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Freight from the USA

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Palletizing and crating in shipping goods from the USA internationally

Most of the time, cargo transporting from the USA overseas needs to be palletized.

During international cargo transportation, palletized and shrink-wrapped cargo is handled by forklifts, ensuring that it reaches its destinations without damage or loss.

It may be possible to ship overseas 3-5 shipping items loose. However, if you transport heavy or oversized cargo, it has to be palletized anyway. Click on the picture to watch a video on YouTube about palletizing boxes for shipping from the U.S. abroad.

There are many advantages to palletizing your cargo, but some disadvantages too.

Here are the advantages of shipping cargo palletized:

Palletized cargo is forkliftable. So, it has a much higher probability of arriving at the destination without damage and loss.
All shipping items are kept together. There are no partial losses in shipping palletized cargo.
Since it is shrink-wrapped, palletized cargo is protected from unauthorized opening, theft, etc.

However, additional freight costs are due to "dead volume" in palletized cargo transportation.

Palltize in sea freigt

Even if additional costs are associated with palletization, it is definitely worth it. As a rule, ocean freight carriers do not accept unpalletized cargo for international shipping from the USA.

Shipping loose boxes

Typically, you can ship a few boxes loose. You can ship regular cardboard moving boxes of different sizes. However, if you send boxes loose, we recommend heavy-duty cardboard shipping boxes for extra protection. Order online in advance. We may recommend Uline.com.

Ship boxes overseas

Shipping goods in loose boxes overseas has advantages and disadvantages.

THE ADVANTAGE: Freight cost is not added due to "dead volume." The total freight cost will be calculated by the summarized volume of single shipping boxes in cubic meters (or cubic feet).

DISADVANTAGES: Shipping many small loose boxes by LCL is NOT a safe way to ship goods overseas.

If you ship boxes from the U.S. loose, each box will be handled by hand. There is no guarantee that it will be handled with proper care. Boxes can be damaged during international transportation. Loose boxes can be partially lost or misrouted during delivery from the USA. Separated boxes can be easily stolen.

Please remember that if your cargo contains three to five separate shipping boxes, you may ask to ship it loose. However, if you send many boxes overseas OR any shipping items that exceed 100 lbs, the ocean freight carrier's terminal (CFS) may refuse to ship the boxes loose. CFS will palletize loose boxes anyway, whether you requested to palletize your cargo for shipping or not.

Shipping overseas palletized cargo.

The dimensions of a standard U.S. pallet used in shipping cargo from the USA are 48"(1.2m) x 40"(1.0m) x 6"(0.15m). Sometimes, loaded with shipping goods, pallets are called "skids."

Whenever cargo delivered in an ocean freight carrier's terminal (CFS) is loose, CFS should palletize loose shipping items into skids. Each skid will fit as many shipping boxes as it can. It is not recommended to exceed the height of skids over 60" (1.52m). The height of the skids will depend on the strength of the shipping boxes, their weight, and their sizes. Then, skids should be shrink-wrapped and secured with a plastic film.

Various sizes and forms of pallets are used in international cargo transportation from the USA. It is essential that pallets are accessible for handling by forklifts. Bases of pallets should be accessible for pallet jacks with a minimum clearance of 3.5". Assembled skids have to easily fit into a 40-foot container for further shipping from the USA abroad.

If you self-palletize your shipping items for international transportation, always pay attention to wood-packing restrictions (ISPM15) that apply to all cargo shipping out of the U.S.

international shipping of pallets in ocean freight

There are many advantages to shipping goods overseas palletized, besides some disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES: Palletized cargo has a much higher probability of arriving at destinations without damage or loss. Forklifts, with proper care, can easily handle it. Cargo in skids securely fastened together. A partial loss probability is insignificantly small. Palletized cargo is much better protected from unauthorized opening and theft at each stage of international transportation.

If you self-deliver loose shipping items to a CFS, the CFS will properly palletize and shrink-wrap them. The typical fee for palletizing is $35-50 per pallet, including the cost of a certified pallet provided by CFS. Use the opportunity. Do not palletize your cargo by yourself. Deliver light shipping boxes to CFS and allow professionals to palletize them at the CFS. Besides that, loose shipping boxes are much easier to handle. You will transfer responsibilities for ISPM 15 compliance to the CFS. Then, you should not face any problems related to ISPM 15 when shipping from the USA.

DISADVANTAGES: Some additional freight charges apply due to palletizing.

A palletizing fee: Cost of the pallet(s) and labor;
Added chargeable volume. "Dead volume."

Please remember that if your cargo needs to be palletized and a CFS's cargo recipient says at the time of delivery that they are unaware of the palletizing, do not worry. Most likely, the employee has not yet received a work order to palletize your cargo.

Do not argue. Just submit your shipping items and ensure that the cargo recipient wrote the number of boxes submitted on a copy of your dock receipt, dated it, and signed it. Keep the copy as proof of your delivery.

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

Chargeable shipping volume estimation

The carrier's freight cost will increase after smaller shipping items are palletized on skids.

The ocean freight carrier will add a fee related to palletizing and shrink-wrapping. Typically, the price varies from $35 to $50 per pallet. The fee includes the cost of the pallet. The carrier can add an hourly labor cost if you have delivered many boxes. Costs related to cargo palletization are not included in quotes received in our online freight calculator. These charges will be determined after the palletization is completed, included in the freight cost, and added to our final invoice. We never markup such charges. You should see the charges' breakdown in the rated carrier's bill of lading.

Regardless of the sizes and forms of your shipping items, the overall chargeable (gross) volume is always calculated by the LONGEST, WIDEST, AND HIGHEST DIMENSIONS OF YOUR SKID. Look at the pictures to see how it works:

palletizing in LCL international shipping

For example, regardless of the sizes of the boxes, a skid with the greatest dimensions, 40 x 50 x 50 inches, is equal to shipping of 1.65 gross cubic meters (or 58 gross cubic feet).

Customers often ask the reasonable question, "How much does it cost to palletize my boxes?"

The answer is:

A. CFSs typically charge $35-50 per pallet. Depending on a CFS. The fee includes the cost of a certified pallet, plastic film, and labor if there are not too many items to palletize. If there are too many shipping items, the CFS may charge hourly labor.

B. When you roughly estimate the number of pallets needed for your international shipment, then:

Calculate the total volume of your shipping goods with our online freight calculator.
Add 10-30% to the volume, and
Divide it by two cubic meters.

C. The 10-30% chargeable volume increase is for palletizing shipping items that generally fit the pallet. If there are irregularly sized items, the chargeable volume may increase.

Please understand that no one can predict the sizes of skids until all your cargo is palletized. The actual dimensions of the skids will depend on the sizes and shapes of your shipping items.

GUIDELINES FOR PALLETIZING

Wooding-packing restrictions (ISPM15): When palletizing your cargo for shipping from the USA overseas using wooden pallets, always consider wood-packing restrictions in international cargo transportation.
Addressing and Labeling: We recommend labeling all shipping items whenever possible before palletizing your cargo. Remove or erase old shipping labels (if any). It will help to recognize your shipping items if the skid is broken during the transportation from the USA to the destination country.

If you self-palletize, then after the job is done, label two sides of each skid, and include your consigner and consignee's contact info in the labels (THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT!). YOUR OCEAN FREIGHT CARRIER'S BOOKING NUMBER. You will receive a web link to print your shipping labels using our shipping instructions.

DO NOT WRITE ON YOUR SHIPPING BOXES OR PALLETS anything about the commodity inside your shipping units. You will provide commodity descriptions in your commercial invoices or valued packing lists. Then, it will be submitted to your shipment electronically.
SIZE AND WEIGHT: If shipping cargo from the U.S. LCL, shipping units should not exceed 2,200 lbs by weight, 70" in height, 119" in length, and 80" in width. Otherwise, such cargo requires approval from the ocean freight carrier before being accepted for international transportation.
SAFETY ON LOADING AND STACKING SHIPPING BOXES INTO SKIDS: At the time of palletizing loose shipping items for international transportation from the USA overseas, it is recommended to:

(1) Distribute weight evenly. Stack shipping boxes squarely corner-to-corner to the skid's edge to maximize compression strength, but do not allow shipping boxes 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 shipping boxes to prevent crushing.

(4) Cover the top of the skids with a plastic film to protect your shipping boxes from weather damage during transportation from the USA 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 shipping boxes if possible. Use shock-absorber connections or cushioned skids, if applicable, when bolting.

Shipping goods from the USA in crates

Crating goods for international transportation from the USA overseas can be quite expensive. However, in certain circumstances, goods need to be crated.

Shippung International LCL. Smaller Crate.

Crate-staging shipping goods can be necessary if you ship any valuable or fragile items abroad. Regular or custom-made solid crates can be purchased from packing companies or ordered online.

You may consider hiring a local professional packing company to crate your goods for international shipping from the U.S. Always ask the company if they are familiar with international cargo transportation regulations, particularly wood packing restrictions.

Crates built for shipping from the USA LCL must be forkliftable and easily fit into a 40-foot multimodal ocean freight container.

International Shipping from the USA. Custom built crate.

Mixing shipping units in transportation from the USA

When shipping goods overseas, sometimes it is a good idea to ship freight in different types of shipping units. You can palletize and shrink-wrap smaller shipping items, crate most valuable or fragile items, and leave oversized items loose. This approach should give you peace of mind about the safety of your valuables and save on gross chargeable volume in your international shipping from the United States using LCL freight service.