What is Verified Gross Mass?
Verified gross mass (VGM) is the total gross mass of a packed container, including cargo, packaging, pallets, dunnage, securing material and the container's tare, obtained by one of two methods in SOLAS Chapter VI, regulation 2. Method 1 is weighing the packed container using calibrated and certified equipment; Method 2 is weighing all packages and cargo items, including pallets, dunnage and other securing material, and adding the container's tare mass. The requirement entered into force on 1 July 2016, with detailed guidance in IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1475. The VGM must be stated in a shipping document signed by a person duly authorized by the shipper and submitted to the master or his representative and to the terminal representative in time to be used in the ship stowage plan. If the VGM has not been provided or obtained, the container shall not be loaded on the ship.
Why it matters for forwarders
The shipper is responsible for the VGM, but forwarders often transmit it to carriers on the shipper's behalf, so the authorised signatory and the data source need to be clear. Carriers set a VGM cut-off before loading, and a late or missing VGM means the container is held back and rolled, with storage and rebooking costs. Method 2 must follow the certification or approval arrangements of the state where the container is packed, and national enforcement practice differs. Do not use the booking weight or a generic tare figure as the VGM; use the tare marked on the actual container and the actual packed weights. When an NVOCC consolidates LCL cargo into a container shipped under its own master bill, it is the shipper toward the carrier and must provide that container's VGM.