20’ Dry Van
| Description | Imperial | Metric |
| Maximum payload | 62390 lb | 28300 kg |
| Dimensions | 20′ x 8′ x 8’6″ | 6058 x 2438 x 2591 mm |
| Volume | 1170 cu. ft | 33,2 cu. m |
| Door openings width | 7′ 8 1/8″ | 2340 mm |
| Door openings height | 7′ 5 3/4″ | 2280 mm |
| Internal length | 19′ 4 1/4″ | 5898 mm |
| Internal width | 7′ 8 5/8″ | 2352 mm |
| Internal height | 7′ 5 3/4″ | 2393 mm |
| Weight gross | 67200 lb | 30480 kg |
| Weight tare | 4810 lb | 2180 kg |
40’ High Cube
| Description | Imperial | Metric |
| Maximum payload | 63250 lb | 28690 kg |
| Dimensions | 40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ | 12192 x 2438 x 2896 mm |
| Volume | 2700 cu. ft | 76,4 cu. m |
| Door openings width | 7′ 8 1/8″ | 2340 mm |
| Door openings height | 8’5 3/4″ | 2585 mm |
| Internal length | 39′ 5 2/3″ | 12032 mm |
| Internal, width | 7’8 5/8″ | 2352 mm |
| Internal height | 8′ 10 1/4″ | 2698 mm |
| Weight gross | 71650 lb | 32500 kg |
| Weight tare | 8400 lb | 3810 kg |
40’ Dry Van
| Description | Imperial | Metric |
| Maximum payload | 63650 lb | 28870 kg |
| Dimensions | 20’ x 8’ x 8’6″ | 12192 x 2438 x 2591 mm |
| Volume | 2390 cu. ft | 67,7 cu. m |
| Door openings width | 7′ 8 1/8″ | 2340 mm |
| Door openings height | 7′ 5 3/4″ | 2280 mm |
| Internal length | 39′ 5 11/16″ | 12032 mm |
| Internal, width | 7’8 – 5/8″ | 2352 mm |
| Internal height | 7′ 10 3/16″ | 2393 mm |
| Weight gross | 71650 lb | 32500 kg |
| Weight tare | 8000 lb | 3630 kg |
45’ High Cube
| Description | Imperial | Metric |
| Maximum payload | 60957 lb | 27650 kg |
| Dimensions | 45′ x 8′ x 9’6″ | 13716 x 2438 x 2896 mm |
| Volume | 3040 cu. ft | 86 cu. m |
| Door openings width | 7′ 8 1/8″ | 2340 mm |
| Door openings height | 8′ 5 3/4″ | 2585 mm |
| Internal length | 44′ 5 11/16″ | 13556 mm |
| Internal, width | 7′ 8 1/2″ | 2352 mm |
| Internal, height | 8′ 10 1/8″ | 2698 mm |
| Weight gross | 71650 lb | 32500 kg |
| Weight tare | 10692 lb | 4850 kg |
| Air waybill | consignment note covering the carriage of goods by airfreight. |
| Alongside vessel | delivery of cargo on the wharf, berth or lighter under the ship’s tackle, for direct loading into the ship. |
| Berth | at a quay or wharf, location where a ship is moored to unload/load cargo |
| Bill of lading (B/L) | title of property of the goods, it is the authentic receipt delivered by carriers for the said goods shipped/to be shipped on a named vessel |
| BAF | surcharge calculated at a percentage of the basic ocean freight, to take into account the fluctuations of the price of fuel, adapted as needed |
| Certificate of insurance | document issued by insurers confirming that a particular consignment is held covered by their company, and giving the name of their agent to contact at destination |
| Certificate of origin | document certified by Chambers of Commerce confirming the origin of goods, and required in some instances by Customs Authorities for clearance |
| Certificate of short-landing | document which must be issued by carriers or their agents when they fail to deliver a consignment of which a valid bill of lading has been issued |
| Charter-party | contract of hire of a vessel or part of a vessel |
| Clean | said of a bill of lading without reservation |
| Clear | to clear: process through customs |
| Closing date | date limit by which goods can be delivered for loading into a named vessel |
| Commodity rate | or “corate” special low rates applicable in airfreight traffic for certain categories of supplies and between designated airports or origin and destination |
| Consignee | the receiver of a consignment |
| Consignment note | a certain amount of cargo, defined by one transport document where its weight, size, number of parcels or appearance are stated |
| Consignor | the sender of a consignment |
| Consolidation | the assembling of several loads originating from several sources for joint dispatch |
| Consolidator | the firm, normally forwarding agent, running a consolidation service |
| Consular invoice | invoice which are prepared on special forms provided by consulates, and which have to be authorized by the importing country’s consulate in the exporter’s country and required by some countries for customs clearance |
| Container | metallic box, of steel or aluminum, with double doors at one end, more and more in use on sea-routes, for easier handling and safe transportation of cargo |
| Crate | open case made of planks assembled, nailed and strapped which show contents or their inner packing, as opposed to a close case |
| Cubic foot | unit of volume, often used to express freight rate i.e. $… per 40’, meaning $… per 40 cubic feet, equivalent to 1.13 cubic meters |
| Cubic meter | unit of volume for freight rates i.e. $… per m3 |
| CAF | surcharge calculated at a percentage of the basic ocean freight, to take into account fluctuations of currencies for rates expressed in US$ (it can be a negative adjustment) |
| Dangerous goods | goods, which, because of their nature, are classified as hazardous and admitted for transportation on special terms and regulations; see also IMO (formally IMCO) code and RAG |
| Deck | under deck cargo means goods stowed inside the holds of a vessel; on deck cargo means goods stowed above the holds “on deck”, on the vessel, mostly because of their hazardous nature; on deck cargo will be the first to be jettisoned in case of emergency; deck goods are always carried without any acceptance of responsibility by the carrier |
| Delivery note | documents used by cartage contractors or carriers to be signed by consignee as receipts for the goods, and on which reservations must be stated if consignments are not in order |
| Delivery order | voucher issued by carriers or agents against surrenders of Bs/L, enabling consignees to obtain delivery of their cargo; also document establishing the transfer of cargo from one party to another |
| Demurrage | rent in railway sheds; penalty for keeping containers longer than allowed; penalty for immobilization of a vessel longer than allowed for loading/unloading and payable by owners of the goods |
| Destuffing | in container traffic: emptying of the container |
| Door-to-door | through service from origin to consignee, as can best be operated by containers or road |
| FCL | full container load |
| Feeder service | delivery or collection services to/from ports of call of large ocean vessels, and arranged on smaller local vessels, barges, rail or road, from/to various places of origin/destinations which could not be served by the larger vessels |
| FIATA | International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association |
| FIATA B/L | valid B/L established by a forwarder belonging to the above association |
| Floating policy | also called open policy, open marine policy: insurance contract of a permanent nature between insurer and insured |
| Forwarding agent | or forwarders – intermediary between suppliers, buyers and carriers, who arrange pre-transportation, shipping and issue of documentation in accordance with instructions from their principals |
| Harbour dues | taxes levied for using port facilities |
| Haulage | road transportation |
| Heavy lift charges | additional charges for moving, loading or unloading pieces above a certain weight limit per unit; these charges vary according to the port equipment and facilities |
| IATA | International Air Transportation Association |
| IMO (previously IMCO) | International Maritime Organization. Code: IMO publications whereby dangerous goods are classified into several categories according to their hazards (corrosive, inflammable, explosive, poisonous, etc), and editing compulsory rules and regulations adopted by most trading countries, for their packing, markings, conditions of acceptance and carriage |
| Incoterms | international commercial terms |
| Joint-cargo | consolidated cargo |
| Lay-day time allowed for unloading/loading of a vessel | time allowed for unloading/loading of a vessel |
| LCL | less than container load |
| Legalized invoice | invoice prepared on seller’s own letter headed forms, but to be legalized by a consulate, when such is required for customs clearance in some countries |
| Letter of credit | or L/C, in short, document issued by a bank, acting as an intermediary between buyer and seller |
| Legalized invoice | invoice prepared on seller’s own letter headed forms, but to be legalized by a consulate, when such is required for customs clearance in some countries |
| Letter of credit | or L/C, in short, document issued by a bank, acting as an intermediary between buyer and seller |
| Lighter | barge placed alongside vessels on which cargo is unloaded/loaded, when this cannot be done at a wharf/quay; used also in feeder services |
| Lighterage | the fee charged for carrying goods in ships constructed to carry special barges |
| Lift-van | large case, comparable to metallic container, but made of wood, and mainly used for removal of furniture |
| Manifest | list of the consignments place on board an aircraft or vessel |
| Markings | symbols, letters and figures, stenciled on cases/packages and serving as identification of consignments |
| Minimum freight | minimum amount charged by carrier and per B/L in case of transportation of small consignment |
| Negotiable | describe a document which is a title of value or property, such as an original B/L, and which can be transferred to somebody by endorsement |
| Non-negotiable | either duplicate of a negotiable document (n/n copy of B/L), or document which is not a title of property (an air waybill is not a negotiable document) |
| Notify address | in a B/L or AWB, name and address of a party, not designated as consignee or beneficiary, but to whom a notification of arrival of the goods is to be sent by the carrier’s agent at destination. |
| Notify address | in a B/L or AWB, name and address of a party, not designated as consignee or beneficiary, but to whom a notification of arrival of the goods is to be sent by the carrier’s agent at destination. |
| On board B/L | mention that may appear on Bs/L, as a confirmation that goods are effectively loaded |
| Pallet | robust, wooden floor, on wood blocks, allowing handling by fork-lift trucks, on which goods, presented in standard packs, can be easily transported |
| Payload | total weight of the cargo that can be placed in a rail or road truck, or in a plane (also volume acceptable) |
| Reefer | refrigerated container |
| Restricted cargo | hazardous goods, or goods classified as such, admitted for carriage under special rules and regulation |
| Right of recourse | right of claiming compensation against party at fault; consignees must preserve the right of recourse of their underwriters by sending registered claim letter to faulty carriers |
| Skid | special frame, usually metallic, to permit handling, lifting, stowing, etc. of pieces of odd shape or size, and generally heavy |
| Storage | warehousing; cargo remaining in sheds, warehouses, etc. pending departure, transhipment, collection, is in storage |
| Stowage | means storage in ships’ holds or in containers |
| Stuffing | loading in containers |
| Subrogation | transmission of rights of claim and recovery to another party |
| Survey report | detailed report prepared by an insurance agent describing the damages suffered by goods, the possible cause of discrepancies, with all relevant shipping information, to enable insurers to give consideration to the case; expensive document not to be requested for minor claims |
| Tackle | ship’s own gear to load/unload cargo. |
| Tally | clerks persons checking the conformity of packages and cargo with the description given on documents |
| Through B/L | B/L covering a carriage between two designated places but involving a transshipment or a transfer during the course of the journey |
| Through rate | lump sum for the carriage charges relating to consignments travelling on through Bs/L |
| Transshipment | transfer, in a convenient port from one ship to another when the first carr ying vessel does not call at the port of destination |
| Underdeck | see: deck; storage space below the vessel’s deck where cargo is stowed in the holds; carriers are responsible for cargo shipped under deck, whilst they reject all liability for cargo shipped on deck |
| Warehouse | shed or storehouse where cargo is kept pending dispatch or retrieval |
| Bonded warehouse | warehouse under customs control where cargo in transit is kept or where cargo is kept pending customs clearance |
| Waybill | consignment note; generally speaking, document covering dispatch of goodson measurement,at ship’s option |
| Wharf | quay alongside which vessels berth |
| W/M | means weight/measurement; basis of calculation of ocean freight charges, either on weight or |
