Packing and Container Loading for Chemicals: What to Ask For Before You Order

A price per tonne is not a landed cost

Two offers at the same price per tonne can produce very different landed costs once packing and container fill are taken into account. The packing you choose determines how many tonnes fit in a 20FT or 40FT container, how much handling your warehouse needs, and how much product you lose to spillage, dust and caking.

This is why a serious supplier will send a loading plan rather than only a price.

The packing options, and what each is for

The usual options for commodity chemicals, and where each fits:

• 25 kg bags — manual handling, distribution through local traders, mixed loads
• 50 kg bags — the common compromise between handling weight and bag count
• Jumbo bags (1000/1200 kg) with an inner liner — bulk users, fewer handling steps, better moisture protection when lined
• Palletised and shrink-wrapped loads — faster unloading and cleaner storage, at the cost of some container fill

Five questions to ask before you order

Put these to the supplier and compare the answers:

• How many units load per 20FT and per 40FT for my chosen packing?
• Is there an inner liner, and what is it made of?
• What are the net and gross weights per bag and per pallet?
• Can the bags carry my own brand and shipping marks?
• Is the product compatible with mixed loading, or does it need to be shipped separately?

Do not overlook the marks

Bag printing and shipping marks are cheap to arrange before production and expensive to fix afterwards. If your market requires labelling in a particular language, or if your customer needs specific marks on arrival, settle it before the goods are packed — not after the container has sailed.