ABOUT ULD´s

8/12/2019 ABOUT ULDs

1/13

Types

ULDs come in two forms: pallets and containers. ULD pallets are rugged sheets of aluminum with rimsdesigned to lock onto cargo net lugs. ULD containers, also known as cans and pods, are fully enclosedcontainers made of aluminum or combination of aluminum (frame) and Lexan (walls) and, dependingon the nature of the goods inside, may or may not ha e refrigeration units built!in. "elow are examplesof common ULDs and their specifics.

Volume indicated is internal volume.

Container type VolumeLinear dimensions

(base width / overall width depth height)

Remarks

LD# $#% cu ft (&.'% m &) ' *# + *%.' + *' in($#% $ - + $ & + $*& cm) contoured, half width

LD& $ & cu ft ('.&& m &) *'. + *%.' + *' in($*' #%$ + $ & + $*& cm) contoured, half width

LD* &$* cu ft (-. m&

)$# $*% + *%.' + *' in

(&$- '% + $ & + $*& cm)contoured, full width, e/ui alent to# LD&s

LD- #'& cu ft (*.-- m &) * $# + *%.' + *' in(#'' &$- + $ & + $*& cm)contoured, full width, e/ui alent to# LD#s0 D12!prefix

LD$$ # & cu ft ( .$* m &) $# + *% + *' in(&$- + $ & + $*& cm)same as LD* but without contours0rectangular

Pallet type Volume Linear dimensions Remarks

LD- #'& cu ft (*.-- m &) *% + * in ($ & + #'' cm) same floor dimensions as containerariant0 213!prefix

LD$$ # & cu ft ( .$* m &) *% + $# in ($ & + &$- cm) same floor dimensions as containerariant0 2L3! and 4L3!prefixes

LD(# pallet ariants)

&-% cu ft ($%.- m&)'$ cu ft ($$.- m &)

-- + $# in (##' + &$- cm)* + $# in (#'' + &$- cm)

435! and 4$4!prefixes467! and 4*4!prefixes

Pallet volumes shown are built 64 in tall for lower deck loading. Height limit for main deck depends onaircraft type.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum


2/13

ir!ra"t !ompatibility

Unit load de ices

LD&s, LD*s, and LD$$s will fit - s , s , ' s, 6D!$$s, L!$%$$s, and all 3irbus wide!bodies. 8he* uses the smaller LD#s and LD-s because of its narrower fuselage. 8he less common LD$ isdesigned specifically for the ' , but LD&s are more commonly used in its place because of ubi/uity(they ha e the same floor dimensions so one LD& takes the place of one LD$). LD pallets will fit- s, s, ' s, late model * s (with the big door), and 3irbus wide!bodies.

9nterchangeability of certain ULDs between LD& * $$ aircraft and LD# - aircraft is possible whencargo needs to be /uickly transferred to a connecting flight. "oth LD#s and LD-s can be loaded inLD& * $$ aircraft, but at the cost of using internal olume inefficiently (&& ft wasted per LD#). ;nly

the LD& of the LD& * $$ family of ULDs can be loaded in a * and will occupy an entire row wheretwo LD#s or one LD- would ha e been ( % ft wasted per LD&). 4olicies ary from airline to airlinewhether such transfers are allowed.

;ne of the design re/uirements of the *


3/13

Common pre"i&es

3?@: LD& container with forklift holes3?=: LD& container with no holes

1?=: LD& container same as 3?= except it is made out of ?=AL3B. 9t is meant to be bombproof. Cas no forklift holes

B?@: LD& container with refrigeration unit, same shape as 3?=

D4@: LD# container with forklift holes

D4=: LD# container with no holes

3?7: LD$ container with no forklift holes

3L2: LD* container with no forklift holes

D12: LD- container with forklift holes

D14: LD' (like an LD- but without contours)

213: LD- pallet (same floor dimensions as D12)

3L4: LD$$ container with no forklift holes

3?C, 3? : LD&!' mainly for 3% $, same base as 3?=, extensions on both sides, 'inches high

36U: contour similar to 3L2, but deeper and bigger extensions. biggest lower!deck container

2L3: LD$$ pallet

4L3: LD$$ pallet

435, 4$4: LD , large pallet (--> x $# >)

467: LD , large pallet ( *> x $# >)

45=: large pallet, * by #&-. inches. freighter main deck only

'irst prefi( character identifies )&% category *certification+ )&% type+ thermal units,- second character identifies standard base dimensions-third identifies contour+ forklift holes+ and other miscellaneous info. E&F

'is!ellaneous in"o

LD&s and LD#s occupy half the width of the cargo bin of the aircraft they are designed for,therefore are loaded two at a time, side!by!side. LD*s and LD-s are, respecti ely, their fullwidth counterparts and can only be loaded one at a time.LD#s and LD-s are ULDs designed specifically for one type of aircraft, the * . 8his is

because the * has a narrower fuselage than other wide!body aircraft.

LD$s are ULDs designed specifically for the ' . "ut LD&s are more commonly used in its place because of ubi/uity.

LD s inexplicably come in two different floor dimensions.
http://www.fredoniainc.com/glossary/air.htmlhttp://www.fredoniainc.com/glossary/air.html


4/13

6aximum height for all ULDs is *'> for lower deck of aircraft.

8he most common form of ULD damage are holes in container walls from improper forklifting.

'ain $e!k #L$s

;n the main deck of cargo planes are tall ULDs ( to * inches tall, #%%*mm to #'&-mm tall) withfoot print dimensions similar to pallets fre/uently -- or * inches wide (##& mm or #'&-mm wide)

and *# or $# inches long (&$ mm long). 3 *# x -- tall ULD is half of $# x -- inch pallet. 8helength is approximately foot for *# inches, $% feet for $# inches. 8he #% foot pallet is #&- incheslong and * inches wide.

8here se eral common types of contoured main deck ULDs, that are contoured (cur ed to fit in the plane) to pro ide as much cargo olume as possible. 9nitially ULD contouring was simply a triangleremo ed from one or two corners of the profile of the ULD, such as the common LD& and LD*. 6aindeck ULDs use cur es for the contoured shape to truly maximiGe cargo olume. Upper deck ULDs are

Hust like lower deck ULDs that are either the full width of the plane with two corners of the profile

remo ed (lower deck LD* lower, and upper deck 3II), or that container is cut in half, down thecenter line of the plane, (lower deck LD& and upper deck 33J).

6ain Deck ULDs and pallets are not only taller than lower deck ULDs, they are fre/uently two or fourtimes longer. 8hey are usually organiGed like an LD*, using the width of the plane and missing two

profile corners, or two ery long LD&s, stored in parallel to use the planes width and each missing one profile corner, but often twice or four times as long from planes nose to tail.

6any air cargo companies use main deck ULDs that ha e both features called dual!profile, so that onsmall planes such as the "oeing # , they are stored widthwise and ha e two corner contoured, and onthe bigger "oeing * , they can be rotated % degrees and shipped in parallel like LD&s, so that only

one corner is contoured when being used like an LD&. 8his greatly simplifies transportation of cargocontainers at slight cost of cargo olume.

hat the actual dimensions of contoured upper deck ULDs are is ery hard to know, because mostmanufacturers only profile width, length and height data.


5/13


6/13

8he following guide to air freight containers has been de eloped from materials supplied by the9nternational 3ir 8ransport 3ssociation (9383), air cargo carriers and container manufacturers. 9tshould be noted that producing a truly comprehensi e guide is a problematic task. hile it wouldappear that there is a limited number of cargo aircraft operating the world, there are in fact, manyaircraft types and many more aircraft cargo configurations. =ach aircraft and configuration mayre/uire customiGed containers. 8he guide that follows contains illustrations and specifications ofthe most common containers in use today. 6any of these containers can be used in multiple

aircraft.

#L$ (#nit Load $evi!es)

hile in the ocean freight cargo business the word >container> is widely accepted, in the airfreight cargo business the proper term is >unit load de ice>, or more commonly ULD. Cowe er,

both terms are used.

% T

8he 9nternational 3ir 8ransport 3ssociation (9383) is the primary source of industry wide

technical information for ULDs. 8heir >ULD 8echnical 6anual> contains the specificationsmanufacturers usually follow in making containers for airlines. 8he book can be obtained from:

9383#%%% 4eel Ktreet0 6ontreal, 1uebec7anada C&3 #B'8el: E$F ( $') - !**0 2ax: E$F ( $') -''! $$

or

9383

&&$ @orth "ridge Boad0 Kuite #%!%%0;deon 8owers0 Kingapore $-- #%8el: E* F &&$!%'#%0 2ax: E* F && !%-

our ir reight orwarder

8he practical source of information concerning ULDs for your shipment will most likely comefrom your air carrier or air freight forwarder. 8hey will be best e/uipped to assist you in selectingthe appropriate ULD for your needs.

Values / $etails

3ll alues listed in illustrations and tables are gi en in metric. 2t and lbs alues are for easyreference only.

*penings / $oors

hile airlines may be /uite rigid about external dimensions and maximum gross weights, there aremany styles of door openings that are permissible. ULD manufacturers produce products withhinged doors, folding aluminum panels as well as reinforced nylon curtains.

Pallets / +ettings


7/13

4allets are in common use in most aircraft cargo configurations. 3ll re/uire the use of restrainingde ices. 8he most common type is a flexible netting of which there are numerous designs. 3skyour air carrier or freight forwarder for details.

'a&imum ,ross -eights

6aximum gross weights ary from ULD type, ULD manufacturer, aircraft and air carrier. "ecertain to confirm weight maximums.

#L$ 'arkings

3ccording to 9383 all ULDs must carry the following marking information: $) ULD 8ype 7ode,#) 6aximum 5ross eight (65 ) in kilograms and pounds and &) 8he actual 8are eight(83B=) in kilograms and pounds. =xample:

UAK 1 2 3 4 XB

MGW6,033kg

13,300lb

TARE

216 kg 476 lb

2or marking non!structural aircraft containers 65 is optional. 8he actual 83B= shall be thesum of the components aircraft pallet, net and container.

% T #L$ %denti"i!ation Codes

4rior to ;ctober $, $ & the 9383 9dentification 7ode consisted of nine ( ) alpha numericelements in the following se/uence:

Position

CharacterType

Description

1 alphabetic U ! "ateg#$%

2 alphabetic Ba&e !i'e(&i#(&

3 alphabetic"#(t#)$ #$"#'patibilit%

4,*,6,7 ()'e$ic +e$ial )'be$

-,. alpha/()'e$ic (e$ Regi&t$a(t

=ffecti e ;ctober $, $ & he 9383 9dentification 7ode consists of nine ( ) or ten ($%) alpha!numeric elements in the following se/uence:


8/13

Position

CharacterType

Description

1 alphabetic U ! "ateg#$%

2 alphabetic Ba&e !i'e(&i#(&

3 alphabetic"#(t#)$ #$"#'patibilit%

4,*,6,7,-

&ee #tebel#

+e$ial )'be$

., 10 alpha/()'e$ic (e$ Regi&t$a(t

+ote : 8he serial number consists of four or fi e numerics.

#L$ Type Code

9383 uses three letter codes (in upper case letters) to describe key characteristics of ULDs.=xamples are 3?=, D4@ and B?=. =ach of the three letter code positions describes particularcharacteristics of the ULD.

Position .

8he 4osition $ letter describes the container as:

15 ce$ti ie a& t# ai$ #$thi(e&& #$ (#(/ce$ti ie25 &t$)ct)$al )(it #$ (#(/&t$)ct)$al

35 itte ith e8)ip'e(t #$ $e $ige$ati#(, i(&)lati#( #$ the$'al c#(t$#l The$'al #$ (#t itte ith $e $ige$ati#(, i(&)lati#( #$ the$'al c#(t$#l

45 c#(tai(e$&, pallet&, (et&, pallet (et (#(/&t$)ct)$al igl## a&&e'bl%

8he 7ode List for 4osition $ is as follows:

A "e$ti ie Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$

! #(/"e$ti ie Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$

9 #(/"e$ti ie Ai$c$a t :allet

G #(/"e$ti ie Ai$c$a t :allet et

; The$'al #(/+t$)ct)$al


9/13

R The$'al "e$ti ie Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$

U #(/+t$)ct)$al "#(tai(e$

> A)t#'#bile T$a(&p#$t E8)ip'e(t

8he following are obsolete codes that are still found on some older ULDs.

B "e$ti ie Mai( !eck Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$" #(/Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$

E #(/"e$ti ie Mai( !eck Ai$c$a t "#(tai(e$

+ +t$)ct)$al


10/13

@ 1,*34 ? 2,43- '' 6054 ? .6 i(

R 2,43- ? 4,.3- '' .6 ? 1.6 i(

XMi&cella(e#)& &i e& la$ge&t i'e(&i#( bet ee( 2,43- '' a( 3,17* '' bet ee( .6 i(a( 12* i(

Mi&cella(e#)& &i e& la$ge&t i'e(&i#( 2,43- '' .6 i(C Mi&cella(e#)& &i e& la$ge&t i'e(&i#( D3,17* D12* i(

Position 0

8he 4osition & letter describes the containerULD 8echnical6anual> for complete information.

+otes on #L$ ,uide

15


11/13


12/13

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: 6!(* k4 /(77= lb2

4 T P LL5T

IATA ULD Code: 9;A =7ft flat $allet wit5 net

Also known as: 9;A, 9;8, 9;F, 9&A, 9&;, 9(A, 9(8, 9(F, 9(;

Classification: + *

"ate Class: T#$e !

&uitable for: '()(F, '()(Co-bi

+a3i-u- olu-e: 66.= cu. - /!!()cu. ft.2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: !!6)7 k4 /=1777 lb2

667 P LL5T

IATA ULD Code: 9!9

Classification: %% 9allet wit5 net

&uitable for: '()(, '(*(, '(((, DC !7

+a3i-u- olu-e: !!.0 cu. -. /)=7 cu. ft2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t:()(BDC !7: *766 k4 /!6677 lb2(*(: 1!76 k4 /!!==( lb2(((BDC !7: )*=* k4 /!717! lb2

Can be loaded to 0* /!*= c-2 and !!% /677 c-2 on frei45ters

387 P LL5T

IATA ULD Code: 9*9 !7ft flat $allet wit5 net

Also known as: 9*A, 9*C, 9* , 9+A, 9+C, 9+9, 9 9

Classification: LD 0

"ate Class: T#$e =';

&uitable for: A677, A6!7, A667, A6)7, '()(, '(*(, '(((, DC !7, +D !!, L!7!!

+a3i-u- olu-e: =!.= cu.- /()( cu.ft.2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: *,%7) k4 /!1777 lb2

Can be loaded to 0* /!*= c-2 and !!% /677 c-2 on frei45ters

9 L P LL5T

IATA ULD Code: 9LA 5alf $allet wit5 net

Also known as: 9L', FLA, 90A, 90', 909, 90", 90&

Classification: E9

"ate Class: T#$e *

&uitable for: Lower deck: '()(, '(((

+ain deck: '(7(F, '(=(F, '(6(F

+a3i-u- olu-e: (.= cu. - /=1) cu. ft2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: 6!(1 k4 /*000 lb2

.8 T P LL5T

IATA ULD Code: 9"A !*ft flat $allet wit5 net

Also known as: 9+A, 9)A, 9)+, 9@A

Classification: +D9

"ate Class: T#$e !9

&uitable for: '()(, '()(Co-bi

+a3i-u- olu-e: =*.% cu. - /0)*cu. ft2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: !!677 k4 /=)00! lb2


13/13

:8

IATA ULD Code: A+A "ectan4ular Container on 9*9 'ase

Also known as: A+F, A+;, A+K, A+9, A A, A D, A *

Classification: + !

"ate Class: T#$e =


Internal olu-e: !(.1 cu. - /*!% cu. ft 2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: *%7) k4 /!1777 lb2

:;

IATA ULD Code: A+D Contoured Container on 9*9 'ase

Also known as: A A, A (

Classification: +!E

"ate Class: T#$e =E


Internal olu-e: !0.0 cu. - /(7= cu. ft 2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: *%77 k4 /!)00! lb2

'28

IATA ULD Code: A;A =7ft 'o3 Container

Also known as: A&8

Classification: + *

"ate Class: T#$e !


Internal olu-e: 66.7 cu. - /!!*1 cu. ft. 2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: !!6)7k4 /=1777 lb2

L$2 8

IATA ULD Code AAF

Classification: LD =* &uitable for: '()(, '(((, DC !7

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t:()(BDC !7: *766 k4 /!6677 lb2(((BDC !7: )*=* k4 /!717! lb2

L$2 3

IATA ULD Code: AAU Contoured Container on 9!9 base

Classification: LD =0

"ate Class: T#$e 1

&uitable for: '()(

Internal olu-e: !).= cu. - /17!cu. ft2

+a3i-u- 4ross wei45t: *766 k4 /!6677 lb2

Documents

ABOUT ULD´s