How is load factor calculated?

Volume: actual cargo volume divided by usable internal volume. Weight: total cargo weight divided by usable payload. Calculate the two separately and take whichever runs out first as the floor of the plan. Usable internal volume depends on the actual internal dimensions of that container and whether the cargo can be stacked to the roof, so a fixed number cannot be assumed.

Why can I not just look at the overall load factor?

Because a high overall figure does not mean the space is well used. The remaining space may be concentrated in a few corners that nothing fits into, so practical utilisation does not rise; conversely some space may be filled only because cargo was forced into a position that is bad for securing or for discharge. The plan has to look at where the leftover space is.

Which data must I have before stuffing?

Three sets: measured unit weight and outer dimensions for every line; packaging form and stacking ability (whether it can take load, any up-arrow requirement, pallet stackability); and container condition and weight limits (internal dimensions, the weight marked on the box, the carrier limit, the destination road limit). Without any one of them the plan is guesswork.

How does a mixed-cargo container differ from a normal one?

A mixed container holds several shipments and adds two requirements: a physical divider between zones, and the ability to secure and document each zone separately. In addition the relationship between container number and contents must be written down, or stripping and inspection cannot locate each shipment individually.

How should the loading sequence be decided?

Combine two principles: weight distribution (heavy low and near the longitudinal middle, avoiding one heavy end) and discharge order (last off loaded first, first off loaded last). Where they conflict, weight distribution and safety win, because re-stripping only adds handling whereas a bad weight distribution affects the safety of the whole box.

What matters most in securing?

Matching the load path. Securing is not about bracing cargo rigidly; it is about keeping it still for the whole voyage with the force falling where the cargo can take it. Common methods are timber braces, airbags, straps and dunnage. Voids inside the box must also be filled, because empty space is where movement starts.

How is moisture-sensitive cargo handled?

Actively. The day-night temperature swing at sea forms condensation inside the container, so use desiccants, keep cargo off the walls and floor, and leave some air circulation space. The packaging’s own moisture barrier and the in-container dehumidification measures have to be considered together, not one in place of the other.

Should photos be taken after stuffing?

Yes — particularly for mixed-cargo containers, fragile goods and high-value cargo. Images taken inside the box before sealing record the loading state and the zoning, and if damage or a quantity dispute arises at the destination they are the only objective record of how the container left.

How to Plan Container Stuffing: Load Factor and Mixed-Cargo Zones

Key figures (free to quote)

Item	Reference figure
Jakarta (Tanjung Priok) standard clearance	2-4 working days (complete documents, no inspection).
Jakarta inspection (yellow line)	3 working days standard + 7 working days inspection.
Jakarta red line	3 working days standard + 10 working days red-line handling.
Import inspection rates (empirical)	Yellow line roughly 10-20%, red line roughly 3-5% (unofficial, varies by year and category).
PPN (VAT)	12% (base computed at 11/12; effective burden about 11% for non-luxury goods).
PPh 22 (with API)	2.5% (on import value).
PPh 22 (without API)	7.5% (uplifted a further 100% where no tax ID is held).
Import duty (BM)	Commonly 0-15% (set by HS code; with FORM E under ACFTA, most goods can reach 0%).
De minimis threshold	Goods valued below USD 3 are exempt from duty (PPN still applies).

Reference values for standard cases (complete documents, no inspection, outside the red-line season). Actual figures follow current carrier and customs notices. Last reviewed 2026-09-27.

In short

A stuffing plan has two goals: it fits, and nothing goes wrong. Fitting is arithmetic on volume and weight. Not going wrong is engineering on balance, securing and stacking. Solve only the arithmetic and you have merely postponed the risk to the voyage.
The plan is not improvised on the day. It must be drafted during cargo preparation, because the process of drafting it is what surfaces missing measurements, missing packaging specs and missing securing material — problems that can only be solved before the doors close.
One rule: no plan without measured weight and volume. A plan built on estimates collapses halfway through loading, and by then there is no way back.

1. The three data sets you must have before stuffing

Why “measured” matters. Weight and volume are the two inputs of a stuffing plan. An error in either becomes an error in load factor, and a wrong load factor means either cargo left behind or an overweight box — both very hard to fix at the loading face.

Set one — measured unit weight and outer dimensions for every line. Not theoretical values, not a supplier’s verbal “about”, but data that can be checked. Where a specification sheet exists it is the starting point, and spot checks are still required.
Set two — packaging form and stacking ability. Whether the outer carton can take load, how many layers it can bear, whether there is an up-arrow orientation requirement, whether pallets are stackable. This set decides whether the theoretical volume can actually be used.
Set three — container condition and weight limits. The actual internal dimensions of the container, the weight marked on it, the carrier’s limit, and the road limit inland at the destination. The lowest of the three, not the highest, is the real ceiling for this consignment.
Also confirm early: the preferred centre of gravity, whether constant temperature or moisture protection is needed, and whether there are fragile or irregularly shaped pieces. These decide where cargo sits front to back and top to bottom.

2. How load factor is calculated, and how to read it

The arithmetic itself is simple. Volume load factor = actual cargo volume ÷ usable internal volume. Weight load factor = total cargo weight ÷ usable payload. The two are calculated separately.
Usable internal volume is not a fixed number. It depends on the actual internal dimensions and condition of that container, and on whether the cargo can be stacked to the roof. The calculation must state its source; it cannot be filled in from memory.
Whichever of the two runs out first sets the floor of the plan. If volume runs out first the cargo is light; if weight runs out first it is heavy. The plan is optimised around whichever gives out first.
Never read only the overall load factor; read where the leftover space is. An overall figure can look healthy while the remaining space sits in a few unusable corners, so the practical utilisation still does not rise.
Calculate non-stackable cargo separately. The space above it must stay empty, and that loss is unavoidable, so it has to be deducted from usable volume in advance.

Load factor and container-type choice are two faces of the same judgement: see which side runs out first, then decide the type — see the container types page.

3. The four decisions inside a plan

Decision	How to make it	What goes wrong if you do not
Which layer the heavy cargo occupies	Heavy low, light high; keep the centre of gravity low and near the longitudinal middle of the box	A high centre of gravity lets cargo shift at sea and loads the container unevenly
How weight is balanced fore and aft	Avoid one end being heavier; sequence the loading to the weight distribution	Affects lifting and transport safety and invites an on-site demand to re-arrange the load
What must not be stacked	Mark each item from its packaging and its nature, and leave the space above empty	Crushed cargo, deformation, and usable volume silently shrinking
Loading sequence	Combine weight distribution with discharge order: last off is loaded first, first off is loaded last	Heavy stripping at destination, adding handling and damage opportunities

4. Zoning rules for a mixed-cargo container

Separate what cannot travel together first, then merge what can. Cargo with odour, dust, moisture sensitivity or fragility gets its own zone as a priority; do not wedge it into the middle just to fill space.
Zone by shipment, and make each zone traceable to the documents. With several shipments in one box the link between container number, marks and contents must be written down, so that stripping and inspection can locate each shipment individually — see the packing list page.
Put a physical divider between zones. Use separation boards, dunnage or stretch film rather than relying on neat stacking. Cargo moves during the voyage and a tidy-looking division fails quickly.
Every shipment must be securable on its own. Where a mixed container is only secured as a whole, one shipment shifting can drag another with it. Securing within each zone is the steadier method.
Carry the mixed-cargo relationship onto the documents. State in the packing list which cartons hold what — the most frequently overlooked step, and the one that causes trouble first when the box is stripped.

5. Securing and protection

The purpose of securing is not to stop movement at any cost, but to stop movement without damaging the cargo. Cargo braced rigidly at the wrong points deforms just as readily, so the method has to match where the cargo can take load.
The usual techniques: timber posts and braces, airbags to fill voids, straps and lashing rings, and dunnage to spread concentrated loads. Which one to use depends on weight, shape and packaging.
Voids must be filled. Empty space inside the box is where movement starts. Fill material has to hold its support for the whole voyage; anything that collapses under moisture or load is not filling.
Moisture control must be active. The day-night temperature swing at sea creates condensation inside the container, so moisture-sensitive cargo needs desiccants and must not sit directly against the walls or floor.
Photograph the load before closing. Images of the inside before the doors are sealed both record the loading state and serve as evidence if a dispute arises at the destination.

6. The mistakes that keep happening

Planning on estimated weights. Halfway through you discover the box is overweight, and the only fix on site is to unpack and re-split — which is where a rolled booking starts.
Counting volume and ignoring weight. Acceptable for light cargo, guaranteed overweight for heavy cargo.
Treating palletised cargo as stackable. Pallets have their own load ceiling, and the cargo on them may not tolerate stacking either.
Ignoring the doorway width. Fitting at the far end but not through the door is a classic loading-face accident.
Securing only as a whole, never per zone. A particular failing of mixed-cargo containers.
No photographic record. When damage is disputed at the destination there is nothing to reconstruct the loading state from.
Writing the plan as “roughly arranged”. A plan is executable only if it states position, layer count and securing method; otherwise the loading crew each follow their own reading.

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This page summarizes field practice and publicly available Indonesian import rules for general business reference only—it is not legal, customs, or pricing advice. Customs provisions, tariff rates, and licensing requirements keep changing, so the rules in force at the time and the official processing result always prevail. Wuhan Freedom International Logistics Co., Ltd. · Licensed PPJK in Indonesia · Jakarta / Semarang / Wuhan.