FIG 05 / FLOOR-LOADED SPECIALISTS
Container
Devanning
Floor-loaded container? No problem. We hand-unload, count, inspect, and palletize every carton, with a receiving report you can hold your supplier to.
GET A QUOTE
Get Your Devanning Quote
Tell us your container size and contents and we'll put together a custom quote.
AT THE DOCK DOOR
Every Carton Counted
Floor-loaded containers hide surprises: short shipments, crushed cartons, mixed SKUs. Our devanning crew catches them at the dock door, not after they reach your customers.
DEFINITION
What Devanning Actually Means
The short answer, before the sales pitch.
Devanning is the process of unloading cargo out of a shipping container. In freight language a container has been called a van since containerization started, so loading one is vanning and emptying it again is devanning. You will see the same job written as destuffing, unstuffing or stripping on forwarder paperwork, and simply as unloading by a domestic trucker. All four words describe one crew emptying one box.
The word that matters on a quote is not devanning, it is floor-loaded. A palletized container is forklifted out in under an hour. A floor-loaded container has cartons hand-stacked from the floor to the ceiling with no pallets at all, which is how most Asian suppliers ship to squeeze in 20 to 30 percent more units, and it has to come out carton by carton by hand. That is the difference between a short appointment and most of a shift, and it is the single biggest driver of what devanning costs.
Devanning is also where an import gets its only real inspection. Once cartons are palletized, wrapped and put away, a short count or a crushed layer is nearly impossible to pin on the supplier. At the dock door it is still provable, which is why a devanning job worth paying for produces counts, photos and a receiving report the same day rather than just an empty container.
If the container is going straight back out on trucks rather than into storage, the service you want is transloading. If the pallets are staying with us, they get shrink wrapped and put away the same day.
THREE WORDS PEOPLE MIX UP
- Devanning
- Unloading cargo out of the container. Also written as destuffing or unstuffing on ocean freight and customs paperwork.
- Transloading
- Devanning plus an immediate reload onto outbound trucks. Use it when freight is moving straight back out, not into storage.
- Cross-docking
- Inbound freight sorted across the dock to outbound doors with no put-away at all. Fastest, but only works with a known destination.
24-48hr
AVG TURNAROUND
100%
CARTON COUNTS VERIFIED
10 min
FROM PORT HOUSTON
Photos
ON EVERY RECEIVING REPORT
WHAT IS INCLUDED
What Devanning Includes
More than muscle. Every unload is documented, verified, and ready for what comes next.
FIG 01
HAND UNLOADING
Trained crews unload floor-loaded containers carton by carton. Fast, careful, and safe for fragile goods.
FIG 02
COUNT & INSPECT
Carton counts verified against your packing list, with damage flagged and photographed the same day.
FIG 03
PALLETIZE & WRAP
Cartons stacked to your ti-hi specs, labeled, and shrink wrapped for storage or outbound shipping.
FIG 04
READY FOR NEXT STEP
Straight into storage, FBA prep, transload, or DTC fulfillment. No second warehouse needed.
WHY ASFAR
Devanning Done Right Protects Your Margin
A rushed unload costs you twice: once in damaged product, and again when supplier claims expire undocumented. Our devanning process is built to protect importers.
Claims-Ready Documentation
Counts, photos, and condition reports timestamped on the day of unload. Evidence you can take to suppliers and forwarders.
24 to 48 Hour Turnaround
Containers devanned and back to port fast, before demurrage and detention fees stack up.
Live Unloads & Drop Trailers
Driver can wait while we unload, or drop the trailer and we'll work it on our schedule.
One Roof for Everything After
Storage, FBA prep, kitting, and fulfillment in the same building. Your freight is touched once.
Floor-loaded container inbound?
Tell us the container size, estimated carton count, and arrival date and we will schedule your devanning slot.
CONTAINER TYPES
We Devan All Container Types
Floor-loaded, slip-sheeted, or palletized. Every configuration, every size.
20ft
Standard 20-foot containers, typically 800 to 1,200 cartons floor-loaded.
40ft
Standard 40-foot containers, typically 1,600 to 2,400 cartons floor-loaded.
40ft HQ
High-cube containers with extra height, the most common floor-loaded import from Asia.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Container Devanning
Q01
What is container devanning?
Devanning is unloading cargo from a shipping container, especially floor-loaded containers where cartons are stacked loose floor to ceiling. Our devanning includes hand-unloading, counting and inspecting against your packing list, palletizing to spec, and a full receiving report with photos.
Q02
How much does devanning cost in Houston?
We quote per container based on carton count, weight, and complexity. Palletized containers are faster and cheaper to devan than floor-loaded ones. Palletizing, shrink wrapping, inspection, and FBA prep are priced separately. Contact us for a quote.
Q03
How fast can you devan a container?
Most containers are fully devanned, palletized, and processed within 24 to 48 hours of hitting our dock. Live unloads and drop trailers both supported. Fast turnaround gets containers back to Port Houston before demurrage and detention fees stack up.
Q04
Do you provide counts and damage inspection?
Yes. Every job includes carton counts verified against your packing list, inspection for crushed or water-damaged cartons, and photo documentation. Discrepancies are flagged the same day so you can file supplier claims in time.
Q05
What happens to my products after devanning?
Whatever comes next in your supply chain: transload onto outbound trucks, pallet storage, FBA prep for Amazon, or straight into DTC order fulfillment, all under one roof.
Q06
Why is it called devanning?
A shipping container has been called a van in freight language since containerization began, so loading one is vanning and devanning is the reverse. The term is standard in ocean freight, customs and warehousing paperwork, which is why a forwarder writes devanning on a quote where a domestic trucker would just write unloading.
Q07
What is the difference between devanning, destuffing and unloading?
They are the same physical job and the words are used interchangeably. Devanning and destuffing are the ocean freight terms, stripping and unstuffing appear mostly outside the US, unloading is the plain English version. What changes the price is the configuration, not the word: floor-loaded comes out by hand over hours, palletized comes out on a forklift in well under one.
Q08
Is devanning the same as transloading?
No. Devanning is the unloading half only. Transloading is devanning plus an immediate reload onto outbound trucks, so the freight never really rests. Going straight back out to one or more destinations means you want transloading. Going into storage, fulfillment or FBA prep means devanning is the step you are buying.