Common Shipping Container Terms
Most industries have terms or abbreviations that are hard to decipher if you are not familiar with that specific industry. For this post we thought we would go through the most common terms used in our shipping container industry. While the list can go on, below we have created a condensed list of our most common terms asked.
Shipping Container Terms:
- Container Dimensions – You may find interior and exterior dimensions on our website at this link.
- Conex Box – Slang term for Shipping Container
- CW – Cargo Worthy. Not all containers are cargo worthy. Containers that are given a cargo worthy status are able to be transported overseas. A Cargo Worthy Certificate is needed for overseas transportation.
- CSC Plate – All shipping containers have a plate located on the doors that specify the serial number, tare and other technical data.
- DD – Double Door. These containers have standard container doors on both ends.
- Freight Forwarder – A company that takes care of transportation, customs clearing and all the paperwork, and securing cargo space for overseas transportation
- HC or High Cube – This means the container is 9’6″ (1ft taller than the standard 8’6″ container) tall.
- IICL -Institute of International Container Lessors. This organization groups the largest leasing companies in the world, and sets repair standards on shipping containers.
- Insulated Container – Insulated containers are as they sound, insulated. They allow your cargo to maintain a constant temperature.
- O/T –Open Top Containers. The top of the container completely opens. Some container have removable hard tops and some are soft top. Cargo is usually loaded with a crane for these containers.
- One Trip Units – One trip containers are “Like New” containers manufactured in China and then make one trip overseas to the United States with cargo loaded inside. They may exhibit minor dents and dings during the shipping process.
- O/S – Open Side Containers. You can load extra wide cargo because one side of the container completely opens.
- Used Units – Our used units are water tight, do not leak and the doors are in operating condition. However, they are rougher in appearance with more dents, dings and surface rust. The dents are usually minor in nature and usually have little effect on the interior storage space. The floors may show signs of minor damages or delamination but will be structurally sound.
- WWT – All of our containers personally inspected and are wind and water tight.
In conclusion
We tried to cover the most common terms used in the shipping container world. Dealing with them daily, sometimes we forget not everyone knows what they mean. Please reach out if there is a term or acronym that is not on this list and we would be happy to add it or explain it to you!
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