20" contener (No. 7015490)

Intermodal container is normally made of metal and commonly used for shipping unitized cargo. Normally this means cargo that is packed in smaller containers, bags or cases. At times package freight is transported on EUR-pallets. Intermodal containers are frequently used for transporting bulk goods as well as liquid loads and also loads that need certain conditions during shipment (like cooling).

Construction of an intermodal container is vastly tough, which makes it possible to use it many times with no risk of damaging the intermodal container. All the intermodal containers come with special tools which allows transport companies to secure it for the transport as well as to move it securely between destinations. The accessories make loading as well as unpacking intermodal containers much more effortless. 

Intermodal containers are especially common in maritime shipping. Container ships are widely used to transport items from distant parts of the world, mainly from continent to continent. Shipping containers don’t only allow the items to be handily loaded, but additionally enable the shipping provider to stack them on top of each other, which helps to save space.

Container ships are mostly transporting shipping containers between continents, the inland transport is commonly done by lorries.

Kinds of shipping containers

The most popular shipping container is 20-ft long, which is about 6,1 meters. This kind of container is often called a container 1C. It has around 33 square meters. Dimensions of a 20 ft intermodal container are: 1,11 x 0,9 x 0,9 ft.

Other kind of shipping container is a container 1A, which is 40-ft long and its dimensions are: 2230 x 2438 x 2191 mm. In 1C and 1A containers you can ship about 10 pallets. These containers are usually used to ship packed cargo.

You can also encounter „open top” versions of the 1A and 1C containers. Their dimensions are akin to ordinary 1A and 1C containers, only they are opened from the top and not from the side. This type of containers is commonly used to ship bulk cargo.

Other kind of container is metal „flat rack” container, used mainly to move big loads with unusual shapes as well as dimensions. This kind of container also has „collapsible” variant, which has collapsible walls.

Other kinds of containers are: temperature controlled containers (like heated containers) for cargo that is temperature sensitive, tank containers (for shipping fluids), open-side containers and many more.

Cost of intermodal container shipping

Price of transporting a shipping container hinges on the dimensions of the container as well as the kind of load that is being shipped in the container. Additional price-defining factors are: route length and quality as well as probable extra work that the transport provider will need to perform in order to finish the job (e. g. assistance with loading and unloading).