Containers & Cargo Equipment
Break Bulk Cargo
Also known as: Breakbulk
Break bulk cargo is freight that is loaded individually onto a vessel — in crates, drums, bags, bundles, or as single large pieces — rather than in shipping containers or as free-flowing bulk. Before containerization it was the dominant way goods moved by sea, and it remains essential for oversized, heavy, or project cargo such as turbines, transformers, and construction equipment that cannot fit in a box. Break bulk requires more handling, labor, and stowage planning than containerized cargo, exposing goods to greater risk of damage and theft, but it accommodates loads that containers simply cannot.
Loaded piece by piece rather than in containers — project cargo, machinery, steel. Slower, more exposed to handling damage, and the one place where FOB genuinely is the right Incoterm.
Where it matters for compliance
- Piece counts and marks matter more here than anywhere else, because there is no sealed box to reconcile.
Related terms
Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.