International trade is all about transporting goods from point A to point B through waterways, road or air. USA is one of the strongest players in the international trading platform, and it exports as well as imports a plethora of good from different countries around the world. The containers may vary widely in dimension, construction, structure, and materials based on the types of good they carry and the medium through which they are transported. In this article we will talk about the different shipping containers in USA.
Interestingly about 90% of the cargo containers are moved by ships, hence the name. These containers are transported from the US to various parts of the world. It may take days to reach the destination and the cargo may have to face extreme temperature during transit. As a result, the shipping containers are not only massive in size, but they are also made form highly durable materials.
The shipping containers come in different sizes, shapes and designs. Below you will find the top 5 types of shipping containers used in international trade.
- Dry Shipping Containers
The dry containers are also known as general purpose containers and they are completely enclosed. As the name suggests, the container is built to be rigid and weather proof so that the contents remain dry. The side walls, bottom and roof are made from high quality water proof materials. Dry containers are by far the most common types of containers used to transport goods. They may sometimes carry flexible tanks for certain types of bulky items.
- Flat Rack
This is a specially designed shipping container that comes with collapsible sides. As a result, the sides can be folded easily to create a flat rack. The other two walls are highly stable to ensure cargo securing. These types of containers are mainly used for shipping oversized goods such as big reels, vehicles on tracks, heavy machinery and construction materials. The 40′ flat racks may sometimes be suitable for carrying 45 metric tons of cargo.
- Open Top
The open top container is designed like a convertible top that can be easily removed to make more space. These containers are ideal for goods that are over-height and loading them through the door is not possible. Items like rolling bridge or crane might need open top containers to transport them from one location to another. These containers come with lashing rings installed on the top and lower side rails, plus there are corner posts to hold the cargo securely.
- Double Door
This type of shipping container has doors at both sides of the container and they are known as the tunnel container. They are extremely useful for loading and unloading cargo. They make a much wider space for steel and iron items. Both doors have secure assembly locks and weather seals to keep them protected.
- High Cube
The high cube containers have almost the same structure as general containers, just that they are taller by one foot. They come in 40 and 45 foot size, and are mostly used for transporting slightly large sized goods. The high cube containers feature a recess close to the front end to the mid of the container, hence they are often called as gooseneck chassis.