Is this VGM generator really free?

Yes — free, and there is no account to create. Fill the form, watch the declaration build as you type, and we email you the PDF. We ask for an email address only because that is how the document reaches you.

Does Expodite submit the VGM to my carrier?

No. The VGM is declared to the carrier or terminal — by email, their portal, or a VERMAS EDI message. No software vendor files it for you. This tool produces the signed declaration; you send it through your carrier's channel before their cut-off.

What is the difference between VGM and cargo weight?

VGM is the whole packed container: cargo, packaging, dunnage and the container's tare weight. Cargo weight is only what is inside. The declaration prints the payload — cargo plus packaging plus dunnage, i.e. VGM minus tare — which is still not the bare cargo figure on your packing list. Declaring cargo weight as VGM understates the container by the tare, typically 2,200–4,000 kg, and is the most common reason declarations are rejected.

Why was my VGM rejected?

Almost always one of four things. The figure was the cargo weight rather than the whole packed container, so it came in light by the tare — typically 2,200–4,000 kg. The container number did not match the booking, and the terminal matches on that number and nothing else. It arrived after the carrier's VGM cut-off, which falls earlier than the documentation cut-off. Or no authorised signatory was named, and SOLAS treats an unsigned declaration as no declaration at all. Correct the cause and resend: a rejection only becomes a rolled container once the cut-off has passed.

Do you store the data I type?

We keep your submission so we can generate and email the document, and we delete it on a fixed retention schedule. The live preview stores nothing at all — it runs before we ask you for anything. See our privacy policy for the detail.

Free tool

Free VGM Declaration Generator

For a containerised sea shipment: enter each packed container and its verified gross mass. You'll see the finished declaration update as you type — then we email you the PDF. No account, no signup.

Shipper (as named on the bill of lading)

Logo

Appears on the letterhead. Stays in your browser — never uploaded.Company name *Legal namePrinted on the letterhead if it differs from your trading name.Country

CityPostal codeAddressPhoneEmailTax / VAT no.Commercial reg. no.

Remember my company details on this device
Saves only your company block — never bank details or your buyer's data.

Declaration details

Declaration no. *Your own reference. Printed at the top of the declaration and quoted back by the carrier.Country where the VGM was determined *

Where the weighing (Method 1) or the calculation (Method 2) actually happened — not your registered address. SOLAS asks for this one specifically.Booking referenceHow the carrier ties your VGM to the booking. The terminal itself matches on the container number.DateDefaults to today.Packing list no.Method 2 only. The packing list that carries your itemised mass breakdown — named on the declaration so the carrier can locate it. Leave blank for Method 1.

Carrier, vessel & route · optional

Carrier

The shipping line that loads the box — it prints on the declaration and is the party you file the VGM with. Often not yet fixed when you weigh; leave this whole section blank if so.VesselThe Vessel / Voyage row — and the ETD beside it — print only once you name the vessel. Keep it identical to the booking and the bill of lading.VoyagePort of loading

Where the box is loaded aboard. Pick from the list so its UN/LOCODE (EGALY, NLRTM) rides along in brackets — the code the carrier's system keys on.Port of discharge

Keep it identical to the bill of lading — a port spelled two ways across the documents is a discrepancy.ETDEstimated departure. The VGM cut-off usually falls a day or more before it.

Containers

Containers 1

Container no. *The terminal matches your VGM to the box on this number — it must be exactly as sealed.SizeTypeVGM (kg) *The WHOLE packed container: cargo + packaging + dunnage + the container's own tare. Not the cargo weight and not your packing-list figure — mixing those up is the top reason VGMs are rejected.Method *Tare (kg)The empty container's weight, printed on its door. Optional — it lets the declaration show the payload (VGM − tare) and guards against swapping the two.Seal no.Determined onThe date it was weighed (Method 1) or calculated (Method 2).

Weighing equipment (Method 1 only) · optional

Weighbridge / equipmentMethod 1 declarations only. Leave this whole section empty if you used Method 2 (calculated).Operator / locationCalibration certificate no.Method 1 requires certified, calibrated equipment. Carriers and port-state inspectors may ask for this.Calibration expires

Authorised signatory

Full name *The person authorised by the shipper to sign. An unsigned, un-named declaration is not a declaration — it is printed here, and you still sign it by hand.Position

Email me the PDF

No account, no sign-up. We only need somewhere to send it.

Your nameYour email *

Live preview

This is the document itself — exactly what arrives as a PDF.

Your document appears here as you type.

A complete sample shipment. Edit it into your own — nothing is sent until you ask.

What a VGM declaration is

Under SOLAS Chapter VI, Regulation 2, a packed container cannot be loaded onto a vessel unless the shipper has declared its Verified Gross Mass to the carrier and the terminal. The rule has been in force worldwide since 1 July 2016, and it is not advisory: no VGM, no load. It applies to containerised sea freight — not to air, and not to break-bulk.

The VGM is the total weight of the packed container — the cargo, all packaging and dunnage, and the container's own tare weight. It is not the cargo weight, and it is not the figure on your packing list. Confusing the two is the single most common reason a declaration gets rejected.

The shipper named on the bill of lading is legally responsible for the figure, and the declaration must be signed by a person the shipper has authorised. Under EXW or FCA that shipper is often your buyer or their forwarder, not you — the VGM duty follows the bill of lading, not the sale. Put the party named as Shipper on the B/L in Section 1, and have their authorised person sign. That is why this document exists as a signed paper record and not merely a number in an email.

Method 1 vs Method 2

Method 1 is weighing the packed, sealed container on calibrated equipment — a weighbridge. One number, one weighing, done after packing. It is the simpler route and the one terminals query least.

Method 2 is calculating: weigh every item, every pallet, all packaging and dunnage, then add the container's tare weight from the door plate. It requires a documented procedure, and some jurisdictions require that procedure to be certified. Method 2 is what you use when you cannot get a packed container onto a weighbridge.

Whichever you use, the equipment must meet national calibration standards. If you declare Method 1, add the weighbridge and its calibration certificate in the weighing-equipment section — the generator then prints both on the declaration. If you declare Method 2, put the number of the packing list that holds your itemised mass breakdown in the declaration details; the declaration names it so the carrier and port-state can locate the schedule.

What gets your VGM rejected

Declaring cargo weight instead of gross weight. The tare is typically 2,200–4,000 kg for a dry box; omitting it understates the container by more than most tolerances allow.

Missing the carrier's cut-off. VGM cut-offs usually fall 12–36 hours before vessel ETA and are earlier than the documentation cut-off. A correct VGM that arrives late is a rolled container.

A container number that does not match the booking. The terminal matches on the container number, not your reference.

No named signatory. An unsigned declaration is not a declaration — SOLAS requires a person duly authorised by the shipper to sign it, which is why this form asks for that name before anything else it can leave blank.

How to submit it

This generator produces the signed declaration you keep and send. Submission itself goes to the carrier — most accept the signed form by email or through their portal, and larger shippers file a VERMAS EDI message instead.

Check your carrier's specific channel and cut-off before you sail. Expodite does not submit on your behalf, and no ERP does: the VGM is filed with the carrier or terminal, not with a software vendor.

Questions

Common questions

Is this VGM generator really free?: Yes — free, and there is no account to create. Fill the form, watch the declaration build as you type, and we email you the PDF. We ask for an email address only because that is how the document reaches you.
Does Expodite submit the VGM to my carrier?: No. The VGM is declared to the carrier or terminal — by email, their portal, or a VERMAS EDI message. No software vendor files it for you. This tool produces the signed declaration; you send it through your carrier's channel before their cut-off.
What is the difference between VGM and cargo weight?: VGM is the whole packed container: cargo, packaging, dunnage and the container's tare weight. Cargo weight is only what is inside. The declaration prints the payload — cargo plus packaging plus dunnage, i.e. VGM minus tare — which is still not the bare cargo figure on your packing list. Declaring cargo weight as VGM understates the container by the tare, typically 2,200–4,000 kg, and is the most common reason declarations are rejected.
Why was my VGM rejected?: Almost always one of four things. The figure was the cargo weight rather than the whole packed container, so it came in light by the tare — typically 2,200–4,000 kg. The container number did not match the booking, and the terminal matches on that number and nothing else. It arrived after the carrier's VGM cut-off, which falls earlier than the documentation cut-off. Or no authorised signatory was named, and SOLAS treats an unsigned declaration as no declaration at all. Correct the cause and resend: a rejection only becomes a rolled container once the cut-off has passed.
Do you store the data I type?: We keep your submission so we can generate and email the document, and we delete it on a fixed retention schedule. The live preview stores nothing at all — it runs before we ask you for anything. See our privacy policy for the detail.

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