Tare weight is the weight of an empty shipping container with no cargo, no dunnage and no equipment inside. It is stencilled on the right-hand container door alongside the max gross and payload figures, and it is the number you subtract from a weighed gross figure to arrive at net cargo weight.
Every weight compliance calculation in ocean freight — VGM, payload limits, highway axle limits — runs through the tare figure.
The three weights on a container door
Tare weight
The empty container itself. A standard 20-foot dry container typically tares around 2,200 kg; a 40-foot dry around 3,700 kg; a 40-foot high cube around 3,900 kg. A refrigerated container is substantially heavier because of the machinery and insulation. These are typical ranges only — always read the actual figure stencilled on the door of the container you were assigned.
Max gross weight
The maximum permitted combined weight of container plus cargo. It is a structural and certification limit set by the container’s CSC safety approval plate.
Payload (net) weight
Max gross minus tare. This is the most cargo the box is rated to carry. Note that the payload stencilled on the door is a container rating, not a road-legal limit — highway weight rules will almost always constrain you first.
Why tare weight matters for VGM
Under the SOLAS amendment, the shipper must declare a verified gross mass before the container can be loaded to a vessel. There are two accepted methods, and both depend on tare:
- Method 1: weigh the entire packed, sealed container on a calibrated scale. Tare is not added — it is already in the figure — but you use tare to sanity-check the result.
- Method 2: weigh each item, pallet, package and piece of dunnage, then add the container’s tare weight from the door marking.
Method 2 is where tare errors cause real problems. Using a generic tare from a spec sheet instead of the actual figure on the assigned container can throw the declaration off by a hundred kilos or more, and an inaccurate VGM can get the box rolled at the terminal.
Tare weight and road weight limits
A container that is legal on a vessel can easily be illegal on a highway. In the United States the federal gross vehicle weight limit on the interstate system is 80,000 lbs, and that figure covers tractor, chassis, container tare and cargo combined. Work backwards:
- Tractor: roughly 17,000-19,000 lbs
- Chassis: roughly 6,500-8,000 lbs
- Container tare: roughly 4,800-8,600 lbs depending on size and type
- Remaining legal cargo weight: often around 43,000-45,000 lbs
Florida permits some overweight container movement in defined port corridors, but a truly heavy box needs a permit and routing plan. Anything beyond standard limits falls into overweight container permitting territory, and that has to be arranged before the container is picked, not after the driver is turned away at a scale.
Common tare weight mistakes
- Using a published average instead of the stencilled figure on the actual container.
- Forgetting that a repaired container may have been re-stencilled with a revised tare.
- Omitting pallets, blocking, bracing and dunnage from Method 2 calculations.
- Confusing the container payload rating with a road-legal cargo limit.
- Assuming a reefer tares the same as a dry box of the same length.
Practical guidance
Photograph the container door markings at pickup. It takes seconds and it settles every later dispute about tare, max gross and CSC plate validity. If you are loading heavy commodities — tile, stone, beverages, machinery — plan cargo weight against the road limit first and the container payload second, because the road limit binds earlier. Go Freight runs its own chassis pool and weighs loaded containers before dispatch as part of its Miami drayage service.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the tare weight of a container?
It is stencilled on the right-hand container door, alongside the maximum gross weight and the payload figure. Always use the number on the actual container you were assigned rather than a published average, because a repaired container may have been re-stencilled.
Is tare weight included in the verified gross mass?
Yes. VGM is the total weight of the cargo, packaging, dunnage and the container itself. If you weigh the packed sealed container on a scale, tare is already captured. If you sum the cargo weights instead, you must add the container tare from the door marking.
How much cargo can I legally put in a 40-foot container on the road?
On US interstates the combined limit is 80,000 lbs for tractor, chassis, container and cargo. After deducting a typical tractor, chassis and 40-foot container tare, the remaining legal cargo weight is usually around 43,000 to 45,000 lbs. Anything above that needs an overweight permit.
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