Containerised Vehicle Shipping from China

One to four vehicles per container, racked or floor-loaded, secured to carrier-accepted standards. The sealed-box option: the vehicle is not driven during transit and does not sit on an open deck.

20GP · 40HQ · 40FR · 40OTRack loading up to 4 unitsSealed and secure

Loading Operations

Pickup trucks racked inside 40ft containers before the doors are closed — Racked and strapped inside the box, doors still open for the loading record.

A row of 40ft containers with the doors open and vehicles loaded inside — Loaded containers lined up at the yard before they move to the terminal.

A vehicle being positioned at a container yard before loading — Units are moved into position and measured at the yard before the lift into the box.

Lashing

Lashing and Securing Standards

A vehicle that shifts in transit results in a total loss claim. Securing follows carrier- and insurer-approved methods — not improvised solutions.

First-person view: vehicle container loading, lashing and sealing at the yard.

Car wheel lashed to a rack inside a 40ft container with webbing straps and timber bracing — Webbing lashing over the tyre, timber bracing secured to the container floor. This is the detail that decides whether a claim is payable.

Steel strapping over the tyres or through the wheel hubs to floor anchorage points
Hardwood chocks nailed and glued in front of and behind each wheel
Dunnage bags or timber bracing to stop lateral movement
Rack systems bolted to the container floor where two or more cars are stacked
Battery terminal isolated where required by the carrier
Fuel reduced to the level the carrier specifies, tank cap sealed

What you receive

Photographs before loading, showing body condition
Photographs of the lashing and chocking in place
Container number, seal number and VIN recorded on the packing list
Loaded weight confirmation for the bill of lading

Capacity

Container Capacity by Equipment Type

Equipment	Internal dimensions (approx.)	Typical car load	Notes
20ft standard (20GP)	5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	1 car, or 2 small cars on a rack	Single large SUV or pickup usually fills a 20ft
40ft high-cube (40HQ)	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m	2–4 cars depending on size	Rack systems allow 3–4 sedans; 2 large SUVs or pickups
40ft flat rack (40FR)	No side walls or roof	1 oversize vehicle or machine	For out-of-gauge height or width; lashing plan required
40ft open top (40OT)	Open roof, tarpaulin cover	1 tall vehicle, crane loaded	For cargo too tall to load through the door

These are typical figures. Real capacity depends on the exact vehicle: wheelbase, height, mirrors and roof racks all matter. We measure the unit before confirming the plan.

Flat rack in practice

Flat rack loading — from the yard

Flat racks carry what will not pass through a container door: excavators, truck cranes, tractors and complete vehicles, loaded whole and lashed straight to the platform. Photographed at the yard before the units move to the terminal.

Tracked excavator loaded and lashed on a flat rack platform, front view — Front view — a tracked excavator (SHANBO SH240-8) on the flat rack platform, boom and arm folded down, held by crossed steel wire lashing fore and aft.

Six-axle truck with knuckle-boom loaders loaded whole on a flat rack, side view — Side view — a six-axle truck with front and rear knuckle-boom loaders loaded whole; cranes folded, body strapped to the platform.

Two tractor heads stacked on a flat rack, side view — Side view — two tractor heads stacked one above the other; chassis, side fuel tank and tyres visible, webbing straps tensioned along the frame.

Two truck cranes loaded side by side on flat racks, angled view — Angled view — two truck cranes (ZOOMLION QY25V) loaded side by side, booms stowed forward, boom heads wrapped for protection.

Two tractor heads stacked offset on a flat rack, side view — Side view — two tractor heads stacked offset, the upper unit facing the opposite way, secured with longitudinal steel wire lashing.

Truck crane loaded whole on a flat rack, side view — Side view — a truck crane (ZOOMLION QY30V) loaded whole, boom fully retracted, body strapped to the flat rack platform.

Decision

Container vs RoRo for Passenger Vehicles

	Container	RoRo
Cost for one car	Higher — you pay for the whole box	Lower — charged by volume
Handling risk	Low — sealed, not driven	Higher — driven on and off, open decks
Personal effects in the car	Sometimes permitted, declare in advance	Generally not permitted
Port coverage	Almost any container port	Only ports the RoRo service calls
Non-running vehicle	Yes, with winch loading	No

For a single car to a major container port, RoRo is usually cheaper. For two or three cars going to the same consignee, a shared container is often cheaper than three RoRo bookings. See the full comparison.

Process

Booking Process and Cut-offs

Send vehicle details, photos and the supplier address
We confirm the method, equipment type and sailing
Vehicle collected or delivered to the container yard
Loading, lashing and photography — you receive the set the same day
Export declaration filed, container gated in before the cut-off
Bill of lading draft issued for your approval within one working day of sailing

Request a Container Loading Quotation

Tell us the car, the quantity, the origin city and the destination port.

Request a Quote

Questions we get asked often

Can I put spare parts in the container with the car?

Often yes, if declared in advance and packed so it cannot move. Undeclared goods in a vehicle container cause customs delays at destination and can void insurance.

Can I put personal belongings inside the car?

Some carriers and some destination countries prohibit it. Declare everything on the packing list. Undeclared effects are the single most common cause of destination holds.

Does the car need to be running?

No. Non-running cars are winched into the container. Tell us in advance — winch loading is charged extra and changes the equipment we book.

How much fuel can be left in the tank?

Carriers generally require a low level, commonly a quarter tank or less. We confirm the exact requirement for your service before loading.

Can two cars belonging to different owners share one container?

Yes, this is common and reduces cost per unit. Both sets of documents are issued separately against the single bill of lading.