6.

Appendix A
ISO standard Shipping Containers
The containers are to be Designed, Manufactured and Tested as per ISO ISO1496-1
requirements.
A typical container has doors fitted at one end and is made of corrugated weathering steel (commonly
known as "COR-TEN", a trademark of U.S. Steel Corporation). Containers are 8-foot (2.44 m) wide by
8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) high, and either a nominal 20-foot (6.1 m) or 40-foot (12.19 m) long. They can be
stacked up to seven units high. At each of the eight corners are castings with openings for twist lock
fasteners. Although the two ends are quite rigid, containers flex during transport.
Taller "hi-cube" or "high-cube" units measuring 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) high are common in most
areas. The United States and Canada often use longer units at 45 ft (13.72 m).
Container capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). A
twenty-foot equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft
× 8 ft (6.10 m × 2.44 m) (length × width) container. As this is an approximate measure, the height of
the box is not considered; for example, the 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m) high-cube and the 4-foot-3-inch (1.3 m)
half-height 20-foot (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 feet (13.72 m) and not 40
feet (12.19 m) long. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU).
These standards allow for more consistent loading, transporting, and unloading of goods in ports
throughout the world, thus saving time and resources
A few relevant ISO series standards include:
• ISO 6346:1995 Freight containers—Coding, identification and marking
• ISO 668:2013 Series 1 freight containers—Classification, dimensions and ratings
• ISO 1161:1984 Series 1 freight containers—Corner fittings—Specification
• ISO 1496-1:2013 Series 1 freight containers—Specification and testing—Part 1:
General cargo containers for general purposes
Weights and dimensions of some common types of containers are given below. Values vary
slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer

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