Types and sizes of containers
The 20-foot and 40-foot containers we usually see are called dry cargo containers, also called grocery containers, and some people call them containers. This kind of container is used to transport groceries that do not need temperature control. It has a wide range of applications. There are two types of commonly used 20-foot and 40-foot containers. There is also a heightened 40-foot container that is also a dry cargo container. The structural feature of this container is that it is often closed. Generally, there is a box door at one end or side, and a certain device for reinforcing the goods is arranged in the box. When using this kind of box, it is required that the inside of the box is clean, impervious to water, and leaks. Appropriate packaging is required for the loaded goods in order to make full use of the shipping company container’s capacity.
Now let’s introduce in detail the outer dimensions and inner volumes of these three commonly used dry cargo containers:
20-foot container: the outer dimension is 6.1M×2.44M×2.59M (20ft×8ft×8ft6in); the inner volume is 5.69M×2.13M×2.18M. This kind of container is generally equipped with heavy goods, and the gross weight of the goods is generally not allowed to exceed 17.5 tons, and the volume of goods that can be accommodated is about 24-26 cubic meters.
40-foot container: the outer dimension is 12.2M×2.44M×2.59M (40ft×8ft×8ft6in); the inner volume is 11.8M×2.13M×2.18M. This kind of container is generally equipped with light foam cargo, and the gross weight of the distribution is generally not allowed to exceed 22 tons, and the volume that can accommodate the cargo is about 54 cubic meters.
40-foot heightened container: the outer dimension is 12.2M×2.44M×2.9M (40ft×8ft×9ft6in); the inner volume is 11.8M×2.13M×2.72M. This kind of container is also equipped with light foam cargo, and the gross weight of the distribution is also not allowed to exceed 22 tons, and the volume of the cargo that can be accommodated is about 68 cubic meters.
In addition to these three commonly used containers, other types of containers are generally called special containers. If the cargo requires special containers, it is generally necessary to book with the shipping company when booking space, because the shipping company cannot be equipped with such containers at every port. A special box. Now we will introduce special containers to you one by one:
Open Top Container
The characteristic of this container is that the roof can be easily removed and installed. There are two types of roofs: hard top and soft top. The hard top is made of thin steel plate, and it is loaded and unloaded by lifting machinery. The soft top is generally made of canvas, plastic cloth or plastic-coated cloth, and it only needs to be rolled up to one end when opening the top. This kind of container is suitable for loading large and heavy goods, such as steel, wood, machinery, especially fragile heavy goods like glass plates. Using a crane to hoist the goods into the box from the top is not easy to damage the goods, and it is also easy to fix in the box.
Ventilated Container
Ventilated containers are characterized by a number of windows for ventilation on their side walls or top walls, which are suitable for shipping groceries with certain ventilation and moisture-proof requirements, such as fruits and vegetables. If the ventilation window is closed, it can also be used as a grocery box.
Platform Based Container
This kind of container is characterized by no roof and side walls, and even the end walls are removed and only the bottom plate and four corner posts are used. This kind of container can be loaded and unloaded from front, back, left and right, and above, and is suitable for loading long and heavy pieces, such as heavy machinery, steel, wood, steel ingots, etc. The gantry-type container is not waterproof, and the goods that are afraid of being wet cannot be shipped. If it must be shipped, it must be covered and sealed with canvas.
Platform Container
This kind of container is more simplified than the platform container and only retains the bottom plate. It is mainly used for loading and unloading long and heavy cargo. Such as heavy machinery and equipment, steel and so on. The length and width of the platform are the same as the bottom dimensions of an international standard container, and the same fasteners and lifting devices as other containers can be used. The adoption of this kind of container breaks the concept that the container must have a certain volume in the past.
Reefer Container
Refrigerated containers, also known as refrigerated cabinets, are insulated containers that mainly transport frozen foods and can maintain a predetermined low temperature. It is specially designed for transporting fish and shrimp, meat, fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods. At present, there are basically two types of refrigerated containers used in the world: one is a mechanical refrigerated container with a freezer in the container; the other has no freezer in the box and only has heat insulation equipment. The air inlet and air outlet, after the box is installed in the cabin, the air-conditioning is supplied by the ship’s refrigeration device, which is called a clutch type refrigerated container (also known as an external refrigerated container).
Tank Container
As the name implies, this container is specially designed for shipping liquid goods, such as alcohol, gasoline, and chemicals. It consists of two parts, the tank and the frame, the tank is used to load liquid, and the frame is used to support and fix the tank. The outer wall of the tank is made of insulating material to insulate the tank, and the inner wall is generally ground and polished to prevent liquid from remaining on the wall. In order to reduce the viscosity of the liquid, a heater is provided at the lower part of the tank, and the internal temperature of the tank can be observed through a thermometer installed on the upper part. For the convenience of loading and unloading, there is a loading port on the top of the tank and a discharge valve on the bottom of the tank. The liquid enters from the loading port on the top of the tank when loading, and flows out from the discharge hole when unloading, or it can be sucked out from the top loading port with a straw.
Car Container
This container is specially used for shipping small cars. Its structural feature is that there is no side wall, only the frame and the bottom of the box. In order to prevent the car from sliding in the box, the bottom of the box is specially equipped with binding equipment and anti-skid steel plates. Most car containers are designed with upper and lower floors, which can hold multiple cars.
Pen Container or Live Stock Container
This is a container specially used to transport live livestock such as chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle. To protect from sunlight, the roof and side walls of the animal container are made of fiberglass reinforced plastic. In addition, in order to ensure that there is relatively fresh air in the box, there are windows made of aluminum mesh on the side and end faces to enhance ventilation. The bottom of the side wall is equipped with a cleaning port and a drain port, and is equipped with a sliding door that moves up and down to clean out the garbage. The side wall of the box body is also equipped with a feeding port. Animal containers are generally installed on the deck on the ship, because the air circulation on the deck is also convenient for cleaning and care.
Garment Container
Also known as a hanging suitcase. The characteristics of this container are: many cross bars are installed on the upper side beam in the box, and several belt buckles, nylon buckles or ropes hang down from each cross bar, and the hooks on the clothes hangers are directly hung on the buckles or ropes. superior. This clothing loading method belongs to unpackaged transportation, which not only saves packaging materials and packaging costs, but also reduces labor and improves the transportation quality of clothing.
Solid Bulk Container
This kind of container is used to ship powdery or granular goods of shipping company, such as soybeans, rice, various feeds, etc. There are 2-3 loading ports on the top of this container, and a discharge port is provided at the bottom of the door. The use of this kind of container to transport bulk cargo improves the efficiency of loading and unloading on the one hand, improves the quality of freight on the other hand, and reduces the damage of dust to the human body and the environment.
20 Feet Heavy Container
This kind of container is specially used to load small but heavy goods, such as cast iron products, hardware products, ceramic tiles, etc. Its size is a standard 20 feet, because a general standard 20-foot container can only carry 17.5 tons of goods , can not meet the requirements of some goods, so the carrier provides a 20-foot heavy container, which can load goods to 26 tons or even 28 tons.
If you are an exporter, once you get to know the family of these containers, you should know what type of container your export goods are suitable for. If your goods are suitable for general dry cargo containers, after you know the internal length, width and height dimensions of standard containers, you can design the length, width and height dimensions of your packing boxes to match the length and width of the container. , high proportion, so that you can waste less box capacity and load more goods when loading. Of course, the container load must not be overweight, because overweight is very dangerous, and all countries have strict control, and many countries shipping company have formulated laws and regulations to punish overweight.