What is VGM in shipping?

The verified gross mass of a packed container: cargo, packing, pallets, dunnage and the container's own tare, weighed or added up by the shipper and declared to the carrier before loading.

Who is responsible for the VGM?

The shipper named on the bill of lading or sea waybill. It may use a contractor to weigh, but the declaration is the shipper's, and a container without one is not loaded.

How accurate does a VGM have to be?

SOLAS sets no global figure; each administration does. The UK enforces ±5% or ±500 kg, whichever is greater.

Term

Verified gross mass (VGM)

Verified gross mass (VGM) is the weighed total of a packed container — cargo, packing, pallets and the box itself. Since 1 July 2016 the SOLAS convention bars loading an export container onto a ship without one. The shipper named on the bill of lading must obtain it, by weighing the packed box or adding up its contents.

Also called VGM, SOLAS VGM, container weighing, VGM declarationUpdated 13 October 2026

The rule

SOLAS chapter VI, regulation 2, as the IMO circulated it in 2016: a packed container without a verified gross mass shall not be loaded on to the ship. The IMO's guidelines define gross mass as the combined mass of the container's tare and all packages and cargo, including pallets, dunnage, other packing and securing material. The responsible shipper is the one named on the bill of lading or sea waybill.

The two methods

Method	What the shipper does	Suits
1	Weighs the packed and sealed container	Any cargo
2	Weighs every package and item, including pallets and dunnage, and adds the container's tare	Packaged goods — not scrap or loose bulk, the guidelines say

Worked example: method 2 for a 40ft

Cargo 15,200 kg + cartons 400 kg + pallets 500 kg + dunnage 100 kg + tare 3,700 kg = VGM 19,900 kg · UK tolerance ±5% = ±995 kg (the greater of 5% and 500 kg)

The cargo figures are illustrative; 3,700 kg is the tare on Maersk's 40ft standard specification. The box's tare is painted on its doors.

Who checks, and what it costs to miss

The UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency enforces a tolerance of ±5% or ±500 kg, whichever is greater. Carriers set the deadline — Maersk requires the VGM before the cargo gate cut-off and loads no container without one — and charge for lateness: Maersk UK bills GBP 70 per container when the VGM is not provided by the cut-off.

The mistake people make

Weighing two containers together on one truck and dividing by two. The IMO's guidelines say that should not be allowed; and when a loaded truck is weighed, the tare of the vehicle and tractor must be subtracted to reach the container's own mass.

FAQ