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A practical guide to factory stuffing, RFID self-sealing, Verified Gross Mass, the ICD, CFS and direct port routes and the charges that build up when a box waits. Rasp International coordinates container moves through vetted transport, forwarding and customs broker partners across India.
Container transportation is the inland leg of an export: an empty box reaches your factory, is stuffed and sealed, then travels by road or rail to an inland container depot or the port.
This leg decides whether your cargo meets the vessel. A wrong weight, a seal number that does not match or a late gate-in can hold a cleared container for days.
Verified as on 24 September 2026 against CBIC Circulars 26/2017, 36/2017 and 41/2017-Customs, DGMA MS Notice 04 of 2016 and the National Time Release Study 2025.
Container transportation for exports covers the empty container pickup, stuffing at your factory or a container freight station (CFS), sealing, the road or rail move to an inland container depot (ICD) or port and gate-in before the terminal cut-off. The shipper must also declare the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of every packed container before loading, under SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2.
The rule that decides everything: the weight and the seal number travel with the box. If either differs from your documents, the container stops, whatever the customs status.
At ICD Ludhiana, the National Time Release Study 2025 measured 78 hours 7 minutes for factory stuffed export cargo against 144 hours 7 minutes for cargo stuffed at the ICD. Where you stuff the box can nearly halve the time.
Rasp International does not own trucks or containers. We plan the route, brief the transport and forwarding partners in our network and check the VGM, seal and gate-in against your shipping bill.
An inland container depot is a customs station away from the coast where containers are cleared and sent to the port by rail or road. A container freight station is a customs area near a port or ICD where cargo is stuffed, destuffed or examined.
Direct port entry means a factory stuffed and sealed container goes straight to the port terminal, skipping the CFS. On imports, the same idea is called Direct Port Delivery.
LCL shippers hand cargo to a consolidator at the CFS, which stuffs, weighs and seals the shared box. Air and courier exporters do not use containers at all.
Partners do the physical work. Our team checks each step against your documents.
Carrier booking, empty release and cut-offs.
Seal number and weight matched on the shipping bill.
Out of gauge cargo and road permits.
Pallets, packing and storage before stuffing.
Export invoices and movement documents under GST.
Estimate duties before you price the shipment.
Book the box from the cargo’s weight, shape and temperature needs. Sizes below are ISO 668 nominal external sizes. Internal dimensions and payload vary by carrier and build year, so take them from the booked carrier’s equipment sheet.
This is the order an FCL export follows when the box is stuffed at the factory. Stages 3 and 4 decide whether it sails on time.
The forwarder books space. The line releases an empty container from a depot. Inspect it and record any damage before it leaves.
Load against the packing list, block and brace the cargo and photograph each tier. The CTU Code gives the accepted packing practice.
Fix the RFID e-seal and declare its serial number on the shipping bill. The number on the box and the document must match.
Weigh the packed box on a certified weighbridge, or use approved Method 2. Submit the VGM to the carrier before its cut-off.
The trailer carries the box within Rule 93 limits, with the e-way bill and seal details. Rail runs from the ICD to the port.
Customs reads the e-seal at entry. After the Let Export Order and before the cut-off, the box is gated in and loaded.
Stuffing a container this week and not sure about the VGM or seal entry? Send us the booking on WhatsApp or read our customs clearance guide.
Self-sealing lets you stuff and seal a container at your own premises without a customs officer present. CBIC replaced officer-supervised factory stuffing with this system in 2017.
Verified Gross Mass is the total weight of the packed container: cargo, packing, dunnage, securing material and the container’s own tare. No VGM, no loading.
The box is checked against these at the factory, the gate and the terminal. The third column is where it gets held.
These failures cost days and charges even when customs clearance is perfect.
This is an illustrative composite, not a named client. A sandstone exporter near Agra stuffs a 20 ft box on the last day before cut-off. The weighbridge slip reaches the forwarder after the VGM cut-off, and the box is rolled. The buyer’s letter of credit expires before the next sailing. Stuffing one day earlier would have avoided an amendment.
Both are charges for keeping a container beyond its free time. Free days and rates are set in the carrier’s tariff and your booking, so no prices are given here.
VGM is the Verified Gross Mass of a packed container, including cargo, packing and the container tare. Under SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2, in force since 1 July 2016, the shipper must provide it before loading.
The shipper named on the bill of lading is responsible. The forwarder or a DGMA-approved online provider can transmit it, but the declared weight remains the shipper’s legal responsibility.
Factory stuffing means loading and sealing the export container at your own premises instead of at a CFS. Since 2017 it works through self-sealing with RFID e-seals, without an officer present.
Inform the jurisdictional customs officer at least 15 days before the first movement. An officer inspects the premises and the Commissioner grants permission, which then covers every customs station.
Under Circular 41/2017-Customs the container is examined. After examination it moves under the traditional customs seal, not the e-seal procedure.
For inland FCL exporters, an ICD near the factory with self-sealing is usually faster. A CFS suits LCL cargo and shippers without self-sealing. NTRS 2025 showed factory stuffed cargo released far faster at ICD Ludhiana.
Detention is charged by the line when its container stays outside the terminal beyond free time. Demurrage is charged when the full container stays inside the terminal beyond free time.
No. Circular 41/2017-Customs limits self-sealing to full container loads sealed at an approved premise. LCL cargo is stuffed and sealed at the CFS.
A standard box if it fits through the doors. An open top if it is loaded by crane from above. A flat rack if it is wider or taller than a box. Oversized units need project cargo planning.
No. Containers belong to shipping lines and transport is run by partners in our pan-India network. We plan the move, brief the partners and check the paperwork.
Rasp International is an ISO 9001:2015 certified EXIM and DGFT advisory firm in Agra with more than 500 exporters served. We pick the route, brief the transport and forwarding partners and check the VGM, e-seal and shipping bill before the box leaves your gate.
See the full partner network on our customs house agent services page.
Send the booking, packing list and factory location. We will flag route, weight and seal issues before stuffing.
This page is general guidance. Circulars, terminal cut-offs and carrier tariffs change. Verify against the current CBIC circular and your booking before you stuff or move a container.
Related: freight forwarding and Incoterms, project cargo and ODC permits, export consulting in Moradabad and the logistics hub.
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