Home / Glossary / Container Imbalance

Glossary Term

Container Imbalance

Container Imbalance Definition:

Container imbalance is a situation that occurs when there is a cargo surplus and a shortage or inadequate containers to ship it.

When there is an imbalance between container demand and supply, a shortage will arise, causing container imbalance. This also attracts other costs called container imbalance charges (CIC). Container pile-ups in warehouses or ports may cause this shortage. The pile-ups are usually due to slow clearance processes or an influx of deliveries. Port and shipment delays are the primary causes of container imbalance. Also, the loading and unloading process will be delayed if the container contents are too heavy.

Container on a trailer.

Explore Other Container Transport Industry Terms

ACEP (Approved Continuous Examination Program)  Aggregate Shipment API (Application Programming Interface) Backhaul BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor) Beneficial Cargo Owner BIC (Bureau International des Containers) Bill of Lading BPD (Barrels Per Day) Cabotage Cabotage Containers Carrier Carrier Owned Container (COC) CBM Chassis Check Digit Clear Height Combo Chassis Compound Annual Growth Rate (CARG) Consignee Consignor Container Freight Station Container Imbalance Container Imbalance Charges Container Inspector Container Logistics Container Terminal Container Yard Cross Docking CSC Plate CW Certificate Damage Protection Plan (DPP) Damage Replacement Value (DRV) Delivery Order Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Equipment Interchange Receipt Fifth Wheel Flat Rack Container Flatbed