Definition

Noun: 1. The empty space in a container: The amount by which a container (such as a bottle, barrel, or tank) falls short of being completely full. This space is typically left to allow for expansion of the contents, especially liquids like wine, oil, or chemicals. 2. The loss of liquid from a container: The amount of liquid that has been lost from a container due to evaporation, leakage, or absorption.

Usage

• Ullage is a technical term commonly used in industries dealing with liquids, such as winemaking, brewing, chemical storage, and shipping.
• It is used to describe a measured, expected, or problematic empty space.
• It can be expressed as a volume (e.g., 50 ml of ullage) or as a percentage of the total container capacity.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The winemaker left a small ullage in each bottle to prevent the cork from being pushed out if the wine expanded.
  • Inspectors measured the ullage in the fuel tank to determine how much product had been lost during transport.
  • A significant ullage in this old cask suggests that evaporation has occurred over many years.

Advanced Usage

• "On ullage": A phrase used in shipping and logistics to indicate that a tank or container is not full and contains some empty space.
  • The cargo tanks were reported as being on ullage upon arrival at the port.

Variants and Related Words

• Ullaged (adjective): Describing a container that is not full.
  • The ullaged barrels were topped up with more wine.

Synonyms

• Headspace: Specifically the empty space at the top of a sealed container (common in food packaging and chemistry).
• Void: A more general term for an empty space within a solid object or container.
• Shortage: A more general term for a deficiency in amount, not specific to containers.

Notes on Different Meanings

The primary and most common meaning of ullage relates to the empty space in a container. The meaning of "the loss of liquid" is a direct consequence of that empty space being created. In historical or specific technical contexts (like shipping), it can also refer to the dregs or residue left in a cask, but this usage is less common in modern standard English.

Noun

1. the amount that a container (as a wine bottle or tank) lacks of being full