Logistics glossary
Short definitions of terms that come up in loading, palletising and freight. Each one links to the guide or tool that covers it in detail.
- BCT (box compression test)
- The highest load an empty box can take from above before it collapses. It decides how many layers you can stack; humidity and time reduce it. More: How to stack boxes on a pallet
- Chargeable weight
- The weight a carrier bills: whichever is higher, the actual weight or the volumetric weight. More: Volumetric Weight Calculator
- CSC plate
- The safety approval plate on a container door. It shows the container's maximum gross weight and tare; it's where to check the exact carrying capacity. More: How many pallets fit in a container?
- Curtainside trailer
- The standard 13.6 m semi-trailer with curtain sides. It's 245 cm wide inside and takes 33 Euro pallets in a single layer. More: How many pallets fit in a truck?
- Desi
- The Turkish name for volumetric weight: length × width × height (cm) / 3000. The carrier bills whichever is higher, actual weight or desi. More: Volumetric Weight Calculator
- Euro pallet (EPAL)
- The standard European pallet, 120 × 80 cm and 14.4 cm tall. A 13.6 m trailer takes 33 in a single layer. More: Euro pallet dimensions and how many boxes fit
- Fill rate
- How much of a vehicle's volume or payload is used. A vehicle can be half full by volume and still full, because the floor has run out. More: Load Planner
- Full load (FTL / FCL)
- Shipping where a whole truck or container is used by one shipper. The price is per vehicle; volume and loading metres don't change the bill.
- Groupage (LTL / LCL)
- Shipping where your load shares a truck or container with other shippers' freight. It's usually priced by loading metres, volume or weight. More: How to calculate pallet volume
- High cube (HC) container
- A container 30 cm taller than standard (about 269 cm inside). The floor is the same; the difference is being able to double-stack stackable loads. More: How many pallets fit in a container?
- Industrial pallet
- A pallet with a 120 × 100 cm base. A 13.6 m trailer takes 26 in a single layer; it's wider than a Euro pallet, so it's 0.5 loading metres. More: Euro pallet dimensions and how many boxes fit
- LIFO loading
- "Last in, first out": on a multi-drop run, the load for the first delivery goes into the vehicle last, nearest the doors. More: Load Planner
- Loading metre (LDM)
- How much of a trailer's length a pallet takes: pallet length × width / 2.4 m. A Euro pallet is 0.4 LDM, an industrial pallet 0.5; groupage is priced on it. More: How to calculate pallet volume
- Mega trailer
- A low-deck trailer about 3 m tall inside. The floor is the same as a standard trailer; it allows light, bulky loads to be double-stacked. More: How many pallets fit in a truck?
- Payload
- The most cargo weight a vehicle or container can carry, not counting its own weight. In small vehicles it's usually payload, not floor space, that limits the pallet count. More: How many pallets fit in a truck?
- Stowage factor
- The volume one tonne of a cargo takes up (m³/t). Used in shipping to estimate how much space a cargo will need on board.
- TEU
- Twenty-foot equivalent unit, the unit of container capacity. A 20 ft container is 1 TEU, a 40 ft container 2 TEU. More: How many pallets fit in a container?
- TI-HI
- The US way of writing boxes per pallet: TI is the number of boxes in a layer, HI the number of layers. An 8 × 6 pallet holds 48 boxes. More: Pallet Calculator
- US pallet (48 × 40 in)
- The standard North American pallet, 122 × 102 cm. Boxes are usually sized in inches. More: Euro pallet dimensions and how many boxes fit
- Volumetric weight
- The space a shipment takes, expressed as weight: volume divided by a divisor (usually 3000 by road, 6000 for air). Also called dimensional (DIM) weight. More: How to calculate pallet volume