Stowage factor

The volume one tonne of a given cargo occupies in a ship’s hold, conventionally in cubic metres per tonne or cubic feet per tonne, before broken stowage. It tells the planner whether a cargo will fill the ship by weight (deadweight cargo, low stowage factor) or by volume (measurement cargo, high stowage factor). Comparing the cargo’s stowage factor with the ship’s bale or grain capacity per tonne of deadweight decides whether the ship loads down to her marks or cubes out first.