Containers come in various types and sizes. A container is a standardised, metal cargo box intended for goods transport. Containers have (almost) the same international standard dimensions worldwide and can be transferred from ocean vessel to train, truck or barge without any problems. Do you know which container(s) you need for your specific shipments, for a certain number of pallets or for goods with different dimensions?
TEU is the standard size of a container and stands for Twenty Feet Equivalent Unit. FEU stands for Fourty Feet Equivalent Unit. Sizes within containers are almost always expressed in TEUs. So a TEU is equivalent to 20 feet, just over 6 metres. The most common shipping containers are expressed in 1 (a 20 ft, twenty-foot unit) or 2 TEU (40 ft, forty-foot unit). There are, of course, exceptions. Here are the most common sizes for containers.
Volume : 33m3
Dimensions : 5898x2350x2390mm
Weight. : 30,480kgs
Tarra. : 2,200kgs
Max load : 28,280kgs
Volume : 67.4m3
Dimensions : 12031x2346x2383
Weight. : 30,480kgs
Tarra. : 3,740kgs
Max load : 26,740kgs
Volume : 76.2m3
Dimensions : 12031x2350x2694
Weight. : 30,480kgs
Tarra. : 3,830kgs
Max load : 26,650kgs
Volume : 86m3
Dimensions : 13556x2352x2697
Weight. : 30,480kgs
Tarra. : 4,780kgs
Max load : 25,700kgs
These containers do not have a solid roof but are covered with waterproof tarpaulin secured with ropes. Moreover, an open-top container has lashing rings on the inside which prevents the cargo from sliding. Well-suited, therefore, for over-height and/or long loads.
When a container carries temperature-sensitive products, such as food, films, plants or pharmaceuticals, it is very important that the products remain at the right temperature during transport. This is done in so-called refrigerated containers ('reefers') that contain cooling units on the side of the container. Cold or warmer air then constantly circulates around the cargo. In this way, the quality of the cargo is guaranteed throughout transport.
