LCL stands for Less than Container Load, and as the name suggest, an LCL shipment means that the good occupy less than the total space of a full container will be shared and different goods from different suppliers will travel in it.
LCL shipments are also known as ocean groupage, because the goods are grouped and loaded into a container with other groupages. Since the container is shared, their logistics are a bit more complicated, even though they may be cheaper, they require better preparation and coordination to ensure that everything goes smoothly as planned.
LCL refers to consolidated break-bulk shipments that are typically boxed, palletized or crated.