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Containers & Cargo Equipment

Tare Weight

Also known as: Tare

Tare weight is the weight of an empty shipping container or packaging by itself, without any cargo, and it is stenciled on every container along with its maximum payload and gross weight limits. Knowing the tare is essential for calculating the net weight of the goods (gross weight minus tare) and for ensuring a loaded container does not exceed legal road, rail, and vessel weight limits. Accurate weight declarations, including a verified gross mass for ocean containers, are a safety requirement, since overloaded or mis-declared containers endanger equipment, workers, and other cargo.

The JFS takeLicensed customs broker · Filer 82G

The empty weight of the container, stenciled on the door. It matters for road weight limits and for the verified gross mass declaration — and a wrong figure is a legal problem for the shipper, not a rounding error.

Where it matters for compliance

  • SOLAS requires a verified gross mass before loading, and the shipper is responsible for it.

Related terms

Chargeable WeightChargeable weight is the figure carriers use to price a shipment when bulky but light cargo would otherwise be undercharged if billed on actual weight alone.Dry Van ContainerA dry van is the ordinary enclosed steel shipping container used for the vast majority of general cargo — boxed, palletized, or bagged goods that need protection from weather and handling but no special climate control.

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.