- outside width of a container: cargo past this line is over-wide[1]
- 8 ft2.44 m
- end-wall height of a 40′ high cube flat rack, where over-height starts[2]
- 7 ft 5 in2.27 m
- payload of the same rack with the load spread over its full length[2]
- 54 US tons49,100 kg
- rating of each lashing point on the carrier’s own racks[1]
- 11,000 lb5,000 kg
What makes cargo out of gauge
Flat racks and open tops sit in the same stacks as closed containers. A load that stays inside a container’s outline costs a normal slot; one that passes it blocks the slots beside or above it, and the carrier charges for those as well[1].
Over-width is measured from a line between the outer edges of the corner posts, not from the edge of the floor, so a load can overhang the floor and still be in gauge[1]. Over-height starts at the top of the end walls on a flat rack[2] and at the top of the side walls on an open top[3].
The declared figures must include the lashing equipment. A wrong declaration can lead to a re-rating or to the cargo being left at the terminal[1].
OOG on a container ship, or another method
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Flat rack, out of gauge | The piece is over-wide or over-height but within the rack’s payload for its resting length, and a container line calls both ports[2][4]. | The overhang blocks so many slots that a RoRo or breakbulk rate comes out lower. |
| Open top, over-height | The piece is only too tall, fits the 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) wide roof opening and is loaded by crane from above[3]. | It is also over-wide: an open top has side walls, so a flat rack takes it instead. |
| RoRo | The machine drives or rides a roll trailer and the destination has a RoRo call; it blocks no container slots. | No RoRo service calls the destination port. |
| Breakbulk | The piece is beyond what two flat racks side by side or a roll trailer can carry. | A liner flat rack takes it: breakbulk adds crane lifts at both ends. |
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.
Equipment that carries OOG cargo
Figures from one carrier’s fleet. Flat rack payloads apply only when the load spreads along the main beams[4].
| Figure | 20' flat rack[7] | 40' high cube flat rack[2] | 20' open top container[3] | 40' open top container[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO size-type code | 22P3 | 45P3 | 22U1 | 42U1 |
| Inside length | 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) | 38 ft 3 in (11.65 m) | 19 ft 4 in (5.9 m) | 39 ft 6 in (12.03 m) |
| Inside width (flat racks: floor) | 7 ft 2 in (2.19 m) | 7 ft 8 in (2.35 m) | 7 ft 9 in (2.35 m) | 7 ft 9 in (2.35 m) |
| Inside height (flat racks: floor to top of end walls) | 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) | 7 ft 5 in (2.27 m) | 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m) | 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m) |
| Door opening, width × height | – | – | 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 7 ft 6 in / 2.28 m | 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 7 ft 6 in / 2.28 m |
| Roof opening, length × width | – | – | 17 ft 6 in / 5.34 m × 7 ft 4 in / 2.23 m | 37 ft 11 in / 11.55 m × 7 ft 4 in / 2.23 m |
| Floor height above ground | 1 ft 3 in (0.37 m) | 2 ft 2 in (0.65 m) | – | – |
| Maximum gross weight | 99,200 lb (45,000 kg) | 61 US tons (55,000 kg) | 71,700 lb (32,500 kg) | 71,700 lb (32,500 kg) |
| Tare weight | 6,390 lb (2,900 kg) | 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) | 5,400 lb (2,450 kg) | 8,930 lb (4,050 kg) |
| Maximum payload | 92,800 lb (42,100 kg) | 54 US tons (49,100 kg) | 66,200 lb (30,050 kg) | 62,700 lb (28,450 kg) |
| Volume | – | – | 32.5 m³ | 66.5 m³ |
| Rating per lashing point | 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) | 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) | 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) | 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) |
- 20' flat rack: Strongest 20′ series; other series carry 68,900 lb to 81,700 lb (31,260 to 37,060 kg). The full payload applies only when the load rests on the whole length of the main beams: on 6 ft 7 in (2 m) it is 55,600 lb (25.2 t).[4]
- 40' high cube flat rack: Series range from 97,100 lb to 60 US tons (44,050 to 54,200 kg) payload. The weight must reach the two main beams, directly or through cross timbers; on a 6 ft 7 in (2 m) resting length this rack takes 56,400 lb (25.6 t).[4]
- 20' open top container: Loaded by crane through the roof; the door header swings out. Cargo above the side walls ships under a tarpaulin as over-height.[3]
- 40' open top container: Older 40′ open tops are rated 67,200 lb (30,480 kg) gross (58,700 lb / 26,630 kg payload).[3]
How an OOG booking works
- 01
Measure over everything
Length, width and height over the cargo and its lashings, the weight and the centre of gravity. These decide whether the load is OOG at all[1].
- 02
Request carrier acceptance
The carrier checks the dimensions against the stowage plan for the sailing and confirms how many slots the load blocks. Each carrier accepts a maximum per sailing.
- 03
- 04
Weigh and declare
A verified gross mass and the final out-of-gauge dimensions go to the carrier before the stowage plan is made[6].
Rules that apply
- SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM)IMO
Since 1 July 2016 the shipper must give a signed verified gross mass for each packed container, found by weighing the packed unit or by adding the weighed cargo, lashing and dunnage to the container tare. The carrier needs it before the stowage plan is drawn up; without it the container is not loaded.[6]
Applies to: Every packed container, flat rack and open top
- ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS
Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.[5]
Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage
- Federal truck size and weight limits (23 CFR 658)FHWA
On the Interstate system a truck may gross 80,000 lb, with 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem; on the National Network the load may be 102 in wide. There is no federal height limit: states set 13.6 to 14.6 ft. A load over any of these needs an oversize or overweight permit from every state on the route.[8]
Applies to: Every road move to and from the port
- 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.[9][10]
Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle
Questions about out of gauge shipping
Is cargo that overhangs a flat rack floor always out of gauge?
No. Over-width is measured from a line between the outer edges of the corner posts, which is wider than the floor. A load can overhang the floor and still be in gauge.
Why does OOG cost more than a normal container?
Because the load blocks container slots next to or above it that the carrier cannot sell. The rate covers the slots lost as well as the one the rack occupies.
What happens if the declared OOG dimensions are wrong?
The carrier can re-rate the booking or leave the cargo at the terminal. The declared figures must include the lashing equipment.
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]Hapag-Lloyd, A Guide for the Loading and Lashing of Cargo on Hapag-Lloyd Flatracks, checked October 18, 2026
- [2]Hapag-Lloyd, 40′ High Cube Flatrack, checked October 18, 2026
- [3]Hapag-Lloyd, Container Specification (2024 update), checked October 18, 2026
- [4]Hapag-Lloyd, Weight distribution in containers for safe transport (guideline), checked October 18, 2026
- [5]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026
- [6]IMO, SOLAS verified gross mass requirement enters into force (1 July 2016), checked October 18, 2026
- [7]Hapag-Lloyd, 20′ Flatrack, checked October 18, 2026
- [8]FHWA, Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight Program (23 CFR 658), checked October 18, 2026
- [9]eCFR, 15 CFR 30.37 Miscellaneous exemptions (Foreign Trade Regulations), checked October 18, 2026
- [10]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.