Ton bags, also known as container bags, space bags, or ton bags, are called Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers in English, abbreviated as FIBC or Jumbo Bags. It is a flexible packaging and transportation container that can transport bulk powder and granular materials in units.
According to different usage scenarios, it is divided into various models such as round and square, equipped with cranes or forklifts, which is convenient for loading and unloading and handling of goods, greatly improving the efficiency of cargo loading and unloading.
It is particularly prominent in cross-border trade such as the chemical industry, construction industry, and mining industry. Powdered, granular, and blocky items such as potash fertilizers, grains, wheat bran, and mineral products are often loaded into containers in the form of ton bags for transportation.
The total weight of bulk cargo loaded in ton bags in a container cannot exceed the rated load of the container. The specific container deadweight, load and total weight markings can be found on the container door.
There are mainly two types:
One is to directly lift the ton bag cargo into the container and stack it;
The other is to place the ton bag cargo on a pallet and load it into the container as a whole as a container unit (this is generally the case when the consignee, consignor, port of departure or destination country has special loading and unloading requirements for bagged cargo).
(1) Center loading principle. Every two ton bags are in a row, with no gaps between the ton bags and they are loaded in the center along the longitudinal center line of the container. The gap between each row of cargo and the side wall of the container is reinforced accordingly.
(2) Side loading principle. Every two ton bags are in a row, with the left and right ton bags close to the two sides of the inner wall of the container, and the gap between the two ton bags is reinforced accordingly.
Ton bag cargo is mainly reinforced with square wood, wooden frames and inflatable bags in the container as reinforcement materials between the cargo or between the cargo and the container wall.
If ton bags are not loaded in the container according to the principle of left, right or center, and there are no towing or blocking measures, and ton bags are flexible packaging and transportation containers, there is a high risk of displacement or tilting during transportation or loading and unloading. Especially in railway container transportation, it may also cause a certain degree of safety hazard due to overloading.