Stowing 20 IBC totes in a 20 ft container — 3D instruction

01Introduction

IBC tote: what this packaging is

IBC — Intermediate Bulk Container, also called a tote: a 1000-litre plastic container in a steel cage on a pallet. A 20-foot container takes 20 totes — 5 rows of 2, stacked 2 high.

Dimensions: 1200 × 1000 × 1163 mm
Capacity: 1000 l
Tare weight: 55–62 kg
UN packaging code: 31HA1 — rigid plastic inner receptacle in a steel cage
Opening / outlet: DN150 / DN50 valve
In a 20' DC: 20 units: 5 rows × 2 × 2 tiers

What is shipped

chemicals: resins, solvents, acids, alkalis, hydrogen peroxide — dangerous goods of classes 3, 5.1, 6.1, 8, 9, packing groups II and III (letter Y in the marking);
food liquids: oils, syrups, concentrates — only in food-certified totes;
technical liquids: lubricants, AdBlue, paints, liquid fertilisers.

Tote requirements

the design type is certified and the marking on the plate matches the certificate;
for dangerous goods a plastic tote may be used for no longer than 5 years from manufacture; leakproofness test at least every 2.5 years;
any manufacturer (Schütz, Mauser, Greif, Werit, etc.) with a valid certificate; a reconditioned tote carries the reconditioner's marking;
no cracks or leaks, cage and pallet undeformed, cap tightened, valve closed and capped;
every tote with dangerous goods shows the UN number and a hazard label of at least 100×100 mm on two opposite sides.

02Preparation

Shipper's yard and the container

Loading takes place at the shipper's yard: the 20' DC stands on level ground with a ramp at the sill; next to it are the stacked totes, timber and cardboard for the shields.

A container for dangerous goods must be technically sound, clean and free of sharp parts that could damage the packaging.
The container number must match the CSC plate and show no signs of re-stencilling; the plate shows a valid examination date or an ACEP mark.
Cargo gross mass is about 20.2 t (20 × ~1010 kg) — within the 28.2 t payload of a 20' DC.
The floor is dry, without holes or protruding nails; the doors close and the gaskets are intact.

Materials per container

100×100 mm bars — horizontal bars of the end, side and door shields (fitted first, against the wall or the cargo), stop gate rails;
25–50×150 mm boards — vertical shield boards, nailed on top of the bars;
50×150 mm boards — stop gate;
nails Ø3–4 mm, 70–100 mm long — two per connection;
dense cardboard or plywood — side wall lining.

03Packaging marking

The marking must be legible and match the certificate

The packaging marking must be clearly legible and match the marking in the packaging certificate. It is either embossed on the plate or applied as a label.

un: UN symbol
31HA1: IBC for liquids: plastic receptacle + steel cage
Y: packing groups II and III
04 26: month and year of manufacture
RUS: state authorising the marking
IBC-RU 017: manufacturer
1960: stacking test load, kg
1210: maximum gross mass, kg

How to photograph

shoot the plate close up, straight on, without glare — every character must be legible;
the frame shows the packaging marking and the hazard label;
a distant overall shot of the tote is not acceptable for checking the marking.

Stacking two high

Totes may be stacked only if the design type allows it: the marking shows the stacking test load and the stacking symbol on the tote is not crossed out. The load must be no less than the gross mass of the upper tote.

04Step 1

End wall shield

The end wall is fitted with a shield. First, 3 horizontal 100×100 mm bars are placed against the wall; then 4 vertical boards 25–50 mm thick and 150 mm wide are nailed on top of them, on the cargo side.

Bars (against the wall): 3 horizontal bars 100×100 mm: bottom, tier joint, top
Boards (on the bars, towards the cargo): 4 vertical boards 25–50 × 150 mm, full loading height
Nails: Ø3–4 mm, 70–100 mm long, 2 per joint
Joints: only where the boards cross the bars

Assembly order

Bars first. 3 horizontal bars 100×100 mm, tight against the end wall, at three levels: at the floor, at the tier joint and at the top of the load. Length — from one side-wall corrugation to the other: trim the ends so the bar fits tightly into the corrugations and cannot shift.
Then boards. 4 vertical boards 25–50 mm thick and 150 mm wide on top of the bars, on the cargo side, over the full loading height, evenly across the container width. The boards take the cargo pressure and transfer it through the bars to the wall.
Nails Ø3–4 mm, 70–100 mm long — two at every board-to-bar crossing. Drive them from the cargo side towards the wall so the point ends in the bar.
Joints only where the boards cross the bars. No joints anywhere else.

Nails must never protrude with their sharp end towards the cargo.

Cardboard must not be used to protect the end wall.

05Step 2 · row 1

First full row from the end wall

Place the totes as shown: a side shield on the wide side, cardboard on the narrow side. The first tier goes tight against the end shield, the second exactly on top of the first.

Bars (against the wall): 3 horizontal bars 100×100* mm: bottom, tier joint, top
Boards (on the bars, towards the cargo): 2 vertical boards 25–50* × 150 mm at the row ends
Narrow side: dense cardboard or plywood on the side wall
* Size: according to the container's inner dimensions and the gap between cargo and wall

Placement

One tote of the row stands with its long side (1200 mm) along the wall — this is the wide side, the side shield goes here.
The other tote faces the wall with its narrow side (1000 mm) — here the side wall is lined with dense cardboard or plywood.

Side shield — like the end shield

Bars first. 3 horizontal bars 100×100 mm tight against the side wall, at the bottom, the tier joint and the top; length — the full depth of the row.
Then boards. 2 vertical boards 150 mm wide on top of the bars, on the cargo side, at the row ends, over the full loading height.
Choose the bar section and board thickness by the gap between the tote and the wall: the shield must take up the gap without play (here 100 + 44 mm for a 146 mm gap).
Joints — 70–100 mm nails, 2 per crossing, only at the marked points.

Nails must never protrude with their sharp end towards the cargo.

Do not join (nail) the side frame where it touches the tote's steel cage.

06Step 3 · row 2

Second row — mirrored

The side shield goes on the wide side, the cardboard on the narrow side. Mind the placement: in the second row the totes swap places and the shield moves to the other side.

Rows alternate in a bond pattern: after every two rows both columns are 2.2 m long, so a row cannot shift along the container.

07Step 4 · row 3

Third row

The third row repeats the first: side shield on the wide side, cardboard on the narrow side. Shield, cardboard and connection points as in the photo.

Do not join (nail) the side frame where it touches the tote's steel cage.

08Step 5 · row 4

Fourth row

The fourth row repeats the second. After it both columns end in one plane, 4.4 m from the end shield. The stop gate goes against this plane — on the half of the width where the fifth-row tote will stand crosswise.

Nails must never protrude with their sharp end towards the cargo.

Do not join (nail) the side frame where it touches the tote's steel cage.

09Step 6

Stop gate — half the width

After the fourth row the stop gate goes only on the side where the fifth-row tote stands crosswise — narrow side (1000 mm) along the container. The 200 mm gate takes up the 1200 − 1000 mm difference: both fifth-row totes end flush and there is no gap at the doors.

Width: from the container axis to the side wall
Thickness: 200 mm = 50 + 100 + 50
100×100 rail: 3 pcs — bottom, tier joint, top
50×150 board: 6 pcs — 3 on each side of the rails

Vertical boards are nailed to the horizontal rails with 70–100 mm nails, two per connection.
The other half of the width needs no gate: the tote there stands with its long side (1200 mm) along the container and bears directly on the fourth row.

Nails must never protrude with their sharp end towards the cargo.

10Step 7 · row 5

Fifth row — at the doors

The crosswise tote goes tight against the stop gate, the other one tight against the fourth row. Both end flush at the doors. Side shield on the wide side, cardboard on the narrow side. Photograph the door opening without the shield.

11Step 8

Door opening shield

The door opening is fitted with a shield on the same principle: first 3 horizontal 100×100 mm bars tight against the cargo, then 4 vertical boards 25–50 mm thick and 150 mm wide on top of them.

Bars first. 3 horizontal bars 100×100 mm tight against the fifth-row cargo, at the bottom, the tier joint and the top. Length — from one side-wall corrugation to the other: trim the ends to fit tightly into the corrugations.
Then boards. On top of the bars — 4 vertical boards 25–50 mm thick and 150 mm wide over the full loading height, on the door side.
Nails Ø3–4 mm, 70–100 mm long, two at every crossing, only where the boards cross.

Nails must never protrude with their sharp end towards the cargo.

12Step 9

Doors, number and hazard placards

Photograph the container with one door closed so that the number is visible. After loading, hazard placards are applied to the container according to the Rules.

Every package carries the hazard label of the cargo class (division); with a subsidiary hazard — a second label next to the primary one. The label is a square set at 45° (diamond), at least 100×100 mm.
On the container the placard is a diamond of at least 250×250 mm on both side walls and both ends.
A single dangerous substance (one UN number) over 4000 kg gross — the UN number is displayed on the container as well: black digits at least 65 mm high on an orange panel next to the placard (IMDG Code 5.3.2.1). Here: 20 totes of UN 1866, about 20 t.
The container number on the door must match the CSC plate.

13Photo report

Done: 20 totes, 4 shields, photo report

Send the photos of all stages together with the packaging certificate — they are used to check stowage and securing before the container leaves the yard.

Loading documents

photos of all stages (photo report below);
packaging certificate — the marking matches the tote plates;
shipper's dangerous goods declaration;
for the sea leg — the Container Packing Certificate (IMDG Code 5.4.2), signed by the person responsible for packing.

Download PDF instruction

Compiled from the regulations listed at the end of this instruction and the VMTP (FESCO) practical instruction for stowing 20 IBC totes in a 20 ft container. For reference only: follow the current editions of the regulations and the carrier's requirements.

Regulations and references

International regulations

UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Model Regulations
International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code): ch. 4.1 — packagings and IBCs; 5.2 — marking and labelling of packages; 5.3 — placarding and UN number on cargo transport units; 5.4.2 — container packing certificate; 7.3 — packing of CTUs
European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR): 4.1.1.15 — period of use of plastics IBCs; ch. 6.5 — construction, testing and marking of IBCs
Agreement on International Railway Freight Communications (SMGS): Annex 2 “Rules for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods”; Annex 3 “Technical Specifications for Loading and Securing of Cargo”
IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code), 2014
International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), 1972

Russian / CIS rules and specifications: railways, sea transport

Rules for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (approved by the CIS Council for Railway Transport, minutes No. 15 of 05.04.1996)
Technical Specifications for Loading and Securing of Cargo in Wagons and Containers (approved by the Russian Ministry of Railways, 27.05.2003 No. TsM-943), chapter on universal containers
RD 31.11.21.18-96 “Rules for the Carriage of Cargo in Containers by Sea” (Rosmorflot order No. 39 of 22.10.1996)
Labour Safety Rules for Loading and Unloading Operations and Cargo Placement (Order of the Russian Ministry of Labour No. 753n of 28.10.2020)

Standards

GOST 19433-88 “Dangerous goods. Classification and marking”
GOST 26319-84 “Dangerous goods. Packaging”
GOST 14192-96 “Marking of cargo”
GOST R 53350-2009 (ISO 668:1995) “Series 1 freight containers. Classification, dimensions and ratings”
GOST R 51876-2008 (ISO 1496-1:1990) “Series 1 freight containers. Specification and testing. Part 1: General cargo containers”

Practice

VMTP (FESCO) instruction for stowing 20 IBC totes in a 20 ft container