Shipping heavy machinery internationally is decided by a handful of numbers and a handful of rules. The numbers are the machine's weight, its three dimensions and the position of its centre of gravity. The rules cover how the load must be packed and secured, how its weight must be declared and who is responsible for each piece of information. Get them right and a heavy machine travels like any other cargo. Get them wrong and the machine can be refused at the terminal, damaged in the hold or, worse, fail while being lifted. This guide takes you through the four measurements, the choice between a container and breakbulk, the principles of securing, lifting and handling, route checks, documents and insurance, with a worked fit check.
For the importing steps around a machine, see how to import industrial machinery from China to India. For multi-piece plant moves, see project cargo logistics: planning oversized and heavy shipments.
Start With Four Measurements
Before any quotation, collect from the manufacturer:
- Gross weight, including packing, a base or skid and any attached tooling.
- Dimensions, length, width and height as packed, not as the bare machine.
- The position of the centre of gravity, especially if it is not in the middle.
- The lifting and tie-down points, with the load each can carry.
These are not formalities. The IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code says the consignor is responsible for correctly describing the goods, including the mass of the total payload, and for notifying the packer of any unusual transport parameters of individual packages, for example the offset of the centre of gravity. If the manufacturer's figures are wrong, the consequences land on the shipper.
Container or Breakbulk?
Some machines fit inside a container, and a container is the simplest way to move them. Check the specification. A Maersk equipment specification sheet gives these figures for steel dry containers.
| Container | Maximum payload | Internal length | Internal width | Internal height | Door opening width by height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft standard | 28,200 kg | 5,896 mm | 2,350 mm | 2,393 mm | 2,350 by 2,274 mm |
| 40 ft standard | 28,800 kg | 12,032 mm | 2,350 mm | 2,393 mm | 2,340 by 2,274 mm |
| 40 ft high | 28,620 kg | 12,032 mm | 2,350 mm | 2,697 mm | 2,340 by 2,577 mm |
If the machine is longer, wider, taller or heavier than these, it is cargo for an open top or flat rack container, or for breakbulk. The Port of Rotterdam describes breakbulk, also called general cargo, as including cargo that does not fit into containers, with heavy lift and project cargo among its types. Our guide to what breakbulk shipping is explains the trade-offs. Leave a margin for lifting and securing: a machine that fits by a few millimetres will not load.
A worked fit check
The machine in this made-up example is 5,600 mm long, 2,200 mm wide and 2,500 mm high when packed, and weighs 24,000 kg.
| Check | Machine | 20 ft standard | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight against payload | 24,000 kg | 28,200 kg | Fits |
| Length against internal length | 5,600 mm | 5,896 mm | Fits, with 296 mm to spare |
| Width against door opening | 2,200 mm | 2,350 mm | Fits, with 150 mm to spare |
| Height against door opening | 2,500 mm | 2,274 mm | Does not fit |
The height fails, so the machine needs a different unit, an open top or flat rack, or a lower packed height if the manufacturer can provide one. It would fit through the door of a 40 ft high container (2,577 mm), but with only 77 mm to spare, which is too little for practical loading. The check took five minutes and saved a failed booking.
Packing and Securing: The CTU Code Principles
The CTU Code is a non-mandatory code of practice, but it is the best guide to what careful carriers and terminals expect. Its key requirements say, among other things:
- Select the most suitable unit for the cargo, and prepare a packing plan when needed.
- Choose securing methods suited to the characteristics of the cargo, the mode of transport and the unit.
- Do not exceed the permitted payload or the maximum gross mass.
- Distribute heavy cargo appropriately over the floor, and do not concentrate it on small areas.
- Load with the centre of gravity correctly located, and avoid eccentric load distribution.
- Use blocking or lashing, or both, to prevent the cargo sliding and tipping in any direction.
- Secure each single loaded item independently where necessary.
- Do not secure the cargo with devices that overstress the structure of the unit or the cargo.
The Code's preamble notes that improper or careless packing, or a lack of proper blocking, bracing and lashing, may cause injury and serious and costly damage to the cargo or the equipment. The IMO page on cargo securing points to the related IMO guidance. If any packaging is raw wood, ISPM 15 requires approved treatment and a mark.
Lifting and Handling
Heavy machines are lifted at least twice, onto the vessel and off it, and again at any transfer on the way. Ask for the lifting points to be marked on the machine and the packing, and for the lifting diagram to travel with the documents. Confirm that the loading and discharge ports can handle the weight, and ask whether the lift will be made by the ship's gear, a shore crane or a floating crane. Weather matters for a heavy lift, so allow for delay. Fragile parts need separate protection, which our guide to how to transport fragile industrial equipment safely covers.
Declaring the Weight
For containers, weight declaration is a legal step. Under SOLAS guidance from the IMO, the shipper is responsible for stating the verified gross mass in the shipping document and submitting it in advance to the master and the terminal. It is obtained by weighing the packed container, or by weighing all the packages and cargo items, with pallets, dunnage and securing material, and adding the container's tare. Agree with your forwarder who supplies the figure and how it will be obtained.
Check the Route
The ship is only part of the journey. Check the route from the plant to the port of loading and from the port of discharge to the destination: road height and width limits, bridge loads, turning radii, rail gauge and clearances and any permission needed for an oversize or overweight road move. Ask your forwarder for a route survey for any move that is near the limits, and do it before you commit to a delivery date.
Documents and Insurance
The usual import papers apply: invoice, packing list, transport document and bill of entry. Add the technical documents: specification, drawings, lifting plan and any certificate of conformity. Insure the machine for its full value on a basis that covers loading, discharge and the inland leg, and ask exactly what the policy excludes. Inspect on arrival and record damage on the delivery paperwork before the machine is moved. See customs clearance in India step by step.
Common Heavy Cargo Mistakes
- Using the dimensions of the bare machine and not the packed machine.
- Forgetting the weight of the base, skid and tooling.
- Booking a container before checking the door opening and not only the interior.
- Leaving the centre of gravity unmarked.
- Assuming the port, the road and the plant can all handle the weight.
- Failing to agree who declares the verified gross mass.
- Skipping the pre-move inspection and the photographs.
A Heavy Machinery Checklist
- Weight, packed dimensions, centre of gravity and lifting points are confirmed in writing.
- The unit choice has been checked against the specification, with a margin.
- A packing and securing plan exists.
- Ports, route and destination have been checked for the weight and size.
- The verified gross mass has an owner.
- Insurance covers the whole move.
- Photographs and inspection are planned for arrival.
Move Heavy Cargo With RR Brothers and Logistics
RR Brothers and Logistics plans project cargo and heavy lift moves from China, with sea freight and customs clearance in India. Send us the machine's packed weight and dimensions and we will check the fit and the route with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Packed gross weight, packed dimensions, the centre of gravity and the lifting and tie-down points, plus the specification and drawings. The CTU Code makes the consignor responsible for describing the goods and the mass correctly.
When it is too long, wide, tall or heavy for the container, after checking the door opening and payload. The Port of Rotterdam describes breakbulk as including cargo that does not fit into containers.
Maersk's equipment sheet gives a maximum payload of 28,200 kg for a 20 ft standard steel dry container, with an internal width of 2,350 mm and a door opening 2,274 mm high.
The verified weight of a packed container. Under SOLAS guidance from the IMO, the shipper must state it in the shipping document and submit it in advance to the master and the terminal.
Under the CTU Code, with blocking or lashing, or both, to prevent sliding and tipping in any direction, with the centre of gravity correctly located, heavy cargo spread over the floor and securing that does not overstress the unit or the cargo.
For any move near the limits of size or weight, yes. Check roads, bridges, turning space and permissions before you fix a delivery date.
Sources
- IMO/ILO/UNECE: Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code)
- Maersk: Dry container equipment specifications
- Port of Rotterdam: Breakbulk
- IMO: Cargo securing and packing
- IPPC/FAO: ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (2018)
- IMO: Verification of the gross mass of containers
This article is general information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules, rates and procedures change; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a licensed customs professional before you ship. Regulatory references were checked against the official sources listed above on 26 October 2026.
Image credits: header photo by Alba Calbetó on Unsplash; photo by Julia Taubitz on Unsplash. Used under the Unsplash License.
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