Miscelleneous

What is Dunnage, its use and material used in Dunnage?

Written by Manish Mayank

Dunnage is the name for the materials used in holds and containers to protect goods and their packaging from moisture, contamination and mechanical damage.

Dunnage may include plastic films, jute coverings, tarpaulins, wood (wooden dunnage), rice matting, nonwovens, liner bags or also inlets etc. Depending on the use to which it is put, dunnage may be divided into floor, lateral, interlayer and top dunnage. 

On general cargo ships, the most important of these is floor dunnage. It protects moisture-sensitive cargoes, such as bagged cargo (e.g. coffee, cocoa) or bales (e.g. tobacco, tea) from sweat, which forms on a ship’s sides and runs off over the decks. The floor dunnage “lifts” the cargo off the deck, so that water is able to flow off without coming into contact with the cargo.

In the case of very sensitive cargoes, the space between cargo and deck has to be enlarged or at least great care must be taken to ensure that the cargo does not under any circumstances come into contact with the deck over which sweat may flow.

Where spar ceilings are present in a general cargo ship, the purpose of side dunnage is to protect the cargo from contamination. Top dunnage generally fulfills a two-fold function:

About the author

Manish Mayank

Graduated from M.E.R.I. (Mumbai). A cool, calm, composed and the brain behind the development of the database. The strong will to contribute in maritime education and to present it in completely different and innovative way is his source of inspiration.

3 Comments

  • Very Informative. I’ve been told, coconut fiber or coir was frequently used on sailing ships as dunnage. This seems impractical and coir when wet can stain, and clog bilges. Have you ever heard of large amounts of coconut fiber (coir) used as dunnage?

  • Description Quantity
    WOOD, DONNAGES, 4 IN x 4 IN x 16FT LONG, FOR PIPE ARRANGEMENT. 60

    Description Quantity
    EXTRA HARD WOOD, FOR HORIZONTAL SECTION OF BOW; SIZE-, H-12 INCHES X B-11-1/4 INCHES X L-11FT , VARIOUS, NA. 1
    EXTRA HARD WOOD FOR HORIZONTAL SECTION OF BOW; SIZE-, H-12 INCHES X B-11-1/4 INCHES X L-12FT , VARIOUS, NA 1
    EXTRA HARD WOOD FOR VERTICAL SECTION OF BOW; SIZE-, H-11-1/4 INCHES X B -12 INCHES X L-3FT 6 INCHES , VARIOUS, NA 4
    EXTRA HARD WOOD FOR VERTICAL SECTION OF BOW; SIZE-, H-11-1/4 INCHES X B- 12 INCHES X L-7FT 8 INCHES , VARIOUS, NA 5
    WOOD, TREATED WOOD, LENGTH 18 FT X HEIGHT 8-1/2 INCHES X WIDTH 1 FT, for MAST REST AT HELIDECK, STRAIGHT WOOD, MFR : NA, P/N : NA 2

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