About this calculator
VGM (Verified Gross Mass) is the verified gross weight of a packed container: cargo, packaging, pallets, dunnage, securing material and the empty container itself. Under SOLAS Chapter VI, Regulation 2, the shipper must provide the VGM to the carrier and terminal before the container is loaded on board, and a container without a VGM must not be loaded. The goal is safety: a misdeclared weight affects the stowage plan, the ship's stability and the handling equipment.
SOLAS allows two methods. Method 1 weighs the packed and sealed container. Method 2 weighs all packages and cargo items, adds the mass of packing, dunnage and securing material, then adds the container tare shown on the door marking or CSC plate. This worksheet follows method 2: you enter one or more cargo weights, the materials and the tare, and the tool adds up the VGM and compares it with the container's maximum gross mass.
Important: this page is a printable worksheet, not an official VGM. The official VGM must be submitted by the shipper through the channel set by the carrier or terminal and signed by a duly authorised person. Method 2 also requires calibrated weighing equipment and a certified or approved procedure under the rules of the national authority. Make sure your process meets those requirements before relying on these figures.
Worked example
A 20' GP container (tare 2,230 kg, max gross 30,480 kg) holds two lots of cargo.
- Cargo: 12,000 + 6,500 = 18,500 kg
- Materials: packing 120 + dunnage 80 + securing 40 = 240 kg
- Container tare: 2,230 kg
- VGM: 18,500 + 240 + 2,230 = 20,970 kg
- Margin: 30,480 − 20,970 = 9,510 kg below max gross
The shipper still has to submit this figure as the official VGM through the carrier or terminal channel.
How to use it
Enter the cargo weights
Type the weight of each cargo group from calibrated weighing; add a line for each further lot or product.
Add the materials
Enter the mass of packing and pallets, dunnage and lashing or securing material that travels inside the container.
Enter tare and max gross
Copy the tare and maximum gross mass from the door marking or CSC plate of the actual container.
Check and print
Read the total VGM and the margin to max gross, then print the worksheet as a record supporting the official VGM submission.