Shipping Container Sales Glossary: 40+ Terms Every Buyer Should Know

Container quotes and listings are full of shorthand. "40' HC CW, doors to rear, tilt-bed delivery" makes perfect sense to people in the trade, and very little to everyone else. Shipping container sales are easier when you speak the language, so here are more than 40 terms you'll come across, grouped by topic and explained in plain English.

Keep this page open while you compare quotes, or browse our shipping container sales catalog and ask us about any term you don't recognize.

Sizes and measurements

20', 40', 45'. The container's length in feet. Width is always 8 feet.

Standard height. 8′ 6″ tall on the outside. Also called "standard" or "dry".

High cube (HC or HQ). A container 9′ 6″ tall, a foot taller than standard.

TEU. Twenty-foot equivalent unit, the shipping industry's way of counting capacity. A 20ft container is one TEU.

FEU. Forty-foot equivalent unit, or two TEU. Mostly used in shipping, not storage sales.

Interior dimensions. The usable space inside, smaller than the outside because of the walls, floor and roof.

Door opening. The size of the gap when the doors are fully open. It's smaller than the interior, and it decides what you can get inside.

Cubic capacity. The interior volume, usually in cubic feet or cubic meters.

Container types

Dry van (DV), general purpose (GP), standard (ST). All mean a standard enclosed container with doors at one end.

Open top (OT). A container with a removable tarp roof for loading from above.

Open side (OS). Full-length doors along one side, as well as the end doors.

Double door (DD) or tunnel container. Doors at both ends.

Flat rack (FR). A steel deck with end walls and no sides or roof, for oversized cargo.

Reefer (RF). A refrigerated container with a built-in cooling unit.

Insulated container. Insulated walls with no refrigeration unit, often a former reefer.

Mini or cut-down container. A small container, such as 8ft or 10ft, built small or cut down from a larger one.

Condition and grades

New or one-trip. A container that's made a single voyage from the factory, usually with cargo.

IICL. A used container in very good condition, close to the inspection standard leasing companies use.

Cargo-worthy (CW). Structurally fit to carry cargo by sea.

Wind and watertight (WWT). Keeps out wind and rain, with no holes and doors that seal. Sold for storage.

As-is. Sold with known damage at a lower price.

Off-hire or ex-lease. A container returned at the end of a lease and sold off.

Refurbished. A used container that's been repaired, repainted or both. Ask what was done.

Parts of a container

Corner castings. The cast steel blocks at each corner, used to lift, stack and lock containers.

Corner posts. The vertical steel posts at each corner that carry the weight of stacked containers.

Cross members. Steel beams under the floor that support it.

Bottom rails. The long steel rails along the bottom edges of the side walls.

Locking bars (cam bars). The vertical bars on the doors that turn to lock them shut.

Cam keepers. The brackets at the top and bottom of the door frame that the locking bars turn into.

Door gaskets. The rubber seals around the doors that keep water out.

Lock box. A steel shield welded around the padlock point so bolt cutters can't reach the lock.

Forklift pockets. Slots in the base of some containers, mostly 20ft and smaller, for lifting with a forklift.

Markings and paperwork

CSC plate. The safety approval plate on the door, showing the manufacture date, ratings and approval details. CSC stands for the Convention for Safe Containers.

Unit number. The container's ID: four letters (the owner code and "U") and seven digits, such as ABCU 123456 7.

Check digit. The last digit of the unit number, used to catch typing errors.

Tare weight. The weight of the empty container.

Max gross weight. The most the container and its contents can weigh together.

Payload (net). The most cargo it can carry: max gross minus tare.

Delivery and sales terms

Depot. A yard where containers are stored, inspected and sold.

Tilt-bed (rollback). The usual delivery truck. Its deck tilts so the container slides off as the truck pulls forward.

Doors to cab or doors to rear. Which way the doors face on the truck, which decides which way they face once the container is down.

Delivered price. The total cost including delivery to your site. Always compare quotes on this.

FAQ

What does HC mean on a shipping container?

High cube: a container 9′ 6″ tall, a foot taller than a standard container.

What's the difference between CW and WWT?

Cargo-worthy (CW) containers are structurally fit to ship cargo by sea. Wind and watertight (WWT) containers keep out the weather but aren't certified for shipping.

Where is a container's unit number?

On the doors, usually top right, and on the sides and roof. It's four letters followed by seven digits.

What is a lock box on a container?

A steel housing around the padlock point that stops thieves from cutting the padlock with bolt cutters.