Shipment vs. Cargo

Main Difference

Both shipment and Cargo are used interchangeably but in English language the word shipment is used as a verb and a noun while cargo is only used as a noun.

Shipment

Shipment means the type of item being carried. Shipment is typically categorized as household goods, parcel, express, and freight shipment. Household goods include furniture, art and similar items. Shipment is word that used both as a verb and a noun. Shipment is mostly used for the goods being transferred via ships. It accounts for nearly 90% of total international trade. When it is used as a verb it means it is the actual transportation of goods via sea routes.

Cargo

Cargo refers to conveying the goods or product for commercial gain via ship, boat, or aircraft. Now the term has been extended to all kinds of freight carried by intermodal container, truck, van, or train. The term is also used for supplying cold-chain, because the perishable inventory is always in transit towards a final end-use, even when it is held in cold storage or other similar climate-controlled facility. Transportation types in cargo includes marine, air, road, etc.

Key Differences

• The origin of cargo is Latin word “big shipium that carries stuffium.” while shipment comes from the Greek word “root” that means UPS truck.
• Shipment refers to the process of moving goods that can be made by road, sea, or air while cargo usually refers to the goods themselves either they are moved by ground, sea, or air.
• Shipment is typically categorized as household goods, parcel, express, and freight shipment while cargo is extended to all kinds of freight carried by intermodal container, truck, van, or train.
• Both shipment and Cargo are used interchangeably but in English language the word shipment is used as a verb and a noun while cargo is only used as a noun.