Glossary

Industrial packaging glossary

The terms buyers meet when sourcing IBCs, pallets and chemical packaging — defined in plain English, with the UN codes, Incoterms and container maths we use across the site.

IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container): A reusable industrial container for storing and transporting liquids and bulk goods, typically 1000 L, built as a plastic bottle inside a steel cage on a pallet base for forklift handling and stacking.
Composite IBC: An IBC made of an HDPE inner bottle within a galvanised tubular-steel cage — the most common construction for chemical, food and industrial liquids.
UN 31HA1/Y: The UN dangerous-goods marking for a composite IBC (31HA1) approved for Packing Group II and III liquids (the 'Y' rating) — the certification that lets the container ship regulated liquids.
UN 3H1/Y: UN marking for a jerrycan made of plastic with a non-removable head, approved for Packing Group II/III liquids.
UN 1H1/Y: UN marking for a plastic drum with a non-removable head (tight-head), approved for Packing Group II/III liquids.
Packing Group (PG): The hazard tier of dangerous goods — PG I (high), PG II (medium) and PG III (low). A 'Y' UN rating covers PG II and III.
Food-grade (EU 10/2011): Packaging made from materials compliant with EU Regulation 10/2011 for food contact, suitable for edible liquids as well as industrial fluids.
FCL (Full Container Load): A shipment that fills an entire sea container booked to one buyer. Our minimum order quantity is by the container — typically 1 FCL to start.
CBM (Cubic Metre): Cubic-metre volume of an item or its packed carton (length × width × height in metres). Dividing a container's usable volume by an item's CBM estimates how many units fit.
40' HQ (High-Cube Container): A 40-foot high-cube sea container with roughly 76 m³ of usable internal volume — the standard reference we use for per-container load counts.
Stow efficiency: A real-world packing factor (about 85%) applied to a container's nominal volume to allow for gaps, securing and irregular stacking when estimating units per container.
Nestable / stackable / rackable: Pallet load classes: nestable pallets fold together empty to cut return freight; stackable pallets stack when loaded; rackable pallets are rated to sit on beam racking unsupported.
CIF (Cost, Insurance & Freight): An Incoterm where the seller covers cost, insurance and freight to the buyer's destination port. We can quote landed CIF estimates for approved buyers.
EXW (Ex Works): An Incoterm where the buyer takes the goods at the factory and arranges all onward transport and export — the lowest unit price but the most buyer-side logistics.
Dynamic load: The maximum weight a plastic pallet can safely carry while it is being moved — lifted or transported by a forklift or pallet jack. It is lower than the static rating because motion, vibration and off-centre lifting add stress. Indicative figures vary by product and are confirmed on quote.
Static load: The maximum weight a plastic pallet can support when it is stationary — for example loaded and sitting on a flat floor with goods stacked on top. It is normally the highest of the three ratings because no movement adds stress. Indicative figures vary by product and are confirmed on quote.
Racking load: The maximum weight a plastic pallet can hold while supported only at its edges on warehouse beam racking. Because the pallet is unsupported across the middle, this is usually the lowest of the three ratings. Only pallets rated for it should be edge-racked; indicative figures are confirmed on quote.
HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene): A tough, chemical-resistant thermoplastic used for many industrial containers, bins and IBC inner bottles. It handles a wide temperature range, resists most acids and solvents, and is recyclable. Naturally exempt from ISPM-15 wood-treatment rules.
PP (Polypropylene): A rigid, lightweight thermoplastic widely used for plastic pallets, crates, folding boxes and turnover boxes. It offers good stiffness and fatigue resistance and, being a non-wood material, is naturally exempt from ISPM-15 wood-treatment rules.
ISPM-15: The international phytosanitary standard requiring solid-wood packaging (pallets, crates, dunnage) to be heat-treated or fumigated and stamped before export to control timber pests. Plastic pallets and boxes made of HDPE or PP are non-wood and are exempt — no treatment, fumigation or stamp is required.
Dunnage: Material placed around cargo to protect it and stop it shifting in transit. Reusable plastic dunnage boards and trays replace loose timber and cardboard, add no ISPM-15 wood-treatment obligation, and can be returned and reused instead of scrapped.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): An Incoterm where the seller delivers the goods to the buyer's named destination with all transport, import clearance and duties paid — the most buyer-friendly, all-inclusive term. Contrast with CIF (to port only) and EXW (collected at the factory).
T/T (Telegraphic Transfer): An international bank wire, the standard payment method in container-direct wholesale trade. Terms are typically an agreed deposit with the balance before shipment or against documents; exact terms are confirmed when trade access is approved.