Bale capacity

Bale capacity is the cargo volume of a hold measured to the inside of the cargo battens or frames and to the underside of the deck beams, the figure used for baled, bagged, or palletized cargo that cannot fill the framing recesses. It runs smaller than grain capacity, which is measured to the shell plating and fills every void between frames and beams. Both are stated in cubic meters or cubic feet in the capacity plan. The difference matters for stowage-factor checks: a high-stowage-factor cargo bills out against bale, not grain, so using the wrong figure overstates intake.