Container basics
intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized, reusable container that can move between ships, trains and trucks without unloading the cargo. It has fittings for handling, securing and stacking. Most dry freight containers use a closed steel box with doors at one end.
Why it matters
Intermodal means more than one mode of transport. The same box can ride a ship, a rail car and a truck chassis. Corner fittings let cranes, twist locks and lifting gear grab and stack it. For a portable storage operator, this is why a retired shipping container is a good storage product: it is strong, stackable and easy to move on equipment such as tilt-bed trucks. A common mistake is to assume every intermodal container is the same size or weight. Lengths and heights differ, and each unit has its own tare weight. Always read the unit's data and plan the delivery equipment to match the actual box.
Read: Shipping container sizes and dimensions for rental fleets
Definition source: en.wikipedia.org
Related terms
shipping container
A shipping container is a standardized steel box used to move freight by ship, rail and truck without unloading the goods. Most are rectangular, closed boxes with doors at one end. Many are reused for storage after their sea service ends.
ISO container
An ISO container is a freight container built to the ISO series 1 standards, such as ISO 668 for classification and dimensions and ISO 1496 for specification and testing. The standards let boxes fit the same ships, trucks and handling gear worldwide.
chassis
A chassis is a skeletal semi-trailer built to carry a container. It has twistlocks at the corners that lock into the container's corner castings. Chassis are used with tractors to move containers on roads between ports, rail yards and depots.
corner casting
A corner casting is a cast steel fitting at each corner of a container. Eight of them sit at the corners. Cranes, twistlocks and lashing gear grip them to lift, stack and secure the box. They are also called corner fittings.
twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU)
A twenty-foot equivalent unit is a general unit of cargo capacity based on a 20-foot-long intermodal container. It is mostly used for container ships and ports. A 20-foot container counts as one TEU, and a 40-foot container counts as two TEU.
tilt-bed truck
A tilt-bed truck has a bed that tilts down toward the ground. A winch pulls a container onto or off the bed. It places a 20 ft or 40 ft container on the ground without a crane or forklift. It is the most common delivery truck in portable storage.
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