in maritime law, loss or damage, less than total, to maritime (maritime law) property (a ship or its cargo), caused by the perils of the sea. An average may be particular or general. A particular average is one that is borne by the owner of the lost or damaged property (unless he was insured against the risk). A general average is one that is borne in common by the owners of all the property engaged in the venture.

The basic idea of general average (the more important form) pertains to property that is voluntarily sacrificed to preserve the remainder of the property from destruction (as by throwing cargo overboard or cutting away masts to preserve the ship in a storm); the owners of the property saved must contribute to the owners of the property sacrificed in such an amount that all will have contributed proportionately to the aggregate value of the lost property.

Such a custom of contribution was firmly established in Roman law by the 6th century AD. What is now called the law of general average thus has an ancient lineage, and the doctrine has been admitted by all seafaring nations as part of their maritime laws. Repeated attempts to draft international conventions in the field of general average, however, have met with failure.