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Moisture Control · Ocean Freight

Container Desiccants

Container rain ruins cargo that left the factory perfect. As a sealed container crosses climate zones, moisture in the air and packing condenses on the cold steel ceiling and rains down on the load. BENZ container desiccants stop it: high-capacity calcium chloride that pulls water out of the container air before it can condense, sized to your exact route by the DIN 55473 method, certified for export worldwide.

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DIN 55473·REACH·EC 1935/2004 Food-Contact·Up to 600% Absorption·Leak-Proof Gel·100+ Countries
The Problem

Container Rain Is Physics, Not Bad Luck

A sealed 20ft or 40ft container is a sealed volume of moist air carrying thousands of grams of water, in the air itself and bound into wooden pallets, corrugated cartons, kraft paper and the cargo. As the vessel crosses climate zones, daytime solar gain heats the container skin 15–25°C above ambient and drives that moisture into the air as vapour. At night, or when the ship enters colder currents, the steel cools below the dew point of the enclosed air, and water condenses on the ceiling and walls and rains onto the cargo below. On a 25–45 day route, a single container can shed several litres of condensate per day during peak events, enough to rust steel, corrode electronics, collapse cartons and bloom mould on textiles.

The fix is not to fight the condensation after it forms but to remove the water vapour before relative humidity ever reaches the dew point. That requires a desiccant with enough capacity to keep absorbing for the entire voyage, and the absorption to accelerate, not plateau, exactly when humidity peaks. Silica gel cannot do this; it holds only ~25–40% of its weight and saturates early. High-purity calcium chloride does it, absorbing 300–600% of its weight and binding the captured water into a leak-proof gel. That is the engineering basis of the BENZPACK® BE DRY™ container desiccant range.

Why Calcium Chloride for Containers

The container is the one application where desiccant capacity, not unit price, decides whether the cargo arrives saleable.

Capacity That Lasts the Voyage
Calcium chloride absorbs 300–600% of its weight versus silica gel's ~25–40%, so it does not saturate and quit halfway through a 45-day route.
Accelerates When It Matters
Absorption rate rises with humidity, fastest at the 80–100% RH peaks where container rain forms, the opposite of silica gel which slows as it saturates.
Leak-Proof Gel
Captured water is bound into a stable gel that cannot drip, so there is no brine on the cargo or container floor even when fully saturated.
DIN 55473 & Food-Contact
Certified to DIN 55473, REACH-registered and compliant with EU food-contact regulation EC 1935/2004 for containers carrying non-direct-contact food cargo.
Pole-Mount or Sachet
Hung from ceiling anchor points where condensation forms, or as sachets and strips, matched to the cargo and the container.
Two Grades, One Ladder
BE DRY for standard 20–30 day routes; BE DRY ULTRA (up to 600%, 90–120 days) for the longest, hottest, most humid voyages.

How Many Units? The DIN 55473 Method

The number of desiccant units is calculated, not guessed. DIN 55473 defines the Desiccant Unit (DU) and the inputs that set the quantity: internal container volume, the absolute humidity of the air at sealing, the weight of hygroscopic packing materials (wood, paper, cartonboard), the moisture-vapour transmission of any barrier films, and the voyage duration. Under-dose and the cargo gets wet; over-dose and you waste money. The table below is a baseline; BENZ provides a free DU calculation for your exact cargo and route.

Container / CargoBE DRY (1kg units)BE DRY ULTRA (1kg units)Typical route
20ft, standard cargo3–4 units3 unitsUp to 30 days
20ft, hygroscopic / timber-packed5–6 units4–5 units30–45 days
40ft, standard cargo6–8 units5–6 unitsUp to 30 days
40ft, hygroscopic / timber-packed10–12 units8–10 units35–45+ days

Choose Your Container Desiccant

Both leak-proof, DIN 55473 certified and REACH registered. Select by route length and cargo.

BENZPACK® BE DRY™
Up to 500% absorption, 60–90 day service life. The cost-effective standard for typical 20–30 day ocean routes and standard cargo. Technical reference ›
BENZPACK® BE DRY™ ULTRA
Ultra-high-purity CaCl², up to 600% absorption, 90–120 day life. For the longest, hottest, most humid voyages and heavily timber-packed cargo. Technical reference ›

Installing Container Desiccants Correctly

Placement decides performance. A correctly dosed container can still fail if the units are installed wrong.

01

Calculate the Dose

Run the DIN 55473 DU calculation from container volume, packing-material weight, barrier films and voyage duration.

02

Hang High, Not on the Floor

Attach pole-mount units to ceiling anchor points at the door end, rear end and midpoint, where condensation forms. Never place on the floor, where condensate can pre-saturate them.

03

Install Just Before Sealing

Fit units within 30 minutes of closing the doors so they do not absorb ambient moisture before the voyage begins.

04

Pair with VCI for Metals

For metal cargo, combine container desiccants with BENZPACK VCI films, desiccant handles the bulk moisture, VCI protects the metal surface.

05

Document for Carrier & Customs

Ship with DIN 55473 certification, REACH and SDS documentation and non-hazardous classification confirmation.

06

Verify on Arrival

Optional humidity indicators confirm the container stayed below the corrosion and mould thresholds throughout transit.

Container Desiccant Compared

ParameterBENZPACK CaCl²Silica GelActivated Clay
Absorption capacity300–600% of weight~25–40%~25–100%
Behaviour at high RHAcceleratesSaturates and plateausPlateaus
Suitable for 40+ day routesYesNoLimited
Form when saturatedLeak-proof gelSolidSolid
Container rain eliminationCompleteInsufficientPartial

Stop Container Rain on Your Next Shipment

Send your container size, cargo, packing and route, and our technical team will calculate the exact desiccant units (DIN 55473) and supply certifications, free of charge, anywhere in the world.

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