Container Info
How Well Do You Know Your Container?
by Thomas O'Reilly
Since Malcom McLean's revolutionary idea took float more than a half century ago, containerized trade has redefined global commerce. Here are some facts to get you up to speed on the box that's lifting your business.
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Standard container sizes measure 20 feet or 40 feet long, eight feet wide, and eight or eight and a half feet tall.
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Shipping containers come in a variety of types including: end-opening, side-opening, half heights, open-top, flatrack, reefer (refrigerated), liquid bulk (tank), and modular.
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An empty TEU container weighs approximately two tons.
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A standard container can hold 24,914 tin cans.
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Many containerships can comfortably carry more than 8,000 containers.
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In one year, a large containership will carry more than 200,000 containers.
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The equivalent of approximately 141 million loaded 20-foot containers moved across the world in 2007.
Sources: The Container Shipping Information Service, Drewry Shipping Consultants
