Loading munitions began in the receiving building, where metal shell components were unloaded from railroad cars. For safety, only a one-day supply arrived from the incoming storage buildings. Each component was carefully inspected and cleaned to remove foreign matter such as grit or grease that could interfere with successful detonation after filling. After cleaning, the components were painted and stenciled with shell size and range, then sent to the pouring and filling building for loading with explosives. Shells made at this plant were fired from 8-inch howitzers, field guns that America had already been producing on a much smaller scale for British allies before 1918. These guns had a range of about six miles, and each shell weighed more than 200 pounds. In 1918, a total of 191 8-inch howitzers were delivered to the U.S. Army for use in the war overseas. By February 1919, the Mays Landing plant had produced 8,231 8-inch shells.