Horizontal vs. vertical desiccants

A vertical desiccant can be hung in the lashing rings of a container — and then forgotten about. A lot of the time that’s fine, and sometimes vertical is the only way to go when there are no flat surfaces on top of goods. But, in most situations, if you want to lower the risk of moisture damage, be more sustainable as well as cut costs then a horizontal solution is the right choice. 

Let’s start by saying that we all care about our goods and preventing moisture damage. And we all want reliable and cost-efficient moisture damage prevention. That comes as standard.  

But the problem with “standard” is that it can become a one-size-fits-all answer. This is where the horizontal vs. vertical debate is now. Because nowadays, horizontal often performs better than vertical. 

Figure 1: Horizontal vs. Vertical – Greater surface area shows the difference in surface area between horizontal and vertical.

Figure 2: Horizontal vs. Vertical – Compacted material means less breathability shows a side-by-side comparison of how vertical desiccants are more compact due to weight, and less effective due to breathable space throughout the material.

Horizontal solutions have 20% higher absorption capacity

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, a horizontal desiccant has a larger surface area to absorb moisture (fig. 1). And secondly a horizontal desiccant lies flat, so the desiccant isn’t compacted like vertical solutions, which in turn means it is more breathable and effective at absorbing moisture (fig. 2). That all translates into 20% higher absorption capacity — and a large increase in your safety margin.  

Choose horizontal when you can

Clearly, if you don’t have a flat, horizontal surface on top of your goods then a vertical desiccant solution is the way to go. But when you have the opportunity to go horizontal then you should take it — this is how you build your safety margins as well as being more cost-efficient and sustainable with your moisture prevention strategy.  

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You haven’t got time to worry about optimal moisture damage prevention, but that’s pretty much all we think about. So just gives us a call – we’re here to help.