Container glossary
Shipping container terms, in plain English
47 terms you'll meet when buying, shipping or storing a container — from TEU and CSC plates to Cargo Worthy and reefers.
A
- ACEP(Approved Continuous Examination Programme)
- An owner's approved scheme for examining containers continuously during their working life, as an alternative to fixed periodic examinations. An ACEP reference on the CSC plate shows the container is covered.
- As-is
- A used container sold in its current condition with known defects disclosed. It is priced accordingly and suits parts or non-critical storage. Container grades explained →
B
- BIC code(Container number / owner code)
- The container's identity under ISO 6346: a four-letter owner code (ending in U for freight containers), a six-digit serial number and a check digit, e.g. ABCU 123456 7. Owner codes are registered with the Bureau International des Containers.
- Bolster(Platform container)
- A container-sized steel deck with no side walls or roof — and, on a platform, no end walls either — for very heavy, wide or awkward project cargo loaded from the side or craned in from above. A close relative of the flat rack. Flat rack specs →
C
- Cargo Worthy (CW)
- A used container inspected and judged structurally sound to carry cargo by sea, normally with a valid CSC plate. Choose CW only if the container will be shipped again. CW vs WWT →
- CBM(Cubic metre)
- The unit for a container's internal volume. A 20FT holds about 33 CBM, a 40FT about 67.7 CBM and a 40FT high cube about 76.3 CBM. Container sizes →
- Conex
- A common name for a standard steel shipping container, from the US military term 'container express'. Used interchangeably with sea can, ISO container or cargo container.
- Container grade
- The condition class a container is sold under — One-Trip (near-new), Cargo Worthy (CW), Wind & Watertight (WWT), Refurbished or As-Is. The grade, more than the age, sets the price and what the unit is fit for. Container grades explained →
- Container rain(Container sweat)
- Condensation that forms when warm, humid air trapped inside a sealed container meets the cooler steel overnight and drips onto the cargo. Vents, desiccant bags and dunnage keep it under control. Storing containers in the heat →
- Corner casting(Corner fitting)
- The reinforced steel block at each of a container's eight corners. Its openings take twistlocks and lifting gear, and the container's weight is carried through them — which is why corners, not the floor, should be supported on the ground.
- Corten steel(Weathering steel)
- The steel most container bodies are made from. It forms a stable surface layer that slows further corrosion, so light surface rust on a used container is normal; structural rust is not.
- Cross member
- The steel cross-beams under a container's floor that carry the load from the floor down to the two bottom side rails.
- CSC plate(Safety Approval Plate)
- The plate required by the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC 1972), showing the container's approval, manufacture date, maximum gross weight, stacking and racking values, and examination details. How to check a CSC plate →
D
- Demurrage and detention
- Charges for keeping a shipping line's container beyond the agreed free time — demurrage while it sits in the terminal, detention while it is outside. They don't apply to a container you own outright.
- Dry container(Dry van, general-purpose container)
- The standard, fully enclosed steel container with doors at one end, used for most cargo and storage. Available mainly in 20FT and 40FT. 20FT standard specs →
F
- FEU(Forty-foot Equivalent Unit)
- A unit equal to one 40FT container, or two TEU. Used to measure cargo volumes and ship or terminal capacity.
- Flat rack
- A container with a load-bearing floor and end walls but no side walls or roof, for heavy or out-of-gauge cargo such as machinery, pipes, vehicles and steel structures. Flat rack specs →
- Forklift pockets
- Two reinforced tunnels across the base of a 20FT container that let a forklift lift and reposition the empty unit. 40FT containers normally have none and are moved by crane or side-loader. Delivery methods →
G
- Genset(Generator set)
- A diesel generator that powers a reefer container where mains three-phase power isn't available — clip-on at the machinery end or underslung beneath the chassis.
- Gooseneck tunnel
- A recess running along the underside front of a 40FT high cube container that drops over the raised 'gooseneck' of a trailer, so the taller box still travels within the legal road height.
H
- High cube (HC)
- A container one foot (30 cm) taller than standard: 2.89 m external height instead of 2.59 m. The 40FT high cube is the usual shell for site offices and conversions. 40FT high cube specs →
I
- ISO container(ISO 668)
- A shipping container built to International Organization for Standardization dimensions and corner-fitting standards, so it stacks, locks and lifts the same way on any ship, truck or train in the world.
L
- Lashing
- Securing cargo inside a container — or the container to a truck or ship — with straps, chains, webbing or steel bars tied to the lashing rings or the corner castings.
- Last-mile delivery
- The final leg that places a container on your actual site, as opposed to depot-to-depot haulage. It is priced by distance, site access and whether a tilt-bed or side-loader is needed. Delivery methods →
- Lock box
- A steel shroud welded over a container's locking bars so bolt-cutters can't reach the padlock. The simplest security upgrade for a storage container. Container security →
M
- Marine plywood floor(Container flooring)
- The ~28 mm hardwood or bamboo plywood floor of a standard container, treated to resist moisture and pests and strong enough to take a loaded forklift.
- Maximum gross weight (MGW)
- The heaviest a loaded container may be: its tare weight plus the maximum payload. It is printed on the CSC plate and the doors.
- Modified container(Converted container)
- A container altered for a new use — site office, store, workshop, accommodation or kiosk — with doors, windows, insulation, electrics and air conditioning added. Container site offices →
O
- One-trip container(New container)
- A recently manufactured container that has made a single voyage, usually to carry cargo out of the factory region. It is in near-new condition with the longest service life ahead of it.
- Open top
- A container with a removable tarpaulin roof on roof bows instead of a fixed steel roof, so cargo can be loaded from above by crane. Used for tall machinery, glass and timber. Open top specs →
- Out of gauge (OOG)
- Cargo whose dimensions exceed the inside of a standard container — too long, wide or tall. It usually travels on flat racks or open tops.
P
- Payload
- The maximum weight of cargo a container can carry — its maximum gross weight minus its tare weight. A 20FT's payload is typically around 28 tonnes.
- PTI(Pre-Trip Inspection)
- A test cycle for a reefer container that checks the refrigeration machine, sensors, controller and alarms, and confirms it reaches and holds temperature. Reefer guide →
R
- Reach stacker
- Heavy port and yard equipment with a telescopic boom and spreader that lifts, moves and stacks loaded containers.
- Reefer container(Refrigerated container)
- An insulated container with its own refrigeration unit, typically holding about −25 °C to +25 °C. It runs on three-phase power or a genset, for cold-chain transport or static cold storage. Reefer specs →
- Refurbished(A-grade)
- A used container that has been repaired, shot-blasted or treated and repainted, so it looks close to new while costing less than a one-trip unit. Container grades explained →
S
- Sea can
- An informal name for a steel shipping container, especially one used for site storage. The same thing as a conex or ISO container.
- Side door container
- A container with doors that open along one full side as well as at the end, for easier loading and access to stored goods.
- Side-loader(Sidelifter)
- A delivery truck with cranes that lift a container off its own trailer and set it down beside the truck — useful where there's no long straight run for a tilt-bed. Delivery methods →
- Stuffing and destuffing(Stripping)
- Loading cargo into a container (stuffing) and unloading it again (destuffing, or stripping).
T
- Tank container(ISO tank)
- A stainless-steel pressure vessel inside a 20FT frame, for bulk liquids, chemicals and gases.
- Tare weight
- The weight of the empty container. A 20FT is typically about 2,200 kg and a 40FT about 3,800 kg.
- TEU(Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)
- The standard unit of container capacity: one 20FT container is 1 TEU, a 40FT is 2 TEU. Ships and ports are measured in TEU.
- Tilt-bed truck(Roll-off truck)
- A delivery truck whose bed tilts so the container slides off onto the ground. It needs a long, straight approach in front of the placement spot.
- Twistlock
- A rotating locking device that engages the corner castings to secure containers to each other, to a truck chassis or to a ship's deck.
V
- Vent(Ventilation)
- Passive vents set into the top side rails of a dry container that let air move in and out, cutting the condensation that forms during storage. Storing containers in the heat →
W
- Wind & Watertight (WWT)
- A used container that keeps out wind and water — sound roof, walls and door seals — but is not certified for shipping. The best-value grade for ground storage. Container grades →
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