Box Manufacturer Certificates: Information Shippers Need To Know When determining if a shipment complies with the Na- tional Motor Freight Classification (NMFC®) rules, shippers have a valuable but often overlooked resource—the Box Manufacturer’s Certificate (BMC). This certificate specifies the type of content the box is rated to handle, providing clear guidance for compliance. A BMC looks like this:
In the example, the top line tells you the weight (per square inch) at which the box would burst. That’s what the lab determines when it performs the Mullen Burst Test. The next line tells you the total weight of the liner per thousand square feet. This measures the sheet of corru- gated fiberboard before it’s made into a box. The third line is the size limit of the item in cubic inches. The bottom line is the gross weight limit the box can handle. It’s essential for shippers to refer to this certificate on every box they use. Adhering to the specified ratings and restrictions specified on the BMC will help prevent issues that can lead to the boxes either bursting or being crushed when stacked with others. Not all boxes are made the same, only those that meet specific standards can carry the certification. This can pose challenges for the NMFTA interpretations team, as they depend on the shipper to provide detailed informa- tion about the items being shipped. “You need the individual weight of the contents inside the fiberboard box,” said Larissa Franklin, packaging de- velopment manager at NMFTA. “If there are multiple box- es on a pallet, it’s challenging to determine the weight of each individual box. Miscalculations can lead to claims, and it’s up to the shipper to determine if it’s compliant with Rule 222 and potentially the box certificate. Because not all boxes can bear the box certificate.”
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™ interpretations team relies on shippers to en- sure that the contents of a box match the specifications outlined in the BMC. If the contents don’t comply, the ship- per risks being noncompliant and may face denial of any damage claims resulting from this discrepancy.
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