Stowage Factor Calculator

Calculate cargo stowage factor, cargo volume, cargo weight, broken stowage, hold planning, case quantities, and mixed-cargo solutions with clear maritime formulas.

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What do you want to calculate?

Compatible values are retained while switching groups. Use Reset Group or Reset All when starting a new problem.

Basic Cargo Relationship

Result

Stowage factor result will appear here

How to Use

  1. Select Basic, Hold Planning, Cases, or Advanced.
  2. Choose the task-focused calculation you need.
  3. Enter values with qualified units such as MT, long ton, m3, ft3, or ft3/LT.
  4. Press Calculate to see the result, formula, and substituted values.

Formula Reference

SF = Volume / WeightVolume = Weight x SFWeight = Volume / SFUsable hold volume = Hold volume x (1 - BS)

Reference SF Table

CargoTypical SF
Iron ore0.40 m3/MT
Grain, heavy1.30 m3/MT
Coal1.40 m3/MT
Woodchips2.50 m3/MT
Containers1.6-3.0 m3/MT
Cars4.2 m3/MT

Source: Wartsila Encyclopedia of Marine and Energy Technology stowage factor ranges, with common cargo examples cross-checked against published stowage-factor tables.

Worked Examples

How much cargo can a hold carry?

You are loading cargo with SF 1.32 m3/MT into a 4,000 m3 hold with 5% broken stowage. Under the hold-space-loss convention, usable volume is 3,800 m3 and cargo weight is 2,878.79 metric tonnes.

How many cases can be stowed in a cargo hold?

A 52,000 ft3 hold with 15% broken stowage has 44,200 ft3 usable volume. Cases measuring 3 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft occupy 12 ft3 each, so the maximum whole number is 3,683 cases.

FAQ

What is stowage factor?

Stowage factor is the cargo-space volume required for one unit of cargo weight, usually expressed as m3/MT or ft3/LT.

What is broken stowage?

Broken stowage is cargo hold space that cannot be occupied by cargo because of package shape, voids, dunnage, structures, or stowage arrangement.

What does full and down mean?

Full and down means the vessel reaches both her cargo-space limit and her permissible loaded draft or deadweight limit at about the same time.

Stowage factor vs. broken stowage: what is the difference?

Stowage factor relates cargo volume to cargo weight. Broken stowage is the allowance for unusable space or additional occupied volume created by real stowage conditions.

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