Container desiccant bags ES Clay

ES Clay container desiccant bags

ES Clay container desiccant bags are hanging bags for use inside shipping containers on sea and land routes. The filling is a granulate of natural clay with high-purity calcium chloride. It absorbs water vapour from the air in the container, lowers the relative humidity and helps prevent condensation on the cargo. The absorbed water is retained inside the bag.

Typical cargo includes agricultural products, machinery, textiles, PVC paste and other packaged goods. ES Clay is designed for transit times of up to 30 days, counted from loading to unloading, including waiting time in ports. Typical quantities are given in the Dosage tab.

Longer routes. For transit times over 30 days, choose ES K (up to 60 days) or ES Gel container desiccant strips.

ES Clay 1000 g technical data

• Composition: natural clay and high-purity calcium chloride (CaCl₂, CAS 10043-52-4)
• Bag: 1000 g nonwoven bag with a plastic hook, 250 × 200 × 20 mm
• Water absorption capacity at 25 °C and 95% RH: up to 60% of its own weight
• Dust tightness: the nonwoven bag meets the dust-tightness requirements for type A desiccant bags under DIN 55473
• Service life: trips of up to 30 days
• Packing: airtight plastic bag, 16 bags per transport carton (16 kg), carton 315 × 300 × 280 mm
• Shelf life: 24 months in unopened packaging, stored in a dry room at 5-30 °C
• HS code: 2508 40 00
• Compliance: REACH (free from dimethyl fumarate, Annex XVII, entry 61) and RoHS (Directive 2011/65/EU)

How many ES Clay bags does a container need?

Typical quantities for a transit time of up to 30 days, counted from loading to unloading, including waiting time in ports:

Low-moisture cargo: metal, machinery, plastics, electronics, furniture and products made of dry wood.

Moisture-releasing cargo: food and agricultural commodities such as grain, flour, coffee, cocoa, sugar and nuts, raw or fresh wood, and goods with a history of mould.

For low-moisture cargo, the typical quantity also covers goods on wooden pallets, in crates or in cartons. For moisture-releasing cargo, use up to 37 bags in a 20′ container and up to 74 in a 40′ container for routes through the tropics or across the equator, the rainy or monsoon season, containers carried on deck, loading in rain and a wet container floor.

Transit times over 30 days: ES Clay is not recommended. Choose ES K or ES Gel; send us the route and cargo details and we will propose the number of units.

Installation in the container

Hang the bags by their hooks in the upper part of both side walls and near the doors, spaced evenly along the container. Keep them at least 25 mm from the cargo so they cannot be crushed during loading, and leave space for air to circulate around each bag. Do not place the bags on the container floor. Open the collective bag just before installation, because contact with air before installation reduces the capacity of the bags.

Moisture in shipping containers and container rain

Moisture inside a shipping container may come from the air, pallets, packaging and the cargo itself. When the container walls and ceiling become cooler than the air inside, water vapour condenses on them. Droplets may then fall onto the cargo. This is known as container rain, and it can cause wet cartons, corrosion of metal parts and mould. ES Clay bags absorb water vapour from the air in the container and help reduce this risk.

When the air inside a closed container cools, part of its water vapour condenses on the walls, the ceiling and the cargo, as the chart below shows.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on request. Send us a message using the form below or write to us, and we will send the current document.