We hope that this article will answer most of the questions you have and get you the answers that you are looking for. It touches some of the hottest topics and frequently asked questions about shipping containers and the industry.You already know that shipping containers are one of the most versatile ways to store or move goods around the world. You will start asking questions when you’ll actually need one or you are going to use or maintain one already in your possession and even more questions will arise along the way, so please feel free to ask us in the comments section of the blog, if you have other questions besides the ones we will touch within this mini series of FAQ about the shipping containers. Whatever you do read all the articles and we hope by the end of this mini series you will know all the basic information about shipping information and even more.
- What are shipping containers made of?
All ISO Shipping Containers ( International Organization for Standardization – ISO containers are suitable for ship, rail and truck ) are made of 14 gauge Cor-Ten Steel ( Atmospheric Corrosion Resistant Steel or corrugated steel ) similar to the sheets used for fences or roofing. The floors are made out of 1” sturdy marine-grade plywood, supported by steel cross beams as an undercarriage. Think about that a 40ft shipping container can hold up to 67,200 lbs. Most of the containers will have double swing cargo doors on one and and some special ones have doors on both ends or on the sides. All sides, roof, flooring is welded onto the steel frame to give the final shape of the shipping container.
2. Where are the shipping containers made?
Although the ISO Container got it’s conception and start through American ingenuity, the United States had no ability or resources to either build shipping containers economically or to carry them. The first shipping containers were manufactured by Japan, Europe, then later Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. These countries accounted for about 90% of all shipping container production. The world needed less expensive shipping containers, and by the early 1980’s China was surging rapidly as a global manufacturer of many products and commodities. Since 1996 CIMC ( China International Marine Containers Co., Ltd ) has been the largest manufacturer of ISO Containers in the world, and by 2020 China was producing 85% of the entire world supply of ISO shipping containers within it’s 11 container factories. There are many smaller companies manufacturing in China that fabricate the ISO Containers in competition with CIMC. Now, whether you see a shipping container from China Shipping, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, OOCL, Cronos, Hyundai, Hamburg, or any other shipping company, they are all still made in China.
3. What sizes do the shipping containers come in?
Shipping containers come in various sizes but there are 2 standard sizes of ISO containers that ere most used and those are 8’x20′ units and 8’x40′ units. Standard height of the shipping container is 8’6” tall, however there are some 40ft units that 1′ taller and they are called High Cube units, they are 9’6” tall. Besides these 2 sizes, other shipping containers length are 8′, 10′, 45′, 53′ but they are rare and hard to find nowadays. You can also modify a shipping container size if you find a company that does fabrication and can customize the unit for your needs.
4. What shipping container types exist?
Shipping containers come in a wide variety of types, starting with the standard shipping container they can be flat rack containers, double doors, high cube, refrigerated containers, climate-control, open top container, open side, half-height, tank containers. When modified they can be also office and combination between office and storage units.
5. How much does a shipping container weight?
Depending on size, material and manufacturer the weight of a shipping container can slightly vary, but most of the steel shipping containers weight around the same. For example 20ft is around 5000 lbs.( 2.5 tons ), the 40ft standard height is around 8000 lbs. ( 4 tons ) and for the 40ft high cube is 8500 lbs. ( 4.25 tons ). Of course the weight will be more for the larger units but those are hard to maneuver and transport because of the length and weight.
Hope we covered a few basics, we will continue with this Shipping Containers FAQ and hope to bring you more interesting answers.
