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Moisture damage is statistically one of the most common causes of loss when shipping products internationally. It’s estimated that 10% of all container shipments suffer from moisture damage. That risk is particularly high when it comes to sensitive electronics shipments. Moisture and condensation damage to electronics containers can lead to corrosion, product failures, and reputational damage.
This guide outlines the primary moisture risks when shipping electronics internationally. Learn how to implement effective protection strategies that ensure your electronics arrive safely.
How Moisture Damage Happens to Electronic Exports
When shipping electronics internationally, moisture damage can occur every step of the way. Between long waits at port, lengthy ocean journeys, and delays upon arrival, there are plenty of opportunities for moisture damage to your electronics exports.
In order to understand condensation damage in electronics containers, it’s important to understand how condensation occurs. Warm air can hold a significant amount of water vapor. As it cools, its capacity for water vapor drops dramatically. The water vapor it can no longer retain converts into liquid water droplets, causing condensation.
Temperature Fluctuations
During your electronics shipment’s international journey, it experiences significant temperature fluctuations. In a single day at sea, the air temperature can drop as much as 50 degrees. As the air inside of your container cools, it causes condensation. When enough condensation has built up on the ceiling of your container, it will begin to rain down onto your electronics, a phenomenon known as container rain.
Trapped Humidity
Air isn’t the only thing in your shipping container that retains water. Pallets, cardboard, and wood packaging can also retain it. If your electronics shipment is loaded in a humid environment, you may be loading lots of water into your container along with it. As time passes or temperature drops, the water trapped within these items will begin to seep out.
Damaged Shipping Containers
Even the smallest cracks or holes in your shipping container can allow rain and ocean water to seep in. It’s essential to inspect your container thoroughly. If there are any signs of damage, even if you can’t see visible holes or cracks, it’s best to choose a different container.
Insufficient Desiccants
Desiccants are compounds that attract and trap water droplets from the atmosphere. If your chosen desiccants don’t have proper capacity to absorb the water in your container, they can lead to moisture damage inside your container. Similarly, if your desiccant of choice isn’t designed to last as long as your container’s journey, its ability to hold water vapor can decline over time, releasing moisture back into the atmosphere.
Impacts of Moisture and Condensation on Electronics Exports
Now that you know why moisture damage occurs, it’s important to understand the impacts of moisture damage. The following are some of the most common types of moisture and condensation damage in electronics containers.
Corrosion and Oxidation
Excessive moisture causes metals like tin and copper, both common in electronics, to corrode and oxidize. The exposure to water causes a chemical reaction that breaks down the metals and renders electronics unfunctional. Electronics are especially vulnerable because they contain conductive metals, microcomponents, and layered materials that react quickly to moisture exposure.
Mold Growth
Microscopic mold spores are always present in our atmosphere. These spores rely on water and organic matter to multiply and grow. When mold spores come into contact with wet cardboard packaging or wooden pallets, they prosper. Mold can not only damage packaging but get inside electronics and lead to corrosion, overheating, and other types of damage.
Degraded Packaging
Over time, moisture causes cardboard to degrade. As packaging becomes wet, it grows weak. Degraded packaging exposes sensitive electronics to physical damage and causes instability, potentially allowing stacks of products to topple over.
Product Failure
Some types of moisture and condensation damage aren’t visible. Your international electronics shipments may appear to arrive safely, but once they get in the hands of your customers, they may not function correctly. This can lead to a high volume of returns and damage brand perception and trust.
Best Practices for Shipping Electronics Internationally
If you’re going to ship electronics internationally, you need to put good strategies in place to protect your shipment. Read on to learn the best practices for electronics shipping protection.
Container Desiccant
The small packets of desiccant inside your products won’t provide sufficient protection for their journey. Container desiccants absorb moisture from the air within your shipping container, reducing the relative humidity in the container and preventing condensation from forming. These high-capacity desiccants can absorb multiple times their own weight in moisture.
When selecting your container desiccant, it’s important to consider a number of factors:
- Absorption capacity: This determines how much moisture the desiccant can absorb during transit.
- Absorption rate: Fast-acting desiccants are important, so they can prevent humidity spikes from the moment your container’s journey begins.
- Duration: Look for a desiccant that will last your shipment’s entire journey, including time spent at port.
- Leak resistance: Generally, desiccant gels are better as they prevent the absorbed liquid from leaking back out.
- Placement: Different desiccant solutions are designed for different placements, whether hanging from the ceiling or laying beneath your products on the floor.
Container Liners
Desiccants absorb ambient moisture from the air, but what about condensation that forms on the walls? For this type of protection, explore container liners. As the name suggests, these container shipping solutions are like giant bags that sit inside your container, creating a physical barrier between your products and your container walls. If you’re shipping highly sensitive electronics, or if your container will cross tropical shipping routes, it’s important to use a container liner.
Layered Protection Strategy
For the best possible protection against moisture damage for electronic exports, build a layered protection strategy. Employing multiple levels of protection from moisture damage means that, if one method fails, you’ll have several others in place to back it up. The best layered protection strategy includes:
- Primary protection: Protection inside your electronics’ packaging, like small desiccant bags or moisture barriers
- Secondary protection: Container desiccants on the floor of your shipping container and throughout the airspace.
- Tertiary protection: Container liners for a physical barrier between your products and container walls.
Get Custom Electronics Shipping Solutions from EPGNA
Successfully shipping electronics internationally requires more than protective packaging and careful handling. Moisture and condensation control are essential in ensuring that your electronics arrive safely.
By combining proper packaging, container desiccants, and container liner protection, you can dramatically reduce your risk of moisture damage. At EPGA, we specialize in moisture control. Contact us today for custom shipping solutions to protect your electronics, no matter where their journey takes them.
