VGM Calculator

VGM stands for verified gross mass — the total weight of a packed shipping container, including the cargo, packing materials, and the container itself. It has been mandatory under SOLAS since July 2016 because inaccurate container weights were linked to vessel stability incidents and container stack collapses; carriers need an accurate figure to plan safe vessel loading.

A container without a declared VGM cannot legally be loaded aboard a vessel — carriers and terminals are required to refuse it. In practice this means shipment delays, potential storage or demurrage charges while the container waits at the terminal, and possibly missing the intended vessel sailing entirely, so VGM should be submitted well ahead of the carrier's cutoff.

Method 1 weighs the fully packed container on a certified scale and is generally considered the more accurate and defensible approach where certified weighing equipment is accessible. Method 2 sums cargo weight, dunnage, and the container's tare weight, which is faster when you already know those figures but depends on the accuracy of your own cargo and dunnage weights. Some jurisdictions restrict who may use Method 2 or require additional certification — check with your carrier or forwarder for the rules at your port of loading.

Under SOLAS, the shipper named on the bill of lading is responsible for providing an accurate VGM to the carrier, typically through the terminal or forwarder acting on their behalf, ahead of the vessel's documentation cutoff. Getting this wrong or submitting it late is the shipper's liability, even when a forwarder handles the paperwork.