Palletizing in Sea freight | Chargeable (Gross) Volume | Guidelines | Sipping barrels | Shipping in Crates

Palletizing and crating in international shipping from the USA

LCL freight is the cost-effective solution for shipping relatively large cargo from the USA overseas.

If you ship freight in boxes, bins, or smaller cases, your items will most likely be palletized regardless of transportation mode. Palletizing is mandatory in cargo transportation. Shippers can either palletize their loads themselves or request a freight terminal to palletize everything at the time of delivery for a fee if such a service is available.

On one hand, palletizing is essential for safe and damage-free cargo transportation. On the other hand, if a freight terminal palletizes loose items, it adds a palletizing fee and increases the chargeable volume of your load. If you are new to international cargo transportation, we highly recommend reading this webpage to avoid confusion about palletizing for transportation from the USA.

Shipping overseas goods in loose boxes

If you ship a few cartons weighing less than 75 lbs, they may be shipped loose. When conveying goods in boxes, we recommend using heavy-duty cardboard moving boxes. Shipping loose boxes overseas has advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGE: Shipping a few cartons weighing less than 75 lbs and not exceeding 72" in length should not incur additional freight costs in international transportation. The total sea freight cost will be calculated by combining the volume of each box.

DISADVANTAGE: Shipping goods overseas in multiple boxes separately is unreliable.

If you ship items heavier than 75 lbs that are not accessible to forklifts, they must be placed on a pallet for handling.

If you ship smaller items loose, each one will be handled by hand at all stages of international transportation. There is no guarantee that the items will be appropriately handled during the conveyance from the USA.

Loads can be easily damaged.
Loose items can be separated at warehouses or sea containers.
Such shipments can be partially lost or misrouted.
Loose items can be easily stolen.

IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND AND REMEMBER: If your shipment contains up to 3-5 loose small items, you may ask to ship it loose. However, IF YOU SHIP MORE THAN 3-5 UNITS OR THE WEIGHT OF A SINGLE BOX/UNIT EXCEEDS 75 LBS, THEN THE OCEAN CARRIERS' TERMINALS (CFS) WILL REJECT TO SHIP IT LOOSE. THEY WILL PALLETIZE EVERYTHING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU REQUEST OR NOT TO PALLETIZE YOUR LOAD.

Shipping cargo on pallets in shrink-wrapped skids.

The dimensions of the standard U.S. pallet used in international cargo transportation from the USA are 48x40x6 inches (or 1.2x1.0x0.15 meters). If smaller units are stacked on a pallet and wrapped with plastic film, it is called a "pallet" or "skid."

Even though standard-sized pallets are most commonly used in global cargo transportation, there are various pallets of other sizes and forms. Pallets must be strong enough to hold the load, accessible for forklifts, and fit into 40-foot sea containers. Items exceeding 72" are considered oversized and subject to surcharges.

If you request an ocean freight carrier's terminal (CFS) to palletize your shipment, the CFS will appropriately stack everything on certified ISPM15 pallets and shrink-wrap it. Each pallet will carry as many smaller items as possible for safe handling by forklifts.

If you palletize on your own, then follow these rules:

It is not recommended to exceed the height of the skid more than 60" (1.52m). The height of the skids depends on the strength, weight, and size of the load.
The entire skid should be shrink-wrapped and secured with a plastic film.
Bases of pallets should be accessible for pallet jacks with a minimum clearance of 3.5".
All skids prepared for international transportation must fit into a 40' multimodal sea container.

When palletizing things for conveyance from the U.S. overseas, always pay attention to wood packing restrictions that apply in international cargo transportation.

international shipping of pallets in ocean freight

ADVANTAGES: There are many benefits to shipping everything on pallets, shrink-wrapped. Compared with non-palletized loads, palletized loads have a much higher probability of reaching destinations without damage or loss. Forklifts will safely handle palletized cargo. Being palletized, all items are securely kept together, so the probability of a partial loss is insignificant. Palletizing protects from potential theft at any stage of transportation to the destination country.

As a U.S. Freight Forwarder, AMID Logistics highly recommends palletizing smaller articles for transportation from the U.S. overseas.

DISADVANTAGES: Additional charges apply. Please note that the international shipping cost estimated using our online freight calculator does not include the charges unless you ship overseas loads on appropriate pallets or forkliftable crates. It will apply to the carrier's freight cost and relates to:

Cost of the pallet(s) and labor;
Increasing the chargeable volume.

IMPORTANT! Some freight terminals may not offer palletizing services or may limit the number of loose items that can be palletized. If you ship too many items, say 35+, you must consider self-palletizing your cargo before or when it is delivered to the terminal. Feel free to ask the terminal if they provide certified pallets and shrink-wrap film. If they do and you can do the job, plan for extra time to palletize loose items at the terminal.

Estimation of chargeable (gross) volume after cargo palletization

To avoid confusion when reading invoices for international transportation of palletized cargo, you should clearly understand that:

1. Ocean freight carrier's terminal (CFS) charges a fee to palletize and shrink-wrap loose items. Depending on CFS, the fee varies from $35 to $75 per pallet. The fee includes the cost of a certified pallet(s) that comply with ISPM15.

CFS may charge an hourly labor fee if you ship many loose items. Please remember that palletizing of too many loose items may not be available at certain CFSs. If you ship from the USA too many small units (say 30-50+), you may need to self-palletize everything before or at the time of the delivery to CFS.

A PALLETIZING FEE IS NOT INCLUDED IN QUOTES OBTAINED IN OUR ONLINE FREIGHT CALCULATOR. The fee will be determined upon completing palletizing. It will be added to the carrier's freight invoice, billed to us, and added to your final invoice. Note that we never mark up the fee. You will see it in the ocean freight surcharges breakdown in your rated carrier's bill of lading.

2. PALLETIZING INCREASES CHARGEABLE VOLUME. Regardless of the sizes of items on a pallet, the overall chargeable (gross) volume will always be calculated based on the longest, widest, and highest dimensions of the skid. See the pictures to see how it works:

For example, a skid with dimensions 40x48x60 inches equals shipping of 1.89 gross cubic meters (or 67 gross cubic feet).

People ask: How much does it cost to palletize my boxes? How can I estimate it?

The answer is: A CFS should properly palletize and shrink-wrap your boxes for $35-75 per pallet. The fee depends on the CFS. The price includes the cost of a certified pallet provided by CFS. Remember that if you palletize many things, the CFS may charge you for the labor per hour.

The dimensions of the standard U.S. pallet itself are 40x48x6 inches. It is recommended not to exceed the height of skids by more than 60 inches. Otherwise, it may become unstable. Then, a single pallet is unlikely to exceed two cubic meters.

Calculate the total volume of your items using our online freight calculator to estimate the number of pallets. Then, add 15-35% to the volume and divide it by two cubic meters.

However, this is a very rough estimation. The pallets' sizes and shapes will depend on your items' sizes. To decrease the "dead" volume, we'd recommend boxes of the same size. Then, they should fit into pallets evenly.

For example, you ship 20 Walmart LARGE boxes, 22x18x18 inches, and 10 Walmart MEDIUM boxes, 17x16x16 inches. Using our online freight calculator, you've calculated the total volume of cargo that ships at 3.15 cubic meters.

Then, after the palletizing, the rough estimation is 3.15 CBM x 1.25 = 3.94 CBM.

3.94 CBM: 2 CBM per pallet ~ 2 pallets. I.e., most likely, it should fit into two pallets.

Please understand that no one can predict the number and sizes of your pallets until palletizing is completed. The palletizing charges will be included in the ocean carrier's rated bill of lading's freight surcharges.

IMPORTANT! If you requested to palletize your load at CFS but, at the time of delivery, a CFS cargo recipient says that they are unaware of the palletizing, please do not worry. Most likely, the employee has not yet received a work order to palletize your shipment.

Do not argue. Just submit everything loose. Ensure the employee wrote the number of units submitted on a copy of your dock receipt, dated it, and signed it. Keep the copy as proof of the delivery (POD).

Upon receipt of a warehouse receipt from the CFS, we'll reconfirm the palletizing work order. Your goods will be palletized appropriately, and we will inform you about that in our update email.

Guidelines on palletizing in shipping freight LCL

Before purchasing boxes, consider how they will fit into a skid(s).

Your boxes will most likely be stacked on a U.S. standard pallet(s) with a base of 40x48 inches (~1x1.2 meters). If possible, always purchase boxes of the same size and as many as they fill the rows of boxes on the pallet(s).

If you do not (or cannot) follow this rule, then it may result in a sharp increase in the "dead volume" of your internationally shipping goods. Below are pictures that show how the chargeable volume almost doubled, comparable to the "net" volume of boxes, due to the improper set of boxes chosen for international transportation. The sizes of the boxes are different:

The improper set of shipping boxes

Below are boxes of the same size, but they do not fill the second row:

The wrong set of shipping boxes

Ocean freight terminals do their best to make skids as compact as possible. Below is a sampling of how mixed sizes of boxes and bins can be palletized by decreasing the "dead volume" to the minimum:

Ship internationally boxes of different sizes

In the pictures below, you can see how perfectly boxes fit into skids if you follow the rule above. Professional exporters know that, and the "dead volume" for such shipmates is minimized and virtually does not impact the cost of international cargo transportation:

The proper set of shipping boxes

Here are the helpful hints if you self-palletize and deliver to a CFS entire skid(s):

Wood packing restrictions (ISPM15 rules in international cargo transportation from the U.S.): Always consider the wood packing restrictions when palletizing items on wooden pallets for global transit from the USA. Use only certified ISPM15 or plastic pallets.
Addressing and Labeling: We recommend labeling all items whenever possible before palletizing. It will help to recognize any of them if your skid falls apart during international transportation to the destination country. Remove or erase old labels (if any). Pay extreme attention to old dangerous goods labels.

After you have palletized your items, label two sides of each skid, and include your consigner and consignee's contact info and (that is very important!) your ocean carrier's booking number on the labels. With AMID Logistics, you will receive a web link with instructions for printing your shipping labels in an email.

Do not write about the commodity on cartoons or pallets. You will provide commodity descriptions in your shipping documents: commercial invoices or valued packing lists. All your paperwork should be submitted electronically.
Size and Weight: When shipping internationally from the U.S. LCL, units should not exceed 2,200 lbs by weight, 70" in height, 119" in length, and 80" in width. Otherwise, prior approval from the ocean carrier assigned to your shipment is required. Items that exceed 72" are subject to over-length surcharges.
Safety on loading and stacking cartons into skids: At a time of palletizing loose items for international transportation from the USA, it is recommended to:

(1) Distribute weight evenly. Stack everything squarely corner-to-corner to the skid's edge to maximize compression strength, but do not allow cartons to hang over the skid.

(2) Keep the top of the skid flat to minimize loss or damage to cartons; do not pyramid-stack.

(3) Place angled fiberboard (angle board) between cartons to prevent crushing.

(4) Cover the top of the skids with plastic film to protect them from weather damage during transportation overseas.
Securing of skids: Wrap skids in 70-gauge stretch wrap. Pass at least two bands (tightly secured) through the skid voids and around all cartons. Use steel, rayon, polypropylene, nylon, or polyester strapping to band everything if possible. Use shock-absorber connections or cushioned skids, if applicable, when bolting.

Sipping barrels. Not recommended.

Occasionally, people want to ship goods in barrels. For some reason, barrels are commonly used to ship from the USA to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Yes, you can ship goods overseas in barrels. However, we highly recommend packing your goods in heavy-duty cardboard boxes. You can purchase them at Walmart, Home Depot, etc., or order them online. They cost about the same as regular cardboard boxes.

Please keep in mind that besides the difficulties of handling heavy barrels, the barrels will be palletized and shrink-wrapped for international shipping. Then, a dead volume will occur due to palletizing, especially if you send overseas several barrels that are not a multiple of four to fit in a U.S. standard pallet with the base 40"X48" (1X1.2 in meters).

shipping barrels from USA overseas shipping goods in barrels fro USA overseas

Shipping goods from the USA in crates

Crating goods for international transportation can be quite expensive. However, in certain circumstances, it is necessary.

Crating is necessary if you ship valuable or fragile goods, such as assembled furniture, large but fragile items, or certain irregular and fragile items requiring extra protection in their transportation from the USA overseas. Regular or custom-made solid crates can be purchased from packing companies or ordered online.

You may also hire a professional packing company to crate your goods for international shipping from the U.S. As a U.S. Freight Forwarder, we'd suggest you ask a suck packing company if they are familiar with regulations in international cargo transportation, particularly with wood packing restrictions.

Note that crates, like pallets, must be forkliftable and fit into 40' multimodal sea containers.

Forklift in sea freight

Suppose a custom-made crate exceeds 48" in width. In that case, it will most likely not be accessible by a regular forklift and unsuitable for international cargo transportation from the U.S. overseas LCL.

International Shipping. Custom built crate.

Mixing different types of shipping units

Depending on the circumstances of your international shipping, it is sometimes a good idea to ship in different packing units. That means you can palletize and shrink-wrap smaller items, crate most valuable or fragile items, and leave oversized items loose. This approach can give you peace of mind about the safety of your shipped goods and save gross chargeable volume in your international shipping from the USA.