Bulk Carriers
Guide to bulk carrier vessels: classes, sizes, capacities, and how to choose the right ship for your cargo and ports.
Reviewed by Luis Carlos Alvarez, Head of Commodities
What this hub covers
A bulk carrier is a single-deck ship built to load dry bulk cargo directly into large holds through wide deck hatches. The fleet is sorted into classes by deadweight tonnage, and the class decides which berths, channels, and canals a ship can use, and therefore which cargoes and trades it fits. This hub explains each class and the measurements that describe it.
The mainstream classes run from Handysize and Handymax through Supramax and Panamax up to Capesize. The size comparison reads the classes side by side, and the specifications guide explains the vocabulary that describes any vessel: deadweight tonnage, draught, and the principal dimensions.
Who it is for and where to start
These pages are for charterers and shippers who need to match a cargo to a hull and confirm a vessel fits the load and discharge ports before fixing. The class names are a shorthand for a deadweight band and a set of dimensions.
- Compare the classes: the size comparison table.
- Learn the measurements: the specifications guide and deadweight tonnage.
- Go deep on one class: Panamax or Capesize.
To put a cargo on the right vessel, tell us about your cargo and our desk will source the tonnage.
Vessel guides
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Capesize
A Capesize bulk carrier is a gearless ship of roughly 150,000 to 180,000 DWT that moves iron ore, coal and bauxite. We cover her specs, sub-classes and ports.
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Deadweight Tonnage
Deadweight tonnage (DWT) is the total weight a ship can carry: cargo, fuel, water and stores. See the formula, a worked example and DWT by ship class.
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Handymax
A Handymax is a geared ship of 40,000 to 50,000 DWT with four deck cranes. This page sets out its dimensions, the cargoes it carries and typical parcel sizes.
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Draught / Draft
Draught (draft) is how deep a ship sits below the waterline, down to the keel. See how to read the marks, how air draught differs and why draught limits ports.
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Handysize
Operator briefing on Handysize bulk carriers. The smallest ocean-going geared bulk class, 28,000 to 40,000 t, with port flexibility that no larger vessel matches and a defining role in feeder, intra-regional, and break-bulk trades.
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Hatch Cover
Hatch covers keep seawater out of a ship's cargo holds. Compare the main cover types, see which ship sizes use each, and learn how covers are leak tested.
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Load Line / Plimsoll Mark
The load line, or Plimsoll mark, shows how deep a ship may legally load. See what each mark (S, W, T, F, TF, WNA) means and how it caps a bulk carrier's cargo.
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Mini-Bulker
A mini-bulker, or coaster, is the smallest dry bulk ship at about 1,000 to 15,000 DWT. Most have their own cranes and a shallow draught for small ports.
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Panamax
A Panamax is a dry bulk ship of 60,000 to 80,000 DWT, sized for the old Panama Canal locks. Below are its dimensions, cargoes, ports and trade lanes.
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Bulk Carrier Size Comparison
The bulk carrier classes compared side by side: deadweight bands, typical dimensions, gear, and the trades each class fits.
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Bulk Carrier Specifications Guide
The bulk carrier specification vocabulary explained: deadweight, tonnage, capacity, holds and hatches, gear, and the measurements on a vessel's particulars.
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Supramax
A Supramax is a geared ship of 50,000 to 60,000 t deadweight with four deck cranes. See its specs, the Ultramax comparison and parcel sizes by cargo.
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Gross & Net Tonnage
Gross tonnage is a ship's total enclosed volume, and net tonnage is the part that carries cargo. See the ITC 69 formula and real GT and NT figures by ship size.
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LOA / Beam / Depth
Understanding vessel dimensions: Length Overall (LOA), beam, depth, and how they affect port access and cargo capacity.
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VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier)
A VLOC is a very large ore carrier of roughly 200,000 to 400,000 DWT built for iron ore. See her specs, the ports that can take her and how she is chartered.
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