Legal Definitions - bale

A "bale" refers to a large, securely wrapped bundle of goods, typically enclosed in fabric or similar durable material, that is clearly labeled for identification during shipping and transportation, especially when listed on official shipping documents like a bill of lading.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Agricultural Shipment: A cotton farmer, after harvesting the crop, compresses raw cotton into dense, rectangular blocks. Each block is then wrapped in a protective fabric or plastic sheeting and marked with a unique identification number, the farm's name, and the weight. These individually wrapped and marked bundles are considered bales and are listed as such on the bill of lading when transported to a textile mill for processing.

  This illustrates the term because the cotton is a package of goods, wrapped in material, clearly marked for identification, and intended for shipment where it would be documented on a bill of lading.

• Recycling Facility Export: A recycling plant processes large volumes of discarded plastic bottles. After sorting and cleaning, the bottles are compacted into large, heavy blocks, secured with strapping, and often covered with a protective film. Each block is then stenciled with its contents (e.g., "PET Plastic"), the facility's code, and a batch number. These prepared bundles are referred to as bales when loaded onto cargo ships for export to manufacturers overseas.

  Here, the plastic bottles form a package of goods, enclosed and secured, clearly marked with identifying information, and destined for international shipping where they would be itemized on a bill of lading.

• Humanitarian Aid Delivery: A relief organization prepares a shipment of emergency blankets for a disaster-stricken region. The blankets are tightly compressed and wrapped in heavy-duty canvas, then stenciled with the organization's logo, a description of the contents, and the destination country code. These robustly packaged units are known as bales and are itemized on the cargo manifest (a type of bill of lading) for air freight.

  This example shows a package of goods (blankets), wrapped in durable material, clearly marked for identification and tracking, and transported under official shipping documentation.