The Best Shipping Container Accessories

The Guide to The Best Accessories for Your Custom shipping container

Do you own a shipping container? Are you looking to accessorize and customize it more to fit your needs? Simple modifications and accessories can help make it far more useful for you. This guide will help you figure out what’s best for you and your container. Some of them can be included during manufacturing, while others can be included after manufacture and delivery.

Six Accessories to Aid in Securing Your Shipping Container

1. Fortified lockbox: If you have a lockbox, then you should consider adding an extra steel box. This will improve your security by shielding the lock from bolt cutters and tampering.
2. Lifting jacks: Create ground clearance by placing the corners of the container on some blocks. Blocking includes railroad ties or cinder blocks. This will help you lift the container when you need to. Take note that a custom shipping container lifting jack is different from a hi-lift jack. A hi-lift jack is made for different use and thus cannot handle the weight of a shipping container. You are bound to cause an accident if you use it.
3. Chassis: Are you planning to relocate? Purchasing a chassis may be a good option for you. It is a special crane or forklift that is capable of lifting a custom conex box. If you plan to move with any frequency, it’s worth getting one of your own. It can handle the weight of the contents of the shipping container and the shipping container itself.
4. Twist locks: Ground plates have twist-locks that help to secure the shipping container to the foundation in a faster way. You will just have to bolt the plates to the concrete and lower the container for the castings to line with the twist locks. Secure the container by pulling the lever on the twist locks. These locks can help secure the containers that are stacked up. These work for containers that are perfectly stacked in ports or on ships. They can also work for multi-story container buildings.
5. Bridge fittings: This is in reference to fittings that are for multi-unit container structures. Please note that seismic and winds events can damage containers by simply rocking them. If you want to protect the shipping containers from this type of damage, make sure you stack the multi-unit container-based structures with bridge-fittings. This will hold them in place and prevent them from toppling over and damaging. The extra structural security is important because it helps the additional containers get stacked on multi-wide structures. If a person wants to make the multi-wide structures a building, then the bridge-fittings will be secure and snug.
6. Built-in shelves: If you will be storing items in the container, make sure you organize the container with shelves. You can secure the shelves during relocation to prevent time wastage and make sure you are ready to use the container once you reach your location.

Regardless of what exactly you do, any modification you make are going to make your life easier. It’ll be well worth it down the road when you think about all the time and energy you’ve been able to save thanks to one or two simple things.

How Shipping Containers Took The World by Storm

How Shipping Containers Took The World By Storm

Have you ever wondered about the history and background story of shipping containers? Since they were created there has been a huge transformation in the way goods are sold and distributed around the world. They have truly revolutionized global trade, the world is a different place since their advent. They have helped make global trade far more efficient, they pass through international waters and enter different countries at every moment of every day.

Prior to the existence of shipping containers, goods were directly loaded onto the ships and it was known as break-bulk shipping. They were exposed to harsh conditions and as a result, lead to much larger losses for businesses as they could count on losing some goods. Each ship would store about 200,000 cargo pieces per trip. The trips would take weeks or months, which meant long waiting periods and things like foods would have large quantities go rotten. Additionally, loading and offloading it would take days or even weeks, as everything had to be offloaded individually. This also made shipping more expensive overall as labor costs just continued to rise. These costs were, of course, passed on to suppliers, making goods more expensive for everyone!

Immediate Differences

Post the existence of storage containers, the demand increased, especially when the Vietnam war really got going. The war required the transportation of at least 1200 storage containers every month. Malcolm McLean who was an American entrepreneur created the shipping container in 1956. The first container ship was called “Ideal X” and the first ship trip managed to carry about 60 shipping containers to Houston from New York. This was a monumental moment, shipping containers offer so much more protection than nothing. International shipping was forever changed from this moment on.

These original storage containers, of course, changed with time to what we have now use in modern times. They just kept becoming more popular, even to this day their usage just continues to increase. In 1980, about 50 million containers were in regular use. In 2012 alone, continents such as North America, Europe and Asia use roughly 600 million containers. This growth is more than McLean could have ever imagined. These containers aren’t just great for keeping goods out of the elements, they’re also great for an added layer of security. They have double door locks that would be extremely difficult to get through for anyone.

More Containers, More Savings

Shipping containers have reduced the cost of loading cargo on to the ship to about 16 cents for every ton. Arguably even more importantly, it exponentially reduced the amount of time needed to load cargo. Now, instead of hundreds, tens of thousands of tons an hour can be loaded. This greatly cut down on labor costs, and the savings passed on to all parties involved. These days, it’s hard for us to imagine moving our goods all over the world WITHOUT shipping containers. Nowadays, 90% of the goods transported via water are done with the aid of storage containers. It is worth noting that about 675 shipping containers are lost at sea per year. This is just because of shipwrecks and other accidents. After containers serve out their effective lifespan on the seas, they’re often reported for a number of on land uses. From homes to mobile storage units, they have a variety of uses.

The largest cargo ships can carry more than 19000 containers inside it and the standard one can fit in the contents of approximately a 3-4 bedroom home. The biggest exporter of cargo is China. It was the highest exporter in the year 2010. Now the average number of containers traveling across the ocean is more than 1 billion at any given time.

Standard Shipping Container Sizes, Max Weights & More

All the Sizes and Configurations That Custom Storage Containers Come In

Do you have a lot of cargo to transport? You might be wondering, what size do I need my custom containers? What kind of max carry weight do I need? Are their even different types of storage containers? It is good to be aware of what all is out there so you can make the BEST choice for your own needs. The weight and dimensions will often affect the type of things that can be stored in it. At Carolina Containers, our goal is to meet your storage needs as adequately as we can. Our storage containers come in three main size variations, namely 10’, 20’ and 40’. However, each variation comes with certain container configurations. Below is a brief outlook on our most popular containers. You can go to both our rent and buy pages and check out the specs of all of our containers. Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or thoughts!

• 10-foot mini custom containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 10 by 8 by 8.5 feet. Its tare weight is about 2,866.01 lbs and it can load contents weighing up to 19,532.97 lbs.  It also has a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 9.25 by 7.66 by 7.85 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 7.42 feet.
• 10-foot high containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 10 by 8 by 9.5 feet. These containers tare weight is 3,262.84 lbs. and can load contents weighing up to 22,046.24 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 9.25 by 7.66 by 8.87 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 8.40 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door.
• 20-foot standard containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 20 by 8 by 8.5 feet. These containers tare weight is about 4,949.38 lbs and can load contents weighing up to 62,247.57 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 19.25 by 7.66 by 7.85 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door. These are the most common containers by far, frequently what you’ll find moving goods on ships.
• 20-foot high containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 20 by 8 by 9.5 feet. These containers tare weight is about 5,335.19 lbs and can load contents weighing up to 61,861.76 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 19.25 by 7.66 by 8.85 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 8.50 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door.
• 20-foot double-door containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 20 by 8 by 8.5 feet. These containers tare weight is about 4,949.38 lbs and can load contents weighing up to 62,247.57 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 19.25 by 7.66 by 7.85 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 7.40 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door.
• 20-foot high cube double-door containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 20 by 8 by 9.5 feet. These containers tare weight is about 5,335.19 lbs and can load contents weighing up to 61,861.76 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 19.25 by 7.66 by 8.85 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 8.50 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door.
• 40-foot standard containers: 20-foot double-door containers: The exterior dimensions of the container is 24 by 8 by 8.5 feet. These containers tare weight is about 8,168.13 lbs. and can load contents weighing up to 59,028.82 lbs. These containers have a volume of 1,172.55 cubic feet. Its interior dimensions are 39.40 by 7.66 by 7.85 feet. The end door of the container is 7.67 by 7.40 feet. They do not have a rooftop or side door.

If YOU need a custom storage solution, you need to work with Carolina Containers to get the storage you need. You can’t beat the ease of access that on-site storage offers. Contact us, let’s see what we can do for you!