PPGI Coil Packaging and Container Loading: A Practical Guide

Why PPGI Coil Gets Damaged in the Container, Not at the Mill

Pre-painted galvanised iron (PPGI) coil leaves the mill with a coating system that has already passed a T-bend test and a pencil hardness test. Forty days later it arrives with scuffed top coats, crushed coil edges and a dinged outer wrap. The mill will point to the packing list, the shipping line will point to the container number, and the importer owns the loss. In practice almost all PPGI transit damage comes from three causes: the coil moving inside the container, the coils bearing on each other through thin packing, and edge impacts during loading. All three are decided before the doors are sealed.

PPGI is more vulnerable than plain GI coil because the paint film, typically 20-25 micron total coating thickness with a 5 micron primer, will not tolerate point loads and abrasion the way bare zinc will. A scratch through the topcoat shows the primer, and a scratch through the primer exposes zinc, so a handling mark that would be invisible on a hot rolled coil becomes a visible defect on a RAL 9002 panel.

What a Proper Export Packing Actually Contains

Standard export packing for PPGI coil is a defined set of components. If any one is missing, you will see it on arrival.

Component	Purpose	Typical spec
Inner wrap	Separates coil surface from moisture and strapping	VCI or PE film, or water-resistant kraft paper
Circumferential wrap	Protects the outer lap and coating	Heavy kraft paper or woven fabric
Plastic end caps	Protects the coil eyes and prevents water ingress	Moulded PE, both eyes
Edge protectors	Spreads strap pressure on the coil edge	V-shaped steel or plastic corner guards
Steel strapping	Holds the wrap and prevents uncoiling	4-6 bands, 32 mm x 0.8 mm, sealed
Wooden skid / pallet	Lifts coil off the floor, enables forklift handling	Timber, heat treated to ISPM 15

ISPM 15 is not optional for most destinations: unmarked wood is grounds for rejection or fumigation on arrival. Confirm the pallet is stamped before the container is sealed.

Eye to Sky or Eye to Wall: How Coil Orientation Decides Your Plan

The single biggest packing decision is coil orientation, and it drives both handling and container count.

Item	Eye to Sky (vertical)	Eye to Wall (horizontal)
Coil weight per unit	Usually 3-5 t	Usually 5-15 t
Handling	Overhead crane with C-hook	Forklift with coil boom
Unloading at destination	Needs crane or coil grab	Needs forklift and coil ram
Container stow	Easier to distribute weight	Needs careful lashing against rolling
Moisture collection	Water can pool in the eye	Eye protected if capped
Best for	Buyers with limited lifting gear	Buyers with coil handling equipment

Eye-to-sky coil is easier to stow evenly and easier to unload where there is no heavy equipment, but water can collect in the exposed eye, so end caps matter more. Eye-to-wall coil rolls if it is not chocked, so it needs timber chocks and a lashing plan rather than straps alone.

Weight Distribution and Securing Inside a 20GP

A 20GP has a maximum gross weight of about 30.48 t; allow for the tare of roughly 2.2 t and you have a practical payload near 28 t, which in most countries is capped lower by road axle limits at about 25-27 t. For coil work, plan on 25 t as a realistic container load.

Container	Practical coil load	Coils per container	Notes
20GP	About 25 t	5-8 coils at 3-5 t	Best for heavy coil
40GP	About 26 t	5-8 coils	Little gain over 20GP for dense cargo
40HQ	About 26 t	8-12 coils of lighter gauge	Volume-limited, not weight-limited

Distribute weight evenly front to back, keep the heaviest coils over the container floor stringers and never leave a void at the door end. Secure with hardwood dunnage against both side walls and diagonal timber bracing, add airbags in the remaining gaps, and use four independent lashing points per coil. Never rely on the steel strapping as a lashing system; it holds the coil wrap, not the coil in the container.

Before You Close the Doors: Photo Evidence Checklist

A clear photo set protects you in any claim. Shoot at least these before sealing:

• Container number and CSC plate, legible
• Empty container floor, before loading
• Each coil with its coil tag visible in frame
• Coil tag close-up showing coil number, heat number, size and net weight
• Wrapped coil showing the plastic end caps and edge protectors
• Completed strapping and timber chocking
• Full container view showing weight distribution front to back
• Airbags in place
• Seal number, close-up, after closing
• Weighbridge ticket or loading tally
• Desiccant bags in position (if used)

Send the photo set with the shipping documents. When you later argue about a dented coil edge, the timestamped loading photos decide the outcome.

Labelling and Traceability

Every coil should carry a tag that survives the voyage and matches the packing list exactly. The minimum data set is coil number, heat number, ordered and actual size, net and gross weight, coating designation (for example Z275 or AZ150) and the paint reference (RAL code, topcoat system and total coating thickness). If your customer runs a paint line, include the batch and the topcoat polyester or SMP or PVDF designation; it removes the guesswork when they load the line six weeks later.

Send us your coil spec, coating system and RAL colour, the quantity and your discharge port, and we will quote FOB or CIF with the export packing and container loading plan matched to the size of your order.