ground between a few boxes and a full container load. Your matched partner mover packs your goods, consolidates them into the shared container, and handles Australian customs and biosecurity clearance at the other end.
International Removals Companies is a free matching service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD. We don't carry out removals. We match each enquiry with one FIDI-certified mover for your shared container to Australia. They call you. They survey the move. They give you a quote. It is fast. It is free. No catch.
Free matching. One FIDI partner. No catch. No fee.
Your partner mover collects and export packs your goods at your UK address, then takes them to a consolidation warehouse. There your shipment is measured, logged and loaded into a 20ft container with other loads bound for the same Australian port. Once the container is full it sails. At the destination port it clears customs and biosecurity, is unpacked, and your items are delivered to your address.
A shared container suits boxes, personal effects and the contents of a studio, one-bedroom or small two-bedroom home. If you are shipping a full three or four-bedroom house, a sole-use container is usually better value and a lot faster, because it does not wait to be filled. The dividing line is roughly the point where your goods would fill most of a 20ft container on their own.
Because the container is shared, the timing is set by when it fills and by the sailing schedule, not by your move date alone. If you have a fixed start date in Australia, ship a small air freight box of essentials so you are not waiting weeks for the basics. Your matched mover can set that up alongside the sea shipment.
A shared container is one of four ways to ship from the UK to Australia. Your matched partner mover recommends the right one for your volume, budget and timescale.
Groupage. You pay for the space you use in a shared 20ft container. Cheapest for part loads. Slower, as it waits to fill.
Booked just for you. Suits a one or two-bedroom home. Sails sooner than groupage. See our 20ft container page.
For most three and four-bedroom homes, with room for white goods. See our 40ft container page.
For urgent essentials you need on arrival. Faster but priced by weight, so best for a small box, not a full move.
These are rough planning guides only. Every move is different. The actual price depends on your volume, UK collection address, Australian delivery address and access. Your matched mover prices the move after a proper survey.
Boxes and personal effects
About £300 to £700
Door to door: 10 to 16 weeks.
Part load, shared container
About £1,200 to £2,200
Pay for the space you use.
Larger shared load
About £2,400 to £3,800
Compare with a sole-use 20ft.
Approaching a full 20ft
From £3,800
A sole-use container may cost less.
Since January 2021, the UK is outside the EU, and your goods need Australian clearance on arrival. Belongings you have owned and used for at least 12 months are usually free of duty and 10% GST as unaccompanied personal effects, as long as there is a genuine link between your move and the shipment. The owner of the goods signs the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects statement, which your partner mover lodges with the Australian Border Force. Shared containers are unpacked and inspected at an approved depot, then your goods are delivered to your door. Australia also runs strict biosecurity checks, so timber, food, plant material, soil and used outdoor items like barbecues, garden tools and shoes must be clean and declared.
Australia uses the Australian dollar. The currency code is AUD. Once you arrive, most costs will be in dollars: rent, bills and food. Sort your exchange early. It saves money and it saves stress. Don't exchange at the airport. Rates are poor. Online services like Wise or XE often beat the banks. Set up an AUD account before you travel. Check the live GBP/AUD rate at XE.com before you commit. The rate changes daily. International Removals Companies does not offer currency exchange.
This guide is maintained by Darren Benjamin, who has run International Removals Companies since it launched in 2010 and has over 20 years in the logistics industry. Since 2013 he has also been Secretary and Manager of a UK removal company, a role verifiable on Companies House. In practice that means matching people moving abroad with the right certified mover, and knowing the customs and shipping detail behind an international move to or from Australia.
Our partner movers hold the industry's recognised credentials, including FIDI FAIM Certified (audited by Ernst and Young), BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC membership. You can read more about who we are and how we vet partners on our about us page.
A shared container, also called groupage or LCL (less than container load), means your belongings travel in a 20ft container alongside other people's goods heading to the same Australian port. You pay only for the space your items take up, which makes it the most affordable sea freight option for part loads. Your matched partner mover handles the packing, consolidation and paperwork.
As a rough guide, a few boxes start from around £300 to £700, a studio or one-bedroom part load runs about £1,200 to £2,200, and a two-bedroom load about £2,400 to £3,800. The final price depends on your volume, UK collection point and Australian delivery address. These are indicative figures. Your matched mover gives a firm quote after a survey.
The sea voyage takes about 6 to 9 weeks. Door to door, a shared container usually takes 10 to 16 weeks, because the container waits to be filled before it sails and is split out again at the Australian end. Customs and biosecurity checks add a little more time. A sole-use container is faster if you need speed.
A shared container holds several customers' goods, so you split the cost but wait longer while it fills and empties. A sole-use container, 20ft or 40ft, is booked just for you, so it sails sooner and arrives faster, but you pay for the whole container. Shared suits part loads. Sole-use suits full homes or tighter timescales.
Most household furniture, personal effects and boxed belongings are fine. Australia has strict biosecurity rules, so anything with soil, plant material, food, seeds or untreated timber must be clean and declared. Used outdoor gear, garden tools and shoes are often inspected. Your partner mover advises what to leave behind and prepares the biosecurity paperwork.
The main destination ports are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle for Perth, and Adelaide. Goods for inland or regional addresses are cleared at the nearest port and then delivered onward by road. Your matched mover arranges the final leg to your door.
Belongings you have owned and used for at least 12 months are generally free of duty and GST as unaccompanied personal effects. Newer items may attract duty plus 10% GST. Your partner mover files the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects statement with the Australian Border Force on your behalf.
Marine transit insurance is available and is well worth taking for a long sea journey. Cover is priced on the declared replacement value of your goods. Your matched partner mover explains the options and arranges the cover. International Removals Companies does not provide insurance directly.
International Removals Companies is a free matching service. We don't carry out removals. Submit your enquiry and we match it with one vetted FIDI-certified mover for your shared container to Australia. They call you, survey the move and give you a quote. No obligation. No charge.
FIDI FAIM is the top quality standard for removal companies and moving companies. Ernst and Young audit each firm against more than 200 criteria every three years. The audit covers insurance, Australian customs and biosecurity knowledge, consolidation and packing standards, staff training and claims handling. For a shared container to Australia, your mover knows the port procedures and the B534 paperwork.
International Removals Companies connects each shared container enquiry with one FIDI FAIM-certified removal company, free. We have operated since November 2010. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Send your UK collection postcode, your Australian delivery address, a rough box count or inventory and your preferred date. We match you with one FIDI-certified partner who confirms the port, quote and Australian customs plan.
Get a Shared Container QuoteFree matching. One FIDI-certified mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since November 2010.
We connect shared container and groupage to Australia enquiries with one vetted FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, transit times, insurance and customs paperwork are confirmed by your partner mover before booking.