Shipping Containers

Sea containers: the success of standardised dimensions

The reason that shipping containers have become so popular in the transport world is that they can be easily loaded from a ship onto a train or truck. This saves a lot of time during transshipment and allows companies to work more efficiently. The most common size is TEU. This stands for Twenty feet Equivalent Unit, popularly called a 20-footer. 20 feet is approximately 6 metres.

In addition to this size, there are a number of standard sizes:

• 20 ft
• 20 ft highcube
• 40 ft
• 45 ft

The 7 most common shipping containers

Because many different goods are transported, there are different types of shipping containers. The most common are:

• Standard shipping containers made of steel or aluminium for the transport of general cargo
• Reefer containers that keep perishable goods at the right temperature
• Platform containers with an extra reinforced floor for heavy loads
• Bulk containers for bulk and break bulk goods
• Tank containers allow you to transport liquids and gases under pressure
• Insulated containers with an external cooling motor are still used for products like flowers
• Open-top containers are covered with a tarpaulin and are therefore ideal for large goods that do not fit in a standard shipping container