Star Citizen Hauling Tips: Cargo Grid & Best Ships

Learn how the Cargo Grid system works, how to transport cargo safely, and which ships are the best for freight gameplay in Star Citizen.

What Is Cargo Grid?

In Star Citizen, the Cargo Grid is an integrated system inside ships that organizes and secures cargo. Think of it as a virtual lattice of locking plates built into a cargo hold. Once a box is placed inside the grid, it is locked in position so it won’t slide, tumble, or get damaged during maneuvers, gravity changes, or quantum jumps.

Cargo Grids do not require constant power to function—once locked, boxes remain in place even if the ship powers down. Only cargo fully inside the grid is secured; anything left outside rolls freely and is not listed in the ship’s manifest. This makes the Cargo Grid not only a safety mechanism but also an accountability system: everything in the grid is tracked, while off-grid goods are invisible. Smugglers often exploit this to hide contraband, though it comes at the cost of security.

How to Transport Cargo in Star Citizen

• Loading Cargo: At pickup points, purchased goods appear automatically on your grid. Players can also use tractor beams to manually move crates—a key skill for efficient Star Citizen hauling.
• Securing Cargo: Correct placement ensures cargo locks into the grid. Indicators show whether crates are safely secured.
• Protection During Flight: Locked cargo stays stable during acceleration, quantum jumps, and landings. Fragile goods still require smooth piloting.
• Unloading Cargo: Smaller ships use ramps or tractor beams, while large haulers like the Hull C rely on automated loaders—one of the biggest changes from the Cargo Refactor in Star Citizen.

Cargo Types and Management

Not all cargo is the same. Standard cargo—food, raw minerals, or medical supplies—only requires basic grid placement. Special cargo needs more care: fragile goods might be packed in shock-resistant crates, hazardous materials sealed in containment modules, and contraband intentionally left unsecured to avoid scans. Each choice involves trade-offs: securing everything maximizes safety, but leaving items off-grid might help smugglers bypass inspections. Haulers must learn to balance safety, legality, and efficiency depending on what they carry.

Why Cargo Grid Matters

The Cargo Grid is the foundation of safe and profitable hauling. By preventing cargo from shifting, it minimizes damage, protects investments, and ensures contract reliability. Without it, fragile goods might break, crates could fall out of bays, and missions could fail—costing credits and reputation. Large-scale freight operations would be unmanageable without structured grids, which allow haulers to organize hundreds of boxes into neat, trackable manifests. Ultimately, the Cargo Grid elevates hauling from risky improvisation to a professional trade.

Ships with Strong Cargo Grid Support

While most ships have some cargo capacity, certain designs excel at freight efficiency:

• ARGO RAFT: A small but specialized freighter with three 32-SCU external pods, perfect for modular swaps and quick loading.
• Drake Caterpillar: A modular mid-size freighter with a long cargo spine, allowing flexible configuration for trade, piracy, or smuggling.
• MISC Hull Series (A–E): Industrial haulers built for interstellar commerce, deploying extendable cargo spines capable of handling massive SCU counts. Larger Hulls integrate directly with automated loaders at stations.
• MISC Hull Series (A–E): Industrial haulers built for interstellar commerce, deploying extendable cargo spines capable of handling massive SCU counts. Larger Hulls integrate directly with automated loaders at stations.
• Freelancer / Cutlass Black / Constellation Taurus: Multi-role ships with smaller grids, ideal for light or mixed hauling.
• Mustang Alpha (since Alpha 3.17.2): Upgraded with a 4 SCU bay, giving new players a genuine entry point into cargo gameplay.

Can Cargo Still Be Lost or Damaged?

Yes—Cargo Grid reduces risks but doesn’t remove them entirely. Ship destruction scatters or vaporizes cargo. Reckless piloting can overwhelm the grid and damage fragile goods. And technical issues—bugs, server desyncs, or misaligned grids—sometimes cause cargo to vanish or become stuck. Hauling always carries risk, which adds both challenge and excitement to the gameplay loop.

Star Citizen Hauling Tips to Reduce Risk

Successful haulers adopt practices to minimize risks:

• Balance your load: Spread weight evenly to keep your ship stable.
• Use proper containers: Fragile or hazardous items need special crates.
• Fly carefully: Smooth piloting prevents damage.
• Check regularly: Inspect the manifest during long trips.
• Avoid stowing loaded ships: This helps reduce cargo-loss bugs.

By combining these habits with good ship choice, pilots can keep deliveries safe and profits steady.

Cargo Units and Player-Carried Boxes

Cargo in Star Citizen is standardized into SCU (Standard Cargo Units), roughly one cubic meter per unit. Most trade crates are sized this way, though some boxes are smaller fractions and some industrial containers can be as large as 32 SCU. Player-carried boxes—such as mission crates, medical supplies, or loot—are already formatted as standardized units, making them compatible with grids.

Not everything fits, however. Weapons, armor, and odd-shaped gear cannot be locked directly unless packed into containers. This distinction forces haulers to plan ahead: only standardized crates can be secured in the grid and tracked in the manifest, while loose items rattle dangerously and remain invisible to terminals.

Cargo Management Tips for Haulers

Good hauling is about more than filling space. Use visual floor markers to align crates, rely on tractor beams for precision placement, and group similar cargo types for easy unloading. Some ships even let you unlock specific grid plates, useful for dumping contraband during inspections. Looking ahead, new features like cargo elevators and persistent hangars will expand freight logistics even further, cementing hauling as one of the game’s most immersive professions.