Kapal Kargo/Kapal Barang/Cargo ship dikategorikan secara dengan berbagai cara,dengan kapasitasnya, dengan beratnya, dengan dimensinya juga sering dikategorikan berdasarkan kanal/terusan dimana kapal berlayar.

·Small Handy size, carriers of 20,000 long tons of deadweight (DWT)28,000 DWT

· Handy size, carriers of 28,00040,000 DWT

· Handymax, carriers of 40,00050,000 DWT

· Seawaymax, the largest size which can traverse the St Lawrence Seaway

· Aframax, oil tankers between 75,000 and 115,000 DWT. This is the largest size defined by the average freight rate assessment (AFRA) scheme.

· Suezmax, the largest size which can traverse the Suez Canal

· Panamax, the largest size which can traverse the Panama Canal (generally:vessels with a width smaller than 32.2 m)

· Malaccamax, the largest size which can traverse the Straits of Malacca

· Capesize, vessels larger than Panamax and Suezmax, which must traverse the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn in order to travel between oceans

· VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), supertankers between 150,000 and 320,000 DWT.

· ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier), enormous supertankers between 320,000 and 550,000 DWT.