How Steel Coil Plate and Pipe Are Packed for Export

Packing Is Decided With the Cutting List

Packing is not a step at the end. The sizes you order decide how the material travels, so the two conversations belong together. Pipe cut at 5.8m fits a shipping container in a way that 6m and 12m fixed lengths do not, which is why 5.8m is offered as a fixed length alongside them and alongside 2 to 12m random.

Plate and sheet follow the same logic. Cut widths of 1000, 1219, 1500, 1800, 2000, 2500, 3000 and 3500mm and cut lengths of 2000, 2400, 3000, 5800 and 6000mm are all available, and the sizes at the shorter end move through a container and a warehouse far more easily than the long ones. Tell us how the material is unloaded at your end and the cutting list can be built around it.

• Seamless pipe cut at 5.8m 6m or 12m fixed or 2 to 12m random
• Plate widths from 1000mm through 3500mm
• Plate lengths from 2000mm through 6000mm
• Cut to size supply removes the offcut you would pay to ship
• Confirm crane forklift and site access before the sizes are fixed

Packing Coil and Strip

Coil is wrapped rather than boxed. The standard build is an inner waterproof wrap, an outer wrap, circumferential and radial steel strapping, and edge and eye protectors so the strapping does not bite into the lap. Coated coil and tinplate carry their own surface protection already, with passivation treatment and a DOS oil film on tinplate, and that film has to survive the voyage intact.

Coil dimensions matter as much as the wrap. Tinplate coil is supplied with an inside diameter of 420 or 508mm and a coil weight of 1 to 5 MT. Your decoiler mandrel and your crane capacity both have to accept those figures, so they are confirmed before the coil is made rather than after it lands.

• Inner and outer waterproof wrap over the coil body
• Circumferential and radial steel strapping
• Edge protectors and eye protectors under the straps
• Tinplate coil inside diameter 420mm or 508mm
• Tinplate coil weight 1 to 5 MT
• Coils stowed eye to sky or eye to wall depending on the cargo

Packing Plate and Sheet

Plate travels in bundles of one size, strapped and stacked so the load is stable and the forklift can lift a whole bundle rather than picking sheets. Edge protection under the strapping is what stops the corner damage that turns a usable plate into scrap at the cutting table.

Surface condition drives the rest. Plate supplied natural carries no coating and needs an anti rust treatment for a sea voyage, while painted plate is already protected. Cut panels from a drawing are marked by panel number before packing so the fabricator does not have to sort them on arrival.

• Bundled by one size per bundle with steel strapping
• Edge and corner protection under every strap
• Anti rust treatment on plate supplied in natural surface
• Timber dunnage between bundles for forklift access
• Cut panels marked to the drawing number before packing

Packing Pipe and Tube

Round pipe is bundled in a hexagonal bundle and strapped, which is the shape that resists rolling and stacks without crushing the layer beneath. Small bore pipe bundles tightly and large diameter pipe is usually shipped loose with internal supports so the section holds its roundness.

The ends are the vulnerable part. Pipe is supplied beveled above 2 inch and plain at 2 inch and below, and plastic caps are available to protect the bevel and keep the bore clean in transit. Screwed and socket ends need the thread protected as well. Coated pipe carries its own surface system already, whether that is black paint, galvanizing, 3PE anticorrosive coating, varnish, transparent oil, epoxy or polyurethane foam insulation, and the packing has to protect that coating rather than abrade it.

• Hexagonal bundles strapped for round pipe
• Plastic caps to protect bevels and keep the bore clean
• Thread protection on screwed and socket ends
• Internal support on large diameter thin wall pipe
• Soft packing where 3PE or epoxy coating must not be scuffed

Marking and Documents

Every bundle coil and pack is marked so it can be identified without opening it. That marking carries the grade, the size, the heat or batch reference and the order or item number, which is what lets your stores book material in and your inspector trace it back to a certificate.

The documents travel with the shipment. Steel plate coil and bar ship with a mill test certificate issued against the ordered grade, while welded and seamless pipe carry the EN 10204 3.1 inspection certificate together with the test package covering chemical analysis, tensile and yield results, hydrostatic testing and, on submerged arc welded pipe, X-ray testing. The ISO9001, BV, SGS and RoHS certificates travel with the shipping documents on request.

• Grade and size marked on every bundle and coil
• Heat or batch reference marked for traceability
• Order and item number marked for stores booking
• Mill test certificate issued against the ordered grade
• EN 10204 3.1 certificate on pipe with the test results
• Packing list built to match the marking on the goods

Container Loading and Weight Distribution

Steel is a dense cargo, so a container reaches its weight limit long before it fills up. That means the load has to be spread along the container floor rather than concentrated at one end, and heavy items go on the bottom with lighter packs above them.

Everything then gets secured so nothing shifts at sea. Dunnage fills the gaps, lashings hold the stack, and the loading photographs are taken before the doors are closed so you can see how the cargo left. Where a piece is too long or too heavy for a dry container, flat rack or breakbulk shipment is arranged instead.

• Load spread along the floor rather than concentrated at one end
• Heavy bundles at the bottom of the stack
• Dunnage and lashings to stop movement at sea
• Loading photographs taken before the doors close
• Flat rack or breakbulk for oversize and overweight pieces

Protecting Against Condensation on the Voyage

Most rust that appears on arrival was not there at loading. It comes from condensation inside a container that crosses climate zones, and it hits bare and natural surface material hardest. Waterproof wrapping, an oil film on surfaces that carry one, and desiccant in the container are the practical defenses.

Coated material has an advantage here. Galvanized, galvalume, Zn-Al-Mg, pre painted and 3PE coated products arrive with their own protection, which is one more reason a coated specification can be cheaper than a bare one once transit losses are counted.

• Waterproof inner and outer wrap on coil
• Oil film retained on oiled and passivated surfaces
• Desiccant placed in the container for long voyages
• Bare natural surface material treated before wrapping
• Coated products arrive with their own corrosion protection

What to Confirm Before the Booking

Shipments go to Southeast Asia, South America and Africa, and each destination has its own handling reality at the receiving end. The information that changes the packing plan is simple to give and expensive to leave out.

Send the destination port, the unloading equipment available, the maximum length and weight your site can take, the marking your stores need and the certificate your inspector will ask for. Request a quote with those details and the packing plan comes back with the price rather than after it.

• Destination port and final delivery point
• Crane or forklift capacity at the receiving site
• Maximum piece length and bundle weight you can handle
• Marking format your stores system expects
• Certificate required and the standard it must reference
• Whether cut to size panels or full stock sizes are wanted