Shipping Conatainers

ISO container dimensions and payloads

 

There are five common standard lengths, 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 m). United States domestic standard containers are generally 48-ft and 53-ft (rail and truck). Container capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). An equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft (length) × 8 ft (width) × 9 ft (height) container. In metric units this is 6.10 m (length) × 2.44 m (width) × 2.59 m (height), or approximately 38.5 m³. These sell at about US$2,500 in China, the biggest manufacturer.^[1]

Most containers today are of the 40-ft (12.2 m) variety and are known as 40-foot containers. This is equivalent to 2 TEU. 45-foot (13.7 m) containers are also designated 2 TEU. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). High cube containers have a height of 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m), while half-height containers, used for heavy loads, have a height of 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). When converting containers to TEUs, the height of the containers typically is not considered.

The use of Imperial measurements (also still used in UK) to describe container size (TEU, FEU) despite the fact that much of the world uses the metric system reflects the fact that US shipping companies played a major part in the development of containers. The overwhelming need to have a standard size for containers, in order that they fit all ships, cranes, and trucks, and the length of time that the current container sizes have been in use, makes changing to an even metric size impractical.

The maximum gross mass for a 20-ft dry cargo container is 32,500 kg, and for a 40-ft (including the 2.87 m (9 ft 6 in) high cube container), it is 32,500 kg. Allowing for the tare mass of the container, the maximum payload mass is there reduced to approximately 21,600 kg for 20-ft, and 26,500 kg for 40-ft containers.^[2]

 

Standard containers

 

The 20 foot container is the most common container worldwide, but the 40 foot container is increasingly replacing it, particularly since costs tend to be per container and not per foot. The longer container types are also becoming more common, and are especially common in North America. Shorter containers, e.g. 10 foot containers, also exist, but are rarely used.

The following table shows the weights and dimensions of the three most common types of containers worldwide. The weights and dimensions quoted below are averages. Different manufacture series of the same type of container may slightly vary in actual size and weight.

 

 

		20′ container		40′ container		45′ high-cube container
		imperial	metric	imperial	metric	imperial	metric
external dimensions	length	19' 10½"	6.058 m	40′ 0″	12.192 m	45′ 0″	13.716 m
	width	8′ 0″	2.438 m	8′ 0″	2.438 m	8′ 0″	2.438 m
	height	8′ 6″	2.591 m	8′ 6″	2.591 m	9′ 6″	2.896 m
interior dimensions	length	18′ 10 5⁄16″	5.758 m	39′ 5 45⁄64″	12.032 m	44′ 4″	13.556 m
	width	7′ 8 19⁄32″	2.352 m	7′ 8 19⁄32″	2.352 m	7′ 8 19⁄32″	2.352 m
	height	7′ 9 57⁄64″	2.385 m	7′ 9 57⁄64″	2.385 m	8′ 9 15⁄16″	2.698 m
door aperture	width	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m
	height	7′ 5 ¾″	2.280 m	7′ 5 ¾″	2.280 m	8′ 5 49⁄64″	2.585 m
volume		1,169 ft³	33.1 m³	2,385 ft³	67.5 m³	3,040 ft³	86.1 m³
maximum gross mass		71,600 lb	32,500 kg	67,200 lb	30,480 kg	67,200 lb	30,480 kg
empty weight		5,140 lb	2,330 kg	8,820 lb	4,000 kg	10,580 lb	4,800 kg
net load		47,770 lb	21,670 kg	58,380 lb	26,480 kg	56,620 lb	25,680 kg

 

 

 

Loss at sea

 

Containers occasionally fall from the ships that carry them, something that occurs an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 times each year^[5]. For instance, on November 30, 2006, a container washed ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, along with thousands of bags of its cargo of tortilla chips. Containers lost at sea do not necessarily sink, but seldom float very high out of the water, making them a shipping hazard that is difficult to detect. Freight from lost containers has provided oceanographers with unexpected opportunities to track global ocean currents, notably a cargo of Friendly Floatees.

 

Numbering

 

Each container is allocated a reporting mark (ownership code) up to four characters long ending in the letter U, followed by a number up to 9 digits long.

 

ISO container types

 

Various container types are available for different needs:^[6]

• General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height
• High cube palletwide containers for europallet compatibility
• Temperature controlled from −25 °C to +25 °C reefer
• Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery
• Open side for loading oversize pallet
• Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo
• Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber
• Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation
• Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods
• Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo
• Gas bottle
• Generator
• Collapsible ISO
• Swapbody

 

Description

 

 

Standard containers are also known as general purpose containers. They are closed containers, i.e. they are closed on all sides. A distinction may be drawn between the following types of standard container:

	Standard containers with doors at one or both end(s)
	Standard containers with doors at one or both end(s) and doors over the entire length of one or both sides
	Standard containers with doors at one or both end(s) and doors on one or both sides

In addition, the various types of standard container also differ in dimensions and weight, resulting in a wide range of standard containers.

 

Standard containers are mainly used as 20' and 40' containers. Containers with smaller dimensions are very seldom used. Indeed, the trend is towards even longer dimensions, e.g. 45'. The principal components of a standard container are shown in following diagram of a 20' plywood container:

 

 

Figure 1: Components of a 20' plywood container

1	-	Corner casting	Eckbeschlag
2	-	Forklift pocket	Gabelstaplertasche
3	-	Bottom cross member	Bodenquerträger
4	-	Floor	Boden
5	-	Bottom side rail	Bodenlängsträger
6	-	Corner post	Ecksäule
7	-	Top side rail	Dachlängsträger
8	-	Front top end rail	Dachquerträger
9	-	Front end wall	Stirnwand
10	-	Roof bows	Dachspriegel
11	-	Roof panel	Dach
12	-	Door header	Türobergurt
13	-	Hinge	Scharnier
14	-	Door locking bar	Türverschlussstange
15	-	Cam	Nocke
16	-	Cam keeper	Nockenhalterung
17	-	Door gasket	Türdichtung
18	-	Door sill	Türuntergurt

 

 

 

Frame and bottom cross members are made of steel profiles, while three different materials are used for the walls:

 

1. Steel sheet, corrugated

 

Characteristics:

	low material costs
	easy to repair
	high tare weight
	susceptible to corrosion
	difficult to clean owing to corrugated walls

 

2. Aluminum sheet in conjunction with stiffening profiles

 

Characteristics:

 

	low tare weight
	high material costs
	easily deformed, very quickly dented

 

3. Plywood with glass fiber-reinforced plastic coating (plywood + GRP)

 

Characteristics:

 

	easy to clean owing to smooth surfaces
	easy to repair
	strong and resilient, does not dent
	moderate material costs
	moderate tare weight

 

The cost advantages have led to the predominant use of steel for container walls.

 

The floor is generally made of wood, usually planking or plywood. Although wood is relatively expensive, it has substantial advantages over other materials: it is strong and resilient, does not dent, may be easily replaced during repairs and, when appropriately finished, has an adequate coefficient of friction, which is important for cargo securing.

 

Standard containers may additionally be equipped with certain optional extras:

Forklift pockets: these allow handling of empty containers with forklift trucks. Packed containers must not be picked up in this way unless specifically permitted. Forklift pockets are installed only in 20' containers and are arranged parallel to the center of the container in the bottom side rails. 40' containers do not have forklift pockets, since the pockets are relatively close together and such large containers would be difficult to balance. In addition, the forklift truck travel paths are often not wide enough.

Gooseneck tunnel: Many 40' containers have a recess in the floor at the front end which serves to center the containers on so-called gooseneck chassis. These recesses allow the containers to lie lower and therefore to be of taller construction.

 

 

 

Grappler pockets: In general, containers are handled by top spreaders using the corner fittings or corner castings. However, some containers have grappler pockets for handling by means of grapplers.

 

 

Special fittings are available for transporting special cargoes:

	Clothes rails for hanging garments: Special lashing rings attached to the top side rail serve to accommodate clothes rails on which textiles may be transported hanging on clothes-hangers. These are often used in the East Asia import trade. Additional lashing rings are installed on the bottom side rail and the corner posts.
	Inlet (bulk bag or liquid bulk bag): Plastic liners may be suspended in standard containers for transporting bulk cargo or nonhazardous liquids.

 

The wooden components of most containers are impregnated against insect infestation, since, when lumber is used, it may, under certain circumstances, be necessary to comply with the quarantine regulations of the country of destination and a phytosanitary certificate may have to be enclosed with the shipping documents. Information may be obtained from the phytosanitary authorities of the countries concerned.

 

 

 

CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE CONTAINER DATA

 

 http://mobilestorage-ym.ndssearch.com/index.html

 

http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm

 

http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/containe/inhalt2.htm

 

 

"SHIPPING CONTAINERS RECYCLED AS HOMES"

 

 

"SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES BY CONTAINER CITY"

 

 

"CONTAINER HOUSE 2006"

 

 

"TECHNICAL DETAILS ON MOVING A SHIPPING CONTAINER ALONE"

 

 

"HOW TO STUCCO A METAL SHIPPING CONTAINER"

 

 

"LO-TEK TALKS ABOUT  SHIPPING CONTAINER ARCHITECTURE"