Rice Container Loading Guide

Most rice complaints that are not about quality are about the container: wet bags, torn bags, insects or a short weight. Almost all of them are prevented at loading. This guide covers what we do at our mill and what a buyer should expect to see.

How much fits

A standard 20 ft dry container has about 33 cubic metres of space, but rice is dense, so the permitted payload is reached before the box is full. Shipping lines and road rules cap the gross weight, and the usual figure quoted for bagged rice is about 25 tonnes.

The exact payload depends on the shipping line, the route and any road limits at the destination. Agree the target tonnage per container in the contract.

A 40 ft container has twice the space but not twice the weight allowance, so for rice it usually carries only slightly more by weight. It makes sense for light, bulky retail packing. For standard bags, 20 ft containers are the norm.

Floor-loaded or palletised

Floor-loaded bags are stacked by hand directly in the container. This carries the most rice per box and is the standard for 25 and 50 kg bags.

Palletised loads are stacked on pallets and wrapped. Unloading is much faster and bags are handled less, which suits retail packs and warehouses with forklifts. The pallets take up weight and space, so the payload drops, and wooden pallets must be heat-treated and marked to the ISPM 15 standard.

Inspect the container first

Before a single bag goes in, the empty container is checked:

• clean, dry and free of odour and residues from earlier cargo
• no holes: stand inside with the doors closed and look for daylight
• doors, seals and gaskets that close tightly
• no rust flakes, protruding nails or damaged floorboards that could tear bags

A container that fails is rejected and replaced. The inspection agency, if you have appointed one, records this step.

Lining and desiccants

Walls and floor are lined with kraft paper or a similar liner, which keeps bags off the metal and absorbs light condensation. Container desiccants, hung on the walls, absorb moisture from the air during the voyage.

This matters because of "container rain". Rice holds some moisture. When a sealed container moves between hot and cool climates, moisture evaporates by day and condenses on the cold steel roof at night, then drips onto the cargo. Correct grain moisture, lining and desiccants together prevent wet and mouldy top layers.

Stacking

Bags are stacked in an interlocking pattern, so each layer binds the one below and the stack cannot shift. Heavy bags go at the bottom, the load is spread evenly along the floor, and a gap is left at the door. A cargo net or strapping at the door stops bags falling out when the doors open at the destination.

Fumigation

Many buyers and destinations require the rice to be fumigated against stored-grain insects. This is usually done in the sealed container with phosphine (aluminium phosphide) by an approved fumigation agency, for the prescribed exposure time. The agency issues a fumigation certificate, and the container carries a fumigation warning label. Check your country's requirements, since some specify the fumigant, dose or treatment timing.

Loading photographs and the seal

Good exporters photograph each stage and send the pictures with the documents:

1. the empty, clean container with its number visible
2. the liner in place
3. loading at about half full, showing the stacking pattern
4. the full container, with desiccants and door protection
5. the closed doors with the bolt seal fitted and its number legible

The seal number is recorded on the bill of lading. If the seal on arrival does not match, notify the shipping line before you open the container.

Verified gross mass (VGM)

Since 1 July 2016, the SOLAS convention requires the shipper to declare the verified gross mass of every packed container before it is loaded onto a ship. VGM is the cargo, packing and container tare combined. It is established by weighing the packed container on a certified weighbridge, or by weighing all the contents and adding the tare. A container without a VGM declaration will not be loaded.

Checklist for buyers

• Target tonnage and bag count per container agreed in the contract
• Grain moisture confirmed before loading
• Container inspection, lining and desiccants specified
• Fumigation requirement and certificate agreed
• Loading photographs and seal number sent with the documents
• Inspection agency present at loading, if appointed

See how we pack and load on our infrastructure page, and the bag options in basmati rice packaging options. Contact us for a loading plan for your order.