RoRo vs Container vs Flat Rack vs Breakbulk: Choosing the Right Shipping Method

Choosing the wrong shipping method is the most expensive mistake in heavy-equipment logistics. Here's a clear framework for the four options: RoRo, container, flat rack and breakbulk.

RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)

Cargo is driven or towed onto a dedicated vessel and secured on its wheels or tracks.

• Best for: running, self-propelled, wheeled units — cars, trucks, wheel loaders, mobile cranes.
• Pros: usually the most economical for eligible cargo; no container packing.
• Cons: the unit must roll and steer; limited cargo protection; port availability varies.
• Learn more: RoRo shipping service.

Container (standard, high-cube, or dismantled)

Cargo is loaded into an enclosed box — assembled if it fits, or knocked down if it doesn't.

• Best for: parts, attachments, smaller machines, and anything that benefits from enclosed protection or more frequent sailings.
• Pros: best protection; most sailings; easy inland moves.
• Cons: size limits; possible dismantle/reassembly cost. Use the container space calculator to check fit.

Flat rack / open top

Specialized container equipment for out-of-gauge pieces, crane- or forklift-loaded and lashed down.

• Best for: single over-width or over-height pieces that can't be knocked down to fit a box but don't need full breakbulk.
• Pros: keeps the frequency and handling benefits of container service for OOG cargo.
• Cons: more expensive than standard boxes; requires proper lashing and surveys.

Breakbulk (heavy-lift)

The piece is lifted aboard a general-cargo or heavy-lift ship by the ship's own cranes or a shore crane, then stowed in the hold or on deck, outside any container.

• Best for: indivisible pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack: large mining trucks and shovels, crawler cranes that cannot be split further, transformers, boats and long structures.
• Pros: practically no size limit; the piece moves whole, so there is no dismantling; heavy-lift ships can lift several hundred tonnes in one hook.
• Cons: fewer sailings and fewer ports than container service; needs a lift plan, cradles or saddles and a survey; port handling takes longer.
• Learn more: breakbulk ocean shipping.

A simple decision guide

Still unsure? Send us the dimensions and destination and we'll model the options. Request a quote or check the route and sailings and import duty first.