Does a shipping case used inside a plant need numbers?

Answer: Yes. Internal loops turn over fastest, and without a number the fleet can only be counted, not reconciled.

How many layers can go on a pallet?

Answer: Three, by bottom-case capacity at 40 kg per case. Empty cases go four high if the stack is wrapped.

What if the seal is cut on arrival?

Answer: Quarantine first, verify second. A seal number that does not match the packing list means the case is opened and counted separately.

Is desiccant always needed at sea?

Answer: Beyond twenty days, yes. Two 50 g packs handle an ordinary body; paper packaging calls for four.

What changes if staging runs past a day?

Answer: Position, cover and labels. Anything outside cover for over four hours moves under a roof and is logged.

Where a Shipping Case Is Used: Scenarios and Configurations

Quick answer: A shipping case works through five legs: line haul, plant transfer, subcontractor loops, staging before loading, and the sea-and-road handover. Change the leg and the liner and markings change first, then pallet fit and stack height.

Five Shipping Case Scenarios and How They Differ
Line Haul: Pallet Fit and Stack Height
Plant Transfers and Subcontractor Loops: Numbers and Seals
Staging Before Loading: Half an Hour on the Dock
Sea and Road Handover: Humidity, Salt and Handling Count
FAQ

1. Five Shipping Case Scenarios and How They Differ

A shipping case is used along three axes: dwell time, distance, and whether it changes vehicle. Those axes cut into five legs — line haul, plant transfer, subcontractor loops, staging before loading, and the sea-and-road handover. Configuration follows the leg: liner and markings shift first, pallet fit and stacking second. Four hours, three days and twenty-eight days at sea load the body differently.

Scenario	Typical dwell	Main risk	Configuration focus
Line haul	1–5 days	Stack crush, rubbing	Stacking step, pallet straps
Plant transfer	3–10 days	Mixed loads, lost units	Numbers, colour codes, packing list
Subcontractor loop	7–30 days	Empty case never returns	Removable liner, one-time seal
Staging	30 minutes to a day	Forklift strike, rain	Dunnage, chocks, cover
Sea and road	20–40 days	Condensation, salt, lifts	Desiccant, rust oil, corner guards

2. Line Haul: Pallet Fit and Stack Height

Line haul starts at the pallet. Trunk routes run 1,200 by 1,000 mm pallets, so the footprint follows that module: two 600 mm cases across, two 500 mm along the short side, 20 mm maximum overhang. Stack height follows the bottom case rather than the roof: at 40 kg loaded, three layers is the limit, and a 100 mm pallet with a base board brings the stack to 1.9 m inside a 2.4 m box van.

Shipping Case: beige case open on a workshop bench, a metal box and coiled black cord inside, a compartmented tray beside it

Pallet	Case footprint	Cases per pallet	Stack
1,200 × 1,000 mm	600 × 400 mm	4	3 high
1,200 × 1,000 mm	500 × 400 mm	6	3 high

3. Plant Transfers and Subcontractor Loops: Numbers and Seals

Plant transfers are where a shipping case turns over fastest, and the usual complaint is that one comes back missing. The number needs three parts — plant code, case type, serial — stencilled top right and on both ends at 40 mm character height.

Subcontractor loops add liability. A one-time seal goes on at dispatch, its eight-digit number matching the packing list; on return the seal is checked first, then the body for impact, and only then is the lid opened. Removable liners let the subcontractor change the layout, but they must travel inside the lid.

4. Staging Before Loading: Half an Hour on the Dock

Staging is the leg everyone forgets. Dock height is usually 1.1 m, the forklift drops the pallet and leaves, and the case waits there from half an hour to a full day, exposed to impact, rain and mis-picking.

Shipping Case: light grey case standing open on a wooden table, black liner empty inside, three foam-lined compartment trays in front

Three settings cover it: anti-slip mat under the pallet, stretch wrap binding the group into one block, and a 300 mm buffer strip along the dock edge. Past four hours the group moves under cover, because a wet carton can be replaced but equipment that takes water means the whole batch is opened up.

5. Sea and Road Handover: Humidity, Salt and Handling Count

The sea leg is about water, not impact. Inside a 40 ft box the air reaches 60 °C against 85 percent relative humidity, and the day-night swing drives condensation onto the case walls. The better the seal, the more that water collects inside and soaks the liner. Two 50 g desiccant packs per case, rust oil on machined surfaces, and an indicator card read at discharge.

Segment	Condition	Action
Inland trunk	−10 °C to 45 °C	Stacking step, cross bars
Port storage	Above 85% RH	Desiccant, sealed wrap
28 days at sea	Up to 60 °C in the box	Indicator card, rust oil
Final delivery	Four lifts	Corner guards, seal check

Conclusion

The differences between shipping case scenarios come down to four settings: pallet fit, stack height, markings and seals, and how the liner is fixed. Fill those in for your own route, then choose the shipping case.

This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.