Standard containers:

Closed boxes are ideal for general freight and groupage, but are also suitable for larger individual items such as machine parts. Standard containers are available in the typical sizes of 20ft and 40ft in length, but also in 30ft. They usually consist of a sheet metal / metal casing or coated wood. Doors may be found on at least one of the end faces or on the end face and the full length of the long side(s). Depending on the model, the containers, also called ISO containers or ISO boxes, have forklift supports for transport, gripping edges for transport cranes and gooseneck tunnels (“rail openings”) for the attachment to means of transport. The permissible total weight is usually between 20 and 30 tons.

High cube containers:

These boxes correspond to the standard containers, but are approximately 30 cm higher. Also, typical dimensions are not just 40 feet. Therefore, these containers can hold much more cargo. The permissible total weight is slightly more than 30 tons.
Hard top container:
This variant of the standard container is characterized by a removable metal roof. By opening the container, it can be loaded and unloaded from above. Loading cranes are used in particular. This speeds up the loading process and speeds up the handling of goods. The roof can remain open when transporting oversized goods.

Open top container (soft top box):

This box is also a variant of the standard 20 or 40 foot container. Unlike the Hartdtop container, the roof is made of a tarpaulin. Therefore, the container cannot be stacked. The advantage is fast loading and unloading as well as a cheaper price. In addition, the tarpaulin can cover oversized goods and thus protect them.
Flat rack container:
These containers do not have side walls. The end walls make it possible to secure the load laterally with supports and to stack the boxes. The floor is particularly reinforced so that the flat containers are mainly suitable for very heavy and bulky goods which have to be loaded laterally.
Flat container:
Particularly heavy goods with oversized or individual machines are in good hands on a flat container. This one has only a reinforced floor with gooseneck tunnels, through which the box can be placed on truck trailers, ships or wagons.

Ventilated container:

There are two types of vented containers: passively vented and actively vented. Passively vented cabinets have water protected vents on the upper long sides. An exchange of air takes place above this. Actively vented containers are also called vented containers because they have a fan on the end faces. Otherwise, these container types correspond to standard containers. They are suitable for goods requiring ventilation. The most important item to carry is green coffee, from which the term coffee container is also used.

Refrigerated / insulated containers:

With these containers, a distinction is made between integrated containers and porthole containers. Built-in containers have an active cooling unit that is installed inside and at the expense of capacity. Porthole containers are particularly insulated. In addition, the box draws in cold air through the openings from the outside and expels warm air upwards. This creates a constant low temperature. The two refrigerated containers are suitable for perishable goods such as fruit, vegetables and meat as well as flowers. The external dimensions correspond to standard containers or high-cube containers.

Bulk containers:

Tank containers: unlike bulk containers, tank containers do not contain dry bulk goods, but liquid substances. Typical products are me, cooking oil or fuels. A tank is attached to the container that holds the goods. Exterior walls are usually reduced to a steel frame, so they may be partially or completely missing. Depending on the type of load, temperature control devices (cooling / heating) can be installed. Compared to a tank truck, these boxes have the advantage of allowing faster handling of goods.

Standard size requirement

Transport containers have standard sizes. These elements are essential for the international transport industry. There are several main reasons:

The pallets are standardized and fit exactly next to each other in the containers. This allows logistics companies to optimize their loading areas. Standard containers can also be transported by truck, train and ship.

All standards allow containers to be loaded on these means of transport.
It is possible to stack containers on ships. Cargo ships can place goods on deck in a very stable and evenly distributed manner and bring them safely to the next port.

In the case of cross-border traffic, the goods can also be transported in the same container without any problems, even when changing the mode of transport. Compliance with the standard dimensions enables delivery to be continued in all countries.

However, the exact sizes depend on the type of container. Containers for road, rail and sea traffic follow the ISO standard (International Organization for Standardization standards). There are different regulations for air traffic. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which sets its own standards, is responsible for this.

There are a large number of different standard sizes for transport boxes, which can differ in the external and internal dimensions or the load or the total weight as well as in other data. However, the most common ISO standard sizes are 20ft, 40ft and high cube.

THE MOST USED LENGTH AND WIDTH IN SIZE AND DIMENSION ARE 20 FEET AND 40 FEET.