The Most Common Types of Shipping Containers

Shipping containers have been an important part of the logistics industry for decades. As time has gone on and the needs of companies have grown and evolved, so too have the types of shipping containers in Houston, TX that are available to today’s consumers.

Here is a brief overview of some of the most common shipping container types, which you can choose from to fulfill your shipping and logistics needs:

• High cube containers: These types of containers are a bit taller than your standard shipping container. While you can expect a regular container to be an average of 8’6” tall, a high cube container will generally be 9’6”. These are highly beneficial options for containers where extra headroom may be required, for whatever reason.
• Refrigerated containers: Are you planning on shipping goods that need to be kept cool? If so, you’ll need a refrigerated container. You can find them in a wide range of sizes, but the common element is that they contain all the equipment and capabilities you need to transport perishable goods over long distances. They are designed to be well insulated to protect the contents should they be exposed to the sun and heat for long periods of time.
• Open top containers: These shipping containers are very similar to standard containers, but they have open tops that are likely to be tarped off. The purpose of these containers is to allow for easier loading of tall, large items that would not fit inside a standard container or even a high cube container, but that still need to be transported in containers to their destination.
• Bolster and flat rack containers: These containers are designed to ship irregularly-sized cargo, and will typically have either a collapsible or fixed wall at either end. They’re frequently used for oversized cargo, drums, barrels and other equipment and items.
• Side opening containers: As the name suggests, these containers open up fully on one side rather than at either end, which makes them ideal for loading pallets. They frequently still have normal container doors at the end for simple access, but the side opening provides much greater capability and efficiency for certain types of loading and cargo.

There are other terms you’ll need to know when browsing the available selection of shipping containers for your needs.

One such term is “intermodal,” which refers to a type of container that will be used for shipping overseas and using multiple modes of transportation. The containers will be sent overseas on ships, then loaded on to trucks or rail cars for shipment to their ultimate destination.

You will also have various options to choose from with regard to the size of your shipping containers and other capabilities you need them to have in order to transport specific kinds of cargo.

These are just a few examples of some of the shipping container types you’ll find on the market in Houston, TX, and their respective purposes. For more information, reach out to the team at A Mobile Box today.

Categorised in: Shipping Containers

This post was written by Writer