Load Optimizer
Load factor is the share of a container you actually pay for and actually use. Load Optimizer reports it for every plan, by volume and by weight, so you can see where the waste is.
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Container load factor is the ratio of cargo carried to the container's maximum capacity, expressed as a percentage. It is measured two ways, and both matter: volumetric load factor is the share of the cubic space used, and weight load factor is the share of the legal payload used.
Some people call this container saturation or cargo saturation. The industry term you will see in freight reporting is load factor, or cargo load factor (CLF).
A container can hit its weight limit with half the space empty, or fill the space at a third of the payload. Reporting only one figure hides the constraint that is actually binding.
A partially filled container costs very nearly the same as a full one. The freight rate is per container, not per cubic metre, so every point of unused capacity is money already committed and not recovered.
There is an emissions argument too: the World Shipping Council has reported that raising container load factor by 10% cuts emissions by around 6.5%, because fewer containers move the same goods.
Most low load factors come from three causes, and all three are visible once you plan in 3D rather than by eye.
Divide the cargo carried by the container's maximum capacity and multiply by 100. Do it twice: once for volume, using cubic metres, and once for weight, using the legal payload. The lower of the two is the constraint that is actually limiting you.
For ocean freight, volumetric load factors above 85% are generally considered efficient, though the practical ceiling depends on cargo shape and any handling rules. Load Optimizer reports the figure for every plan so you can compare like for like.
In practice yes. Saturation is used in some markets to describe how full a container is; the standard term in freight reporting is load factor, or cargo load factor.
Yes. Every plan reports space used and weight used as separate figures, so you can see immediately whether a load is volume-limited or weight-limited.