How Containerized Out of Gauge Cargo is Priced

When shipping cargo overseas, if an item is too large to fit in a standard container, but small enough to go in an open top container or on a flat rack, it will be still be priced as out of gauge cargo (OOG) and will be listed in a category all by itself with the shipping line. These items are priced based on the unit and how it will be able to go in with the other containers on the ship. Not only can out of gauge cargo be costly to ship for the customer, but it can be costly and a major hassle for the steamship lines as well. Many times, out of gauge cargo is only slightly larger than a container so people think that it should be almost the same price as a container. Unfortunately this is not usually the case. For instance, someone using an open top container to ship an item that is slightly taller than a standard or high cube container will find that the steamship company will charge based on the amount of slots it will take up. So no matter how small of an amount, even 8 inches taller, the pricing department considers a whole additional slot taken because the shipping carrier will not be able to use that slot for another container. For an item that can only fit on a flat rack, there are different considerations, but the same principle. With a flat rack, the two side slots are considered since the cargo will hang over on both sides, so three slots total would be taken up by the OOG shipment. Depending on the trade lane, the shipping line may absorb some of the shipping costs, but they are not obligated to. In fact, sometimes shipping OOG cargo can be difficult to move since there are so many considerations.