Intermodal container - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

An intermodal container (also container, freight container, ISO container , shipping container, hi-cube container, box, conex box and sea can) is a standardized reusable

Reusability

In computer science and software engineering, reusability is the likelihood a segment of source code that can be used again to add new functionalities with slight or no modification...

steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized

Containerization

Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...

intermodal freight transport

Intermodal freight transport

Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...

system. "Intermodal" implies that the container can be moved from one mode of transport to another without unloading and reloading the contents of the container. Lengths of containers, which each have a unique ISO 6346

ISO 6346

ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport...

reporting mark, vary from 8 feet (2.438 m) to 56 feet (17.07 m) and heights from 8 feet (2.438 m) to 9 in 6 in (2.9 m). There are approximately seventeen million intermodal containers in the world of varying types to suit different cargoes. Aggregate container capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent unit

Twenty-foot equivalent unit

The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...

s (TEU / teu) which is a unit of capacity equal to one standard 20 by 8 ft (6.1 by 2.4 m) (length × width) container.

For air freight the alternative and lighter IATA-defined Unit Load Device

Unit Load Device

A unit load device , is a pallet or container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft. It allows a large quantity of cargo to be bundled into a single unit. Since this leads to fewer units to load, it saves ground crews time and effort and...

is used. Non-container methods of transport include bulk cargo

Bulk cargo

Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. This cargo is usually dropped or poured, with a spout or shovel bucket, as a liquid or as a mass of relatively small solids , into a bulk carrier ship's hold, railroad car, or tanker truck/trailer/semi-trailer body...

, break bulk cargo

Break bulk cargo

In shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo is a term that covers a great variety of goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships...

and tankers

Tank car

A tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...

/oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

s used for liquids.

History

The standardised steel shipping container

Shipping container

A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...

has its origins in the 1950's when commercial shipping operators and the US military started developing such units.

ISO Standards for containers were published between 1968 and 1970.

The International Convention for Safe Containers is a 1972 regulation by the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organization on the safe handling and transport of containers. It decrees that every container travelling internationally is supplied with a "CSC-Plate".

Description

A typical container has doors fitted at one end, and is constructed of corrugated

Corrugated galvanised iron

Corrugated galvanised iron is a building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised mild steel, cold-rolled to produce a linear corrugated pattern in them...

weathering steel. Containers were originally 8 feet (2.44 m) wide by 8 feet (2.44 m) high, and either a nominal 20 feet (6.1 m) or 40 feet (12.19 m) long. They could be stacked up to seven units high. At each of the eight corners are castings with openings for twistlock

Twistlock

A twistlock and corner casting together form a standardised rotating connector for securing shipping containers. The primary uses are for locking a container into place on container ship, semi-trailer truck or railway container train; and for lifting of the containers by container cranes and...

fasteners.

Taller units have been introduced, including 'hi-cube' or 'high-cube' units at 9 in 6 in (2.9 m) and 10 in 6 in (3.2 m) high. The United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

often uses longer units at 48 ft (14.63 m) and 53 ft (16.15 m).

The "pallet wide" containers are about 2 inches (5 cm) wider than standard containers to accommodate for Euro-pallets common in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

These containers feature an internal width of 2440 mm for easy loading of two 1200 mm long pallets side by side - many sea shipping providers in Europe allow these as overhangs on standard containers and are sufficient to fit them in the usual interlock spaces. Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n RACE

RACE (container)

Railways of Australia Container Express or RACE was a slightly wider version of the standard ISO shipping container able to take 2 Australia Standard Pallets side by side...

containers are also slightly wider to accommodate Australia Standard Pallets

Australia Standard Pallets

Australia Standard Pallets are square hardwood pallets which are standard in Australia and non-standard anywhere else in the world.They are in size and fit perfectly in the RACE of the Australian railways. They are ill-suited for the standard and ISO shipping containers used around the globe...

. Especially the 45ft pallet-wide high-cube shortsea container has gained wider acceptance as these containers can replace the 13.6 m swap bodies that are common for truck transport in Europe - the EU has started a standardization for pallet wide containerization in the EILU (European Intermodal Loading Unit) initiative.

Swap body

Swap body

A swap body is a standard freight container for road and rail transport.Basic standardization is set with Euronorms EN 283, EN 284 and EN 452 for construction and design, as well as EN 13044 for marking and identification. The panel responsible for developing standards is CEN/TC 119...

units use many of the same mounting fixings as Intermodal containers, but have folding legs under their frame so that they can be moved between trucks without using a crane. They are generally lighter in weight. The containers flex during transport.

Container capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent unit

Twenty-foot equivalent unit

The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...

s (TEU, or sometimes teu). An equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 by 8 ft (6.1 by 2.4 m) (length × width) container. As this is an approximate measure, the height of the box is not considered; for example, the 9 in 6 in (2.9 m) high cube and the 4 in 3 in (1.3 m) half height 20 feet (6.1 m) containers are also called one TEU. Similarly, the 45 ft (13.72 m) containers are also commonly designated as two TEU, although they are 45 and not 40 feet (12.19 m) long. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU).

Types

Variations on the standard container exist for use with different cargoes including refrigerated container units for perishable goods, tanks in a frame for bulk liquids, open top units for top loading and collapsible versions. Containerised coal carriers, and 'bin-liners' (containers designed for the efficient road/rail transportation of rubbish from cities to recycling and dump sites) are used in Europe.

Container types:

Collapsible ISO
Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo
Gas bottle
Bottled gas
Bottled gas is a term used for substances which are gaseous at standard temperature and pressure and have been compressed and stored in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or composite bottles known as gas cylinders.-Gas state in cylinders:...
Generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height
High cube palletwide containers for europallet
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...

compatibility
Insulated shipping container
Insulated shipping container
Insulated shipping containers are a type of packaging used to ship temperature sensitive products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. They are used as part of a cold chain to help maintain product freshness and efficacy...
Refrigerated containers for perishable goods
Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery
Open side for loading oversize pallet
Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber
Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo
Swapbody
Swap body
A swap body is a standard freight container for road and rail transport.Basic standardization is set with Euronorms EN 283, EN 284 and EN 452 for construction and design, as well as EN 13044 for marking and identification. The panel responsible for developing standards is CEN/TC 119...
Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation
Garmentainers for shipping garments on hangers (GOH)

Specifications

Weights and dimensions of the some common types of containers.
Values vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.

		imperial	metric Metric system The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...	imperial	metric	imperial	metric	imperial	metric
		20′ container		40′ container		40′ high-cube container		45′ high-cube container
external dimensions	length	19′ 10 ″	6.058 m	40′ 0″	12.192 m	40′ 0″	12.192 m	45′ 0″	13.716 m
	width	8′ 0″	2.438 m	8′ 0″	2.438 m	8′ 0″	2.438 m	8′ 0″	2.438 m
	height	8′ 6″	2.591 m	8′ 6″	2.591 m	9′ 6″	2.896 m	9′ 6″	2.896 m
interior dimensions	length	18′ 8 ″	5.710 m	39′ 5 ″	12.032 m	39′ 4″	12.000 m	44′ 4″	13.556 m
	width	7′ 8 ″	2.352 m	7′ 8 ″	2.352 m	7′ 7″	2.311 m	7′ 8 ″	2.352 m
	height	7′ 9 ″	2.385 m	7′ 9 ″	2.385 m	8′ 9″	2.650 m	8′ 9 ″	2.698 m
door aperture	width	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m	7′ 6"	2.280 m	7′ 8 ⅛″	2.343 m
door aperture	height	7′ 5 ¾″	2.280 m	7′ 5 ¾″	2.280 m	8′ 5″	2.560 m	8′ 5 ″	2.585 m
volume		1,169 ft³	33.1 m³	2,385 ft³	67.5 m³	2,660 ft³	75.3 m³	3,040 ft³	86.1 m³
maximum gross mass		66,139 lb	30,400 kg	66,139 lb	30,400 kg	68,008 lb	30,848 kg	66,139 lb	30,400 kg
empty weight		4,850 lb	2,200 kg	8,380 lb	3,800 kg	8,598 lb	3,900 kg	10,580 lb	4,800 kg
net load		61,289 lb	28,200 kg	57,759 lb	26,600 kg	58,598 lb	26,580 kg	55,559 lb	25,600 kg

Reporting Mark

Each container is allocated a standardized ISO 6346

ISO 6346

ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport...

reporting mark

Reporting mark

A reporting mark is a two-, three-, or four-letter alphabetic code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on the North American railroad network. The marks are stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with a one-to-six-digit number, which together uniquely...

(ownership code), four characters long ending in either U, J or Z, followed by six numbers and a check digit. The ownership code for intermodal containers is issued by the Bureau International des Containers (38, rue des Blancs Manteaux · FR75004 Paris), hence the name BIC-Code for the intermodal container reporting mark. So far there exist only four-letter BIC-Codes ending in "U".

The placement and registration of BIC Codes is standardized by the commissions TC104 und TC122 in the JTC1 of the ISO which are dominated by shipping companies. Shipping container

Shipping container

s are labelled with a series of identification codes that includes the manufacturer code, the ownership code, usage classification code, UN placard for hazardous goods and reference codes for additional transport control and security.

Following the extended usage of pallet-wide containers in Europe the EU had started the Intermodal Loading Unit (ILU) initiative. This showed advantages for intermodal transport of containers and swap bodies. This lead to the introduction of ILU-Codes defined by the standard EN 13044 which has the same format as the earlier BIC-Codes. The International Container Office BIC agreed to only issue ownership codes ending with U, J or Z. The new allocation office of the UIRR (International Union of Combined Road-Rail Transport Companies) agreed to only issue ownership reporting marks for swap bodies ending with A, B, C, D or K - companies having a BIC-Code ending with U can allocate an ILU-Code ending with K having the same preceding digits. Since July 2011 the new ILU codes can be registered, beginning with July 2014 all intermodal ISO containers and intermodal swap bodies must have an ownership code and by July 2019 all of them must bear a standard-conforming placard.

Handling and transport

Containers can be transported by container ship

Container ship

Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...

, semi-trailer truck

Semi-trailer truck

A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...

and freight train

Freight train

A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...

s as part of a single journey without unpacking and they are transferred between modes by container cranes at container terminal

Container terminal

A container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...

s. Units can be secured during handling and in transit using "twistlock

Twistlock

" points located at each corner of the container. Every container has a unique BIC code

ISO 6346

ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport...

painted on the outside for identification and tracking, and is capable of carrying up to 20–25 tonnes. Costs for transport are calculated in twenty-foot equivalent unit

Twenty-foot equivalent unit

The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...

s (TEU).

Rail

When carried by rail, containers may be carried on flatcar

Flatcar

A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...

s or well cars. The latter are specially designed for container transport, and can accommodate double-stacked containers

Double-stack rail transport

Double-stack rail transport is a form of Intermodal freight transport where intermodal containers are stacked two high on railroad cars. Introduced in North America in 1984, double stack has become increasingly common, being used for nearly 70% of United States intermodal shipments...

. However the loading gauge

Loading gauge

A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...

of a rail system may restrict the modes and types of container shipment. The smaller loading gauges often found in Europe

Europe

an railroads will only accommodate single-stacked containers. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, there are sections of the rail network which high-cube containers cannot pass through, or can pass through only on well cars. On the other hand, Indian Railways

Indian Railways

Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

runs double-stacked containers on flatcar

Flatcar

s under 25 kV overhead electrical wires

Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...

. In order to do this, the wire must be at least 7.45 metre above the track

Rail tracks

The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...

, but IR is able to do so because of its large loading gauge and the extra stability provided by its broad gauge

Indian gauge

Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...

track. China Railways

China Railways

China Railways is the national railway operator of the People's Republic of China, under the Chinese Ministry of Railways.China Railways operates rail commuter and freight transport via several smaller companies....

also runs double-stacked containers under overhead wires, but must use well cars to do so since the wires are only 6.6 metre above the track and (standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

) does not provide adequate stability to run double-stacked containers on flat cars .

Securing loads in intermodal containers

There are many established methods and materials available to stabilize and secure cargo in intermodal containers. Conventional restraint methods and materials such as steel strapping

Strapping

Strapping, also known as bundling and banding, is the process of applying a strap to an item to combine, hold, reinforce, or fasten it. The strap may also be referred to as strapping...

and wood

Wood

Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...

blocking & bracing have been around for decades and are still widely used. Polyester strapping and lashing, synthetic webbings are also common today. Dunnage Bags, also known as "air bags" are used to help keep unit load

Unit load

A unit load combines individual items or items in shipping containers into a single "unit" that can be moved easily with pallet jack or forklift truck...

s in place.

Flexi-bags

Flexi-bag

Flexi-bags offer an alternative to ISO tank containers for shipping oils, juices, wines, food-grade liquids and nonhazardous chemicals across the globe. Flexi bags are usually loaded into 20' food-grade, ISO containers for maritime transport. Sizes range from 16,000 to 26,000 litres...

can also be directly loaded, stacked in food-grade containers. Indeed their standard shape fills the entire ground surface of a 20'ISO container.

Non-shipping uses

Containers have been used for other purposes at the end of their voyaging life, in the interest of saving energy and resources. A container has 8000 lb (3,629 kg) of steel which takes 8000 kW·h (28,800,000,000 J) of energy to melt down. Repurposing used shipping containers is increasingly a real solution to both social and ecological problems.

Shipping container architecture

Shipping container architecture

Shipping container architecture is a form of architecture using steel intermodal containers as structural element, because of their inherent strength, wide availability and relatively low cost.-Advantages:Strength and durability...

is employing used shipping containers as the main framing of modular home designs, where the steel may be an integrated part of the design, or be camouflaged into a very traditional looking home. There's even a company that repurposes shipping containers for the commercial sector for use as immersive branding environments

Boxman Studios

In 2009, Boxman Studios began fabricating metal shipping containers for the hospitality industry. Based out of Charlotte, NC, their concept was to create environmentally friendly mobile hospitality venues by repurposing decomissioned containers and turning them into upscale outdoor spaces for...

External links

International Convention for Safe Containers (Geneva, 2 December 1972)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Description

Types

Specifications

Reporting Mark

Handling and transport

Rail

Securing loads in intermodal containers

Non-shipping uses

See also

Further reading

External links