What Is VGM? | Verified Gross Mass Guide, GOTEC

Q: What are the two approved methods for obtaining a VGM?

Method 1 requires weighing the entire packed container on calibrated and certified weighing equipment after it has been sealed. Method 2 involves weighing all cargo items, packaging, dunnage, and securing material individually, then adding those weights to the container's tare weight. Method 1 is generally more accurate and preferred by regulators, as it eliminates cumulative weighing errors. Method 2 requires documented, certified weighing of each shipment component and is subject to tighter regulatory scrutiny.

Q: What happens if a container is loaded without a VGM declaration?

Under SOLAS, the master of the vessel and the terminal operator are both prohibited from loading a packed container onto a ship if a timely, signed VGM declaration has not been received. The container will be denied loading, potentially disrupting the entire supply chain for that shipment, resulting in missed vessel sailings, demurrage charges at the terminal, and contractual penalties under the sale and carriage contracts. In practice, most terminals and carriers enforce VGM requirements strictly, and shippers have built VGM submission into their standard documentation workflows.

What Is VGM (Verified Gross Mass)?

VGM is the total weight of a packed container, cargo, pallets, dunnage, securing material, and the container's own tare weight, that the shipper must verify and declare before the container can be loaded onto a ship. The requirement came into force on 1 July 2016 through SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2, after years of accidents traced to misdeclared container weights. No exceptions for small or light shipments. Every packed container on a SOLAS vessel needs a VGM.

Method 1 vs Method 2: What Actually Happens

IMO guidelines (MSC.1/Circ.1475) specify two methods.

Method 1: Weigh the entire packed, sealed container on calibrated equipment. This gives you the actual gross mass in one measurement. A certified weighbridge typically hits ±0.2% accuracy. You can also use twistlock scales on a spreader or container weigh pads. Method 1 is what regulators and carriers prefer, there is no cumulative error, no debate about what went in the box.

Method 2: Weigh all contents individually, every carton, pallet, piece of dunnage, then add the container's tare weight from its CSC plate. This method has a fundamental problem: the CSC plate tare may not be accurate. Containers get repaired with different-grade steel, accumulate debris, or gain weight from paint and modifications over years of service. Research by Jagelcak et al. (2018) identified tare weight uncertainty as the biggest source of Method 2 error. On top of that, you compound the measurement error from every individually weighed item, and dunnage and securing materials routinely get underestimated or forgotten. Method 2 typically runs 0.5-2% error versus Method 1's 0.2-0.5%.

Practical pitfall: Many shippers still use Method 2 because they lack a weighbridge, but the industry trend is forcing them toward Method 1. If a carrier audits your VGM and finds you used Method 2 with sloppy component weighing, they can reject the container. Several jurisdictions, notably parts of the EU and Singapore, have signalled that Method 2 approval may require specific regulatory clearance.

SOLAS itself does not specify a tolerance. However, national authorities have adopted various limits. China's Maritime Safety Administration uses ±5% or 1 tonne (whichever is smaller). Hong Kong MARDEP uses the same. Some carriers impose tighter commercial limits: Maersk announced USD 5,000 penalties per misdeclared container in 2025.

Real Enforcement, Not Just Paper Rules

Compliance improved significantly after 2016 but is far from perfect. The Philippines reported a 6.3% misdeclaration rate (18,078 of 286,994 export containers) in 2023, down from 9.0% in 2021. At Manila, compliance rose from under 10% in the early years to 86% after stricter rules.

Enforcement is real. In August 2025, Nantong MSA inspected an export container of sodium sulfate declared at 27.13 tonnes. Actual weight: 28.78 tonnes, a 1.65-tonne discrepancy. The shipper faced a formal investigation and administrative penalties under China's Ship Safety Supervision Regulations. The container could not be loaded until the declaration was corrected.

At the global level, roughly 95% of containers now meet VGM requirements, but industry surveys suggest accuracy of those declarations remains a concern, especially for Method 2 submissions where tare weight uncertainty persists.

Technology and VGM

Modern weighbridge systems integrate with terminal operating systems: OCR cameras capture container numbers, weight readings are captured automatically, and VGM data is transmitted via EDI (typically VERMAS message format) to carriers before the stowage plan is finalized. This eliminates the manual data entry that used to be the biggest source of VGM documentation errors. When a truck drives through a weighbridge at gate-in and the system cross-checks the VGM against the measured weight, discrepancies get flagged before the container reaches the stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the two approved methods for obtaining a VGM?

Method 1: weigh the entire packed, sealed container on calibrated equipment. One measurement, no cumulative error. Method 2: weigh every item individually plus the container's CSC plate tare. Method 2 is inherently less accurate because CSC plate tare weights can drift over a container's lifetime. Both methods require a signed declaration with container number, verified weight, date, and authorized signatory.

What happens if a container is loaded without a VGM declaration?

It will not be loaded. Under SOLAS, both the vessel master and terminal operator are prohibited from loading a container without a valid VGM. The container sits on the terminal, the shipper pays demurrage, and the cargo misses its sailing. Terminals and carriers enforce this strictly, there is no workaround.

Related Terms

SOLAS, the parent treaty; VGM lives in Chapter VI Regulation 2.
Container Weighing, the operational process; VGM is the regulatory requirement.
Bill of Lading, records cargo weight; VGM is a separate but parallel requirement.
TEU, standard container capacity unit; VGM applies to individual containers regardless of TEU size.