Air or ocean
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Air charter | A machine or a large piece is needed in days, such as a part that stops a mine or plant[1]. | The delay an ocean sailing adds costs less than the charter. |
| Scheduled freighter | Parts and smaller machines that fit main deck pallets and the freighter’s payload[2]. | The piece is taller than the main deck door. |
| Ocean freight | The date allows a sailing. | Each day of downtime costs more than the air premium. |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Freighter payloads
Maximum structural payload of the main freighter types, from the manufacturer. The payload on a given flight is lower once fuel for the route is loaded.
| Freighter | Maximum structural payload | Range[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 777-8F | 130 US tons (118 t) | 5,000 nmi with 121 US tons (110 t) |
| 777F | 118 US tons (107 t) | 5,000 nmi with 118 US tons (107 t) |
| 767-300F | 63 US tons (57 t) | 3,300 nmi with 63 US tons (57 t) |
| 737-800BCF | 52,900 lb (24 t) | 2,000 nmi with 52,900 lb (24 t) |
Rules that apply
- Engines, vehicles and machinery as hazardous materials (49 CFR 173.220)PHMSA
A machine is regulated as a hazardous material when it carries fuel, a wet, sodium or lithium battery, or other hazardous materials. A tank of flammable liquid fuel such as gasoline is drained to 500 mL or less and closed; a self-propelled machine on diesel may keep its fuel if the tank has room for expansion and the cap is closed. Batteries stay installed and secured, wet batteries upright, with the terminals protected against short circuits.[3]
Applies to: Machines with fuel, batteries or other hazardous materials, by road, vessel or air
- Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau
Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.[4][5]
Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle
Questions about air freight
Can a machine with fuel fly?
It is regulated as a hazardous material. Gasoline tanks are drained, and by air the gas pressure in the fuel system must be no more than 5% of working pressure; batteries stay secured and protected.
What is the largest piece that can fly?
On the AN-124, a piece up to 132 US tons (120 t) that fits the 119 ft 9 in (36.5 m) long, 21 ft (6.4 m) wide and 14 ft 5 in (4.4 m) high cargo cabin.
Is air freight much faster for machinery?
The flight takes hours; packing, export filing, airport handling and import clearance take most of the time, so delivery is usually days.
Our Air Freight Services
- Air Charter & Heavy Lift
The AN-124 carries up to 132 US tons (120 t) in a 119 ft 9 in (36.5 m) long cargo cabin that loads through a 21 ft (6.4 m) by 14 ft 5 in (4.4 m) nose door with its own onboard cranes, for pieces that cannot wait for a sailing.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Antonov Airlines, AN-124 Ruslan charter (payload and cargo cabin), checked October 18, 2026
- [2]Boeing, Commercial freighters (maximum structural payload), checked October 18, 2026
- [3]eCFR, 49 CFR 173.220 Internal combustion engines, vehicles and machinery (hazardous materials), checked October 18, 2026
- [4]eCFR, 15 CFR 30.37 Miscellaneous exemptions (Foreign Trade Regulations), checked October 18, 2026
- [5]U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Regulations FAQs, checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.