Reefer or container liner? How to make the cost trade-off
Short answer: choose a reefer if your cargo must stay within a fixed temperature window and you need to be able to prove it. Choose a dry container with a container liner if your cargo mainly needs protection against peaks, such as heat, frost and condensation, without a guaranteed temperature attached.
Where the cost difference comes from
A reefer is not simply a more expensive container. It brings four separate cost items that a dry container does not have:
- Higher ocean freight rate. Reefer slots are scarcer and priced separately.
- Power on board and at the terminal. Plug-in costs keep running for as long as the container stands anywhere, including during delays.
- Genset for pre-carriage and on-carriage. On the road, the container needs a generator set.
- Availability. On some routes and in peak seasons, reefers are simply not available, which costs you waiting time or a more expensive booking.
A liner, by contrast, means a single purchase cost per container plus half an hour of work at loading. No surcharge, no power, no generator set.
What you give up
To be fair: a liner does not cool. It slows down temperature change and dampens the peaks, but it does not adjust anything and does not record anything. That means:
- No guaranteed temperature window and no setpoint.
- No logging from the container itself. If you want to measure, you place a data logger in the cargo.
- No option for cargo that goes into the container already chilled and has to stay chilled.
The trade-off in one table
| Situation | Choice |
|---|---|
| Pharma under GDP, 2 to 8 °C demonstrable | Reefer |
| Frozen or fresh goods that must stay chilled | Reefer |
| Wine, chocolate, cosmetics, electronics | Dry container + liner |
| Coffee, cocoa, rice, timber: mainly moisture risk | Dry container + liner + desiccant bags |
| Cargo that must not freeze on winter routes | Dry container + liner |
| Customer or insurer requires proof of temperature | Reefer |
How to work it out yourself
Ask your freight forwarder for two things for your route: the difference in ocean freight rate between reefer and dry, and the plug-in and genset costs. Set against that the purchase price of the liner, divided by the number of times you reuse it. If the liner comes back, that division works in your favour. If it stays with the consignee, calculate on a single trip.
If the difference does not outweigh the risk of a batch being rejected, choose the reefer. For cargo without a hard temperature window, the calculation in practice almost always falls the other way.
A calculation scheme in four lines
Put the comparison side by side per shipment. Fill in the amounts yourself from your quotations.
- Reefer: ocean freight reefer plus power plus genset plus any waiting time.
- Dry with liner: ocean freight dry plus purchase of the liner divided by the number of trips, plus the desiccant bags if moisture is a risk.
- Difference: subtract the second sum from the first.
- Risk: what does the rejection of a batch cost, and how likely is it on your route?
This shows you at a glance whether the difference in cost outweighs the risk. The outcome is different for every route, so calculate per lane.
Borderline case: partly temperature-sensitive
Some batches fall in between, for example a container with partly sensitive and partly insensitive cargo. A reefer for the whole container is then overkill. Consider giving the sensitive pallets extra protection with thermal pallet covers inside a dry container with a liner.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Does my customer or insurer require temperature recording?
- What is the temperature window of my product, and how long may it be outside it?
- Is moisture or temperature the biggest risk on this route?
- How long is the journey, including waiting time at the port?
- Does the cargo go into the container chilled, or at ambient temperature?
- Can I get the liner back or reuse it?
If you cannot answer these questions, discuss them with your freight forwarder and, for pharma, with your quality department. We only describe here what a liner does. The requirements for your product are for you to determine together with your principal.
Try a measurement first
Not sure whether a liner is enough? Then ship once with a data logger in the cargo and review the temperature curve afterwards. That measurement is cheaper than a reefer for every shipment, and you will then know what happens in your own chain. If the result is insufficient, you can still opt for a reefer. You can read more about moisture risks in sea container transport: preventing condensation and heat damage.
Frequently asked questions
Can a liner replace a reefer?
Only if your cargo has no fixed temperature window. A liner does not cool and gives no guarantee.
Do I also need desiccant bags with a liner?
For moisture-sensitive cargo, that is sensible. A liner slows temperature swings, while desiccant bags absorb moisture. See the container desiccant bags.
Which liner size fits my container?
That depends on the container type. See the sizes per container type.
Order directly
View the container liners for 20DV, 40DV, 40HC and 45HC, with the sizes per container type, and the matching desiccant bags.
