What Are Contour Buffer Pads?
How contour buffer pads can be used in roll paper shipments
Posted on November 21, 2019 by Erik Burden
When shipping roll paper, it can be difficult to find a product that fills voids between paper rolls due to the curved, rounded shape of the rolls. Contour buffer pads are designed to help stabilize dunnage bags and other cargo securement products used to fill voids within roll paper shipments. Contour buffer pads contain one side that lines the shape of the roll paper while the side adjacent to the roll is a flat surface for dunnage bags or void filler to easily be applied to. The flat surface of the contour buffer pad helps prevent the dunnage bag or honeycomb being used to fill the void from curving to one side and shifting around the roll. The diagrams from the AAR’s Closed Car Loading Guide – Loading Roll Paper in Rail Cars below show how the contour buffer pads create a flat surface for the void fillers or dunnage bags to rest on.
Contour buffer pads allow you to get more surface area contact between the paper rolls and the void fillers/dunnage bags you are using. However, contour buffer pads are not considered as void fillers in a load plan. This means that any contour buffer pads used will not be counted towards the maximum number of void fillers and dunnage bags you can use within a load space. Although contour buffer pads can increase the effectiveness of dunnage bags, the loader is still required to find the center line of the two rolls they are trying to secure and ensure that the bags and contour pads are properly positioned. Failure to do so can still result in the bag being jettisoned out of the void post-impact. For more information about contour buffer pads and how they can be used in your load plan, contact us toll free at 1-866-858-8800.
Edited by: Stephanie Irvine
Images above from AAR’s Closed Car Loading Guide – Loading Roll Paper in Rail Cars