What is container stuffing?

Packing cargo into a container — at the shipper's premises for a full container load, or at a container freight station when several shippers' goods are consolidated.

Unpacking cargo from a container, also called stripping or destuffing. The consignee must return the container completely empty and clean, under the CTU Code.

Term

Container stuffing and stripping

Stuffing is packing cargo into a container; stripping, or devanning, is unpacking it. Whoever packs the box answers for how the cargo is loaded and secured: under the international CTU Code, the shipper remains responsible for any deficiency caused by poor packing, even when it hires someone else to do it.

Also called container stuffing, devanning, container stripping, destuffing, container packingUpdated 13 October 2026

Who does what

The CTU Code — the packing code of practice the IMO, ILO and UNECE published in 2014 — defines packing as placing, loading and filling cargo into and onto a cargo transport unit, and unpacking as removing it. The packer may be contracted by the consignor, the shipper, the freight forwarder or the carrier. Among the packer's duties: distribute the cargo correctly, make sure the unit is not overloaded, secure the cargo, then close and seal it.

Large, heavy or awkward packages are individually secured to stop them sliding and, where needed, tipping.
The shipper remains responsible for any deficiency of the unit that results from poor packing and securing.
The consignee must return the unit completely empty and clean after stripping it.

What it costs

Where	Service	Charge
Jebel Ali, DP World (2023)	Unstuffing straight onto a truck	AED 375 up to 20 ft, AED 750 over 20 ft
Gdynia, Poland (2026)	Palletised cargo handled direct	PLN 80 per tonne
Gebze, Türkiye, Yilport (2026)	Stuffing	USD 120 per 20 ft, USD 150 per 40 ft, plus VAT

Published 2023–2026 tariffs

Worked example

Gdynia: 18 tonnes of palletised cargo stripped straight to a truck = 18 × PLN 80 = PLN 1,440 · Jebel Ali: one 40 ft unstuffed onto a truck = AED 750

The mistake people make

Treating the carrier as responsible for how the box was packed. Carriers' tariffs usually say the opposite — one US NVOCC's rules accept no responsibility for stuffing by the shipper or stripping by the consignee — and DP World adds 50% to the charge when stuffing or unstuffing is done anywhere other than a CFS.

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