If you purchase a 40HQ container of toy cars from Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China, the total gross weight of the cargo will be relatively light because the outer casing of the product is plastic and there is a lot of space. A 40HQ container full of children’s toy cars, together with the weight of the container, is generally about 10 tons. However, if you buy fasteners of one 20GP container from Haiyan City, which is 40 kilometers away, the overall container weight may easily exceed 28 tons. It is the difference in product weight caused by different product characteristics.
How to ship overweighted containers? What issues do you need to pay attention to? This article will give you comprehensive guidance. The following 5 points require attention to be able to ship your heavy cargo containers safely and economically from China. First, we will give a definition for heavy containers here mentioned: If container cargo weight(not including tare weight)exceeds 20 tons, We call them as “heavy containers”
1. To understand the port limits of the importing country.
As an importer, you must know what is the weight limit of the container in the country or region where the goods are imported. If you exceed the legal limit, it will bring fines and disasters to your buyers. For example, the road transport restrictions in the United States are very strict, because many containers need to be transported by truck to the inland after being unloaded at the dock. Therefore, the road weight limit also becomes the reason for the shipping company to limit the weight of the container. Of course, goods that are only shipped to the terminal are not subject to this limit. The weight requirements for goods on the US route are very strict, and the weight limit is mainly affected by the weight limit of the roads in the US inland areas, generally 17.3 tons for 20GP containers and 19.5 tons for 40GP 40HQ containers. But different ports also have different weight limits. If you ignore this rule and fill it up at will, it is likely that you will face punishment in the United States.
2. To understand the port limits of the port of departure in China.
After the container ship is docked, it usually needs the crane of the dock to carry out the loading and unloading operation, and then it is towed to the container yard by truck and then hoisted by the forklift. If the weight of the container exceeds the mechanical load, it will cause difficulties for the operation of the dock and the yard. If you load too much cargo at will, it is very likely that the truck driver will be rejected by the port area before entering the port. Not only that, but it will also be punished by the port. For example, in Shanghai Port, the general container cargo weight should not exceed 27 tons. If it is exceeded, it will not be allowed to enter the port.
3. To know if the shipping company will impose Over Weight Surcharges or not
Many shipping companies charge Heavy Weight Surcharge for containers that exceed the specified weight (especially 20GP). However, there are also shipping companies such as Maersk, which don’t impose Heavy Weight Surcharge. Therefore, specific analysis of specific routes and shipping companies can save costs.
4. To understand the maximum load of the container
Each container has a maximum weight limit on the door, such as MAXGROSS: 30480KGS. This means that your total weight (including cargo weight and tare weight) can’t exceed this MAXGROSS weight. The tare weight for 20GP containers often is around 2200KGS, and the tare weight for 40GP and 40HQ is about 3720-4200KGS per container. Here for example, if MAXGROSS shows 32500kgs for one 40HQ and the tare weight is 3900kgs, it will be known your maximum cargo weight should be equal 32500-3900=28600kgs.
This is the maximum strength that the container box can withstand. If the loading exceeds this limit, the deformation of the box may occur, the bottom plate may fall off, the top beam may be bent, etc., and all losses arising therefrom will be borne by the loader. At present, most professional container terminals in China have installed electronic weighbridges. Therefore, as long as the container load exceeds the weight limit, the terminal will refuse to accept the container. Therefore, it is recommended that you check the weight limit on the container before packing to avoid unnecessary reloading.
If the cargo is indeed overweight and cannot be split, then you can choose an overweight container. This will increase the selection fee. Generally speaking, the terminal/yard will stack the common dry containers of the shipping company. If you want to choose a special heavy container (such as the 20GP overweight container mentioned above), the terminal and the yard must be searched one by one. The resulting container selection fee is generally the same as the designated container fee.
5. The above 4 points of weight limit must be all satisfied.
Therefore, if there is an inconsistency with the above 1, 2, 3, and 4, the minimum weight will be used to load the container. Otherwise, there will be problems and it will not be worth the candle.
Conclusion:
With the above 5 points well understood, you can quickly learn how to properly transport heavy container to your destination from China and avoid overweight.
