3.

1 Container design

3.1.1 Container design and types

3.1.1.1 Part 1
3.1.1.2 Part 2
3.1.1.3 Part 3
3.1.2 CSC & structural and testing regulations
3.1.3 Cargo securing equipment

A container user should be aware of the most important structural differences between
containers, so that he/she is in a position to make appropriate preparations for packing
and cargo securing and correctly to assess container loading capacity.

Problem-free dispatch has been assisted by the standardization of transport units, such
as containers, while the standardization of certain components and some dimensions
permits the use of standard handling equipment and means of transport.

We will describe fundamental components and designs first of all with reference to
standard box containers. More detailed information is given under the heading "Container
types".

Basic container frame

The load-carrying element of all box containers is a steel framework, consisting of four
corner posts and two bottom side rails, two top side rails, two bottom cross members, a
front top end rail and a door header.

Bottom cross members serve as supports for the container floor.

Additional bottom cross members are fitted between the bottom side rails, to serve as
supports for the floor covering.
 Side walls End walls

Roof panel

The side and end walls and the roof are the components of a standard box container
which are capable of bearing the least load. To a certain degree, this naturally also
depends on the construction materials used for them.

The following three Figures illustrate the essential components of standard box
containers. Not included by name are, for example, the door bar handles, the locking
components required for sealing, etc. Where necessary, descriptions of and comments
about these components are provided at other points in the Handbook.

Essential components of a container

 Part names in the area of the container floor

A comparison of German and English part names is given below:

German name English name

Eckbeschlag corner fitting; corner casting
Ecksäule corner post
(unterer) Seitenlängsträger bottom side rail
(oberer) Seitenlängsträger / Dachlängsträger top side rail
unterer Querträger
front also known as: Stirnschwelle bottom end rail; door sill
rear also known as: Türschwelle / Türuntergurt
oberer Querträger / Dachquerträger
front top end rail
front also known as: Stirnträger
door header
rear also known as: Türträger / Türobergurt
Boden floor
Stirnwand front end wall
Bodenquerträger bottom cross member
Dach roof panel
Dachspriegel (e.g. in open-top containers) roof bows
Seitenwände side panel; side wall
Gabelstaplertasche forklift pocket
Türverschlußstange door locking bar
Scharnier hinge
Nocke cam
Nockenhalterung cam keeper
Türdichtung door gasket

In the early days of container shipping, the majority of containers were constructed
according to ASA standards, but now the containers used for maritime transport are
almost without exception ISO containers.

ISO Corner Casting ASA Corner Casting

They differ both in dimension and in the shape of the corner fittings or "corner castings".
Most ASA containers, i.e. containers like those used by Sealand constructed according to
"American Standards Association" standards, have since been adapted to match ISO
dimensions. To simplify handling, special universal spreaders were used, which could
handle both types without difficulty.

ISO corner castings - horizontal

and vertical mirror images

ISO standard 1161 specifies different shapes for top and bottom and mirror images for
right and left.

The eight corner castings of a container or a corresponding CTU have to be particularly

strong, since they work with the corner posts and the other basic components of the
container frame to absorb the forces which lock units or lashings exert on containers
when they are stacked on top of one another, during handling and during transport.

Securing on board

Cargo handling

Securing on a
chassis
 DIN/ISO standards specify certain minimum
requirements for the loading capacity and stackability
of containers; while higher levels of performance may be
provided for individual properties, lower levels may not.

It must be possible to stack six ISO containers packed

to the maximum weight vertically on top of one another.
Maximum offset is set as follows: widthwise - 24.4 mm
(1"), lengthwise - 38 mm (1½").

The actual values of modern

containers are generally higher.
Many are designed to be
stacked eight or nine high. The
maximum stacking load must be
marked on the CSC plate. (More
details are given in the relevant
section of the Handbook).

According to safety regulations, stacked containers must where necessary be secured

against toppling and shifting.

On larger container ships, the containers are stowed nine to twelve high in the hold. In
such cases, the containers loaded must either be only partly full or designed to have
greater stackability. The latter is generally the case with modern containers, but it is
possible to use fold-out flaps in the cell guides, which subdivide the stacks.

Indicating stacking heights

on a container
 Inland containers are only
designed to be stacked three
high when fully loaded.

Irrespective of the material used to build a box container, it is essential for it to be

spray-tight.

In standard box containers, the load-carrying parts are made of steel profiles, i.e. at least
the entire frame including the bottom cross members and possibly also the elements
serving as reinforcements, such as bottom side rails in the area of the gooseneck tunnel
etc. Three main types of material are used for the walls and roof:

steel sheet, corrugated

aluminum sheet in conjunction with stiffening profiles
plywood with glass fiber-reinforced plastic coating (plywood + GRP)

These are reflected in the conventional container names:

steel container
aluminum container
plywood container

Variously corrugated steel sheet

In steel sheet containers, a wide range of differently profiled corrugated steel sheet may
be used for the outer walls. It is protected against corrosion by painting or similar
processes.

Indication of container wall Repair instructions on a steel

material container

The cost advantages of this type of container have led to its current dominance. Of all
the containers currently in use, a rough estimate would suggest that 85% are made of
steel sheet.

Aluminum container skin

Aluminum containers are built either with a pure aluminum skin or with a plywood inner
lining; they may also either be riveted or with a smooth or lightly riveted finish.

In plywood containers, the outer walls are made of plywood coated with glass fiber-
reinforced plastic (GRP). Plywood is a popular material for "coffee containers".

Container doors are often also made of plymetal,

which consists of a plywood core with sheet
metal adhered to it on both sides.

Materials information on containers

It is clear from these examples that containers are not generally made from a single
material but various material combinations, here including steel, aluminum and plywood.
The information even covers the type of preservatives used.

Wood treatment
information

Special impregnation against insect or other pests is required for certain regions of
service. Most container floors or wooden parts undergo preventive treatment.
 Wood treatment
information

Materials
used for a flatrack

Plywood floor Repair to floor

Box containers are predominantly provided with coverings of plywood or textured coated
board mostly 25 mm thick, more rarely 30 mm thick. Although wood is relatively
expensive, it has substantial advantages over other materials: it is strong and resilient,
does not dent, may be easily replaced during repairs and, when appropriately finished,
has an adequate coefficient of friction. The latter does not apply to the virtually new
container in the left-hand Figure, which has a mirror-bright finish.

Cross-section through a
seven-ply plywood board

Planking Steel floor

Planking is preferred for flatracks and other similar platform containers. 20' platforms or
half-height open-top containers often have a floor of steel, e.g. of "tear drop" or
otherwise textured sheet.

The floors of ISO containers have to be capable of bearing the evenly distributed
payload, the emphasis being on "evenly distributed".

The following test criteria apply where ground conveyors have access to container
floors.

Axle load 12,040 lbs / 5,460 kg

Wheel load 2,730 kg
Contact surface per wheel 142 cm²
Wheel width 180 mm
Wheel gage 760 mm

The wheel contact area of 142 cm² corresponds approximately to the size of a postcard.
Forklift trucks with a load-carrying capacity of 2 metric tons have axle loads of just under
5 metric tons when loaded. Most 2.5 metric ton forklifts are within the admissible range.
However, some electrically operated 2.5 metric ton forklift trucks reach front axle loads of
over 6,000 kg when loaded. It is of course possible for even heavier forklift trucks to
drive into containers, provided they are not fully loaded and the equipment and cargo
dimensions allow it. It is essential to note that add-ons reduce the load-carrying capacity
of forklifts, but increase the front axle load. Goods may only be stacked in box containers
using equipment with a suitable telescopic mast. Using equipment with twin tires may
reduce the wheel loads, but it doesn't completely resolve the issue of axle load. It
shouldn't therefore be regarded as a license to use heavier equipment.

The strength of ISO containers is laid down in the relevant DIN standards and/or the
International Convention for Safe Containers:

ISO containers must be capable of absorbing the horizontal forces arising during regular
service at the level of the end frames.

Longitudinal
loading capacity in
the floor area

Containers must withstand loads in the lengthwise direction which correspond to external
acceleration of 2 g acting horizontally on the floor fastening elements. This takes into
account loads which are transmitted via twist locks and other vehicle locking elements to
containers. Special railroad container cars with hydraulic shock absorption limit forces to
2 g; examples of these cars are Lgjs, Sgjs and Sgjkmmns cars and other cars with a j in
their name, the j indicating high-performance (long-stroke) shock absorbers or buffers.

According to the CSC, end walls must

be so constructed that forces of 0.4
times the uniformly applied payload
may be absorbed, i.e. 40% of the
container payload or 0.4 g. Higher or
lower values should be marked on the
containers.

End wall loading capacity

The loading capacity of the side walls

 must correspond to 0.6 times the
uniformly applied payload, i.e. 60% of
the payload or 0.6 g. Higher or lower
values should again be marked on the
containers. More details are given in
Section 3.1.2 CSC & structural and
testing regulations".

Side wall loading capacity

Since the values for end and side walls are valid only for large-area loads, any point
loading of the walls should be avoided. Because the weight-carrying capacity of many
general purpose containers is not fully utilized, loading is kept below the maximum values
in the case of compact and even packing. However, if the rate of utilization is high and/or
uneven, countermeasures must be taken.

In the case of container roof panels,

an evenly distributed 200 kg load may
be applied to a surface area of
600 x 300 mm, so meaning that two
people may stand next to one another
on the container roof. Under no
circumstances may container roof
panels be covered with cargo.

Some containers are fitted with forklift pockets for handling with ground conveyors.
Appropriate regulations relating to the required dimensions may be found in appendix C
of ISO 1496/1. The pockets are cavities formed crosswise in the floor structure and allow
insertion of the forks from the side; the forks must be pushed fully into the pockets. Forks
which are too short must under no circumstances be used for lifting, since they may
cause damage to the floor.

Unmarked forklift
pockets on a box
container.

The forklift pockets generally only allow handling of empty containers. Packed containers
must not be picked up in this way unless specifically permitted. This is not the case here;
hence, the container may only be picked up with forks when empty.

Forklift pockets on
a flatrack marked
EMPTY
 Forklift pockets on a flatrack not marked EMPTY

Both containers may only be picked up when empty.

For the most part, no marking is provided or no explicit instruction is given to pick up
only empty containers, missing. To rule out errors, marking should be made a
requirement.

Marking variant: the arrows bear the mark "Tare".

The containers shown here merely bear the marking "Tare" at the inner forklift pockets.
The outer pairs of pockets lack markings or symbols. It is obvious here that the
arrangement of these pockets also allows handling of the full container by forklift truck,
but one can never be sure. This example shows that there is a need for marking to be
mandatory.

Forklift pockets on
a "tilt" container

With this container, it is even less certain how the forklift pockets are to be used.
Standardized regulations and compliance therewith in practice could help in the avoidance
of many losses resulting from the incorrect use of these components.

Straddle carrier
recess

Some containers have a recess along the longitudinal sides which allows the containers to
be picked up using straddle carrier load suspension devices for transport within cargo
handling facilities. Straddle carriers are specially built (low) van carriers with which loads
may be lifted but not stacked.
 Handling a swap-body with grappler in
grappler pockets

Grappler pocket in a semitrailer Grappler pocket in a swap-body

Grappler pockets are slots or recesses in the bottom side rails of containers or other
CTUs, especially inland containers and swap-bodies. Grapplers slot into them during
cargo handling. Such grapplers may also be used with gantry cranes, if no spreaders are
used. Grappler pockets also allow direct pick-up of the containers with the tongs of a van
carrier.

Detailed images of grapplers

 Gooseneck tunnel

Many containers have recesses in the bottom of the front end This centrally located recess
is known as a gooseneck tunnel. A large number of CTUs, especially flatracks have them
at both ends. The tunnel does not have any effect on loading space, the inside of the
container floor or the flatrack loading area being flat. This recess serves in centering the
container on a gooseneck chassis.

Container with gooseneck Container with gooseneck tunnel

tunnel on a normal on a gooseneck chassis
container chassis

Containers with goosenecks can be carried on both normal chassis and gooseneck
chassis. Containers without goosenecks can only be carried on normal chassis. Depending
on the construction of the chassis, a lower road vehicle overall height may be achieved
with gooseneck chassis. In this way, many articulated trucks can see their height reduced
by approx. 150 mm.

40' flatrack with 20' flatracks without

gooseneck tunnel gooseneck tunnel

In accordance with the standards, gooseneck tunnels are only provided for 40' containers.

© GDV 2007 | Container Handbook | German version

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