Shipping Containers

At 1st Containers, our shipping containers are strong, secure and weatherproof and are strong enough to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Our shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to ubiquitous corrugated boxes.

A brief history of shipping containers

The basic purpose of a container is to speed up the loading and unloading of cargo, they were first used in the 1950s.

The freight forwarding industry are the single main users of ISO containers; generally there are two sizes - 20ft or 40ft ISO CSC plated marine shipping containers - these are used for shipping cargo..

What types of ISO marine shipping containers are available?

Open-tops - as you would expect these open on the top
Half heights - non-standard size containers
Reefers - these are refrigerated containers, temperature controlled
Insulated containers - these are containers that have a reduced tendency to condensation

Container Markings and Identification

The rating, tare mass and payload of a container is marked on its wall, usually on the end (rear) door in the case of an end-loading dry cargo container.

Each container has an identification code or container number. A combination of the 4-letter characters that identify the owner (the operator of container) and the 7-numeric characters that identify the container. The container number can be found on the outer and inner side walls.

The container number is entered on the bill to facilitate the identification and tracking of the container and the cargo.

CSC Plated

CSC stands for Container Safety Convention. Generally, any container used for international shipment must have a valid safety approval plate or "CSC plate".

Rating

"Rating" is the maximum gross mass (or weight) permissible of a container plus its contents. The rating of a 20' dry cargo container is 24,000kgs (52,900lbs), and a 40', including the high cube container, is 30,480kgs (67,200lbs).

Tare Mass

"Tare Mass", tare weight or tare, is the mass (or weight) of an empty container, including all fittings and appliances used in a particular type of container, in its normal operating condition.

The tare mass of containers may vary depending upon the different construction techniques and materials used in the container. For example, A 20' x 8.5' dry cargo container may weigh 1,800kgs to 2,400kgs, a 40' x 8.5' container may weigh 2,800kgs to 4,000kgs and a 40' x 9.5' container may weigh 3,900kgs to 4,200kgs. Some dry cargo containers fall outside the indicated weight range. The reefer weighs more than a dry cargo container of the same size.

Payload

"Payload" is the maximum permitted mass (or weight) of payload, including the dunnage and cargo securement arrangements that are not associated with the container in its normal operating condition. Therefore; Payload equals the Rating minus the Tare Mass.

If the tare mass of a 20' dry cargo container is 2,400kgs and a 40' is 3,900kgs, the payload of a 20' container is 21,600kgs (i.e., 24,000kgs minus 2,400kgs) and 40' is 26,580kgs. (i.e., 30,480kgs. minus 3,900kgs.). However, the exporter may be prohibited to have that much payload in areas where there are legal limitations to the overall load of a vehicle.

In exporting, it is common to encounter a payload of 17,500kgs or less in the 20' container, and 24,000kgs or less in the 40' container.

SINGLE CONTAINERS

New and used containers for sale and hire.
Any size / type / area.

BULK PURCHASES

We can supply large numbers of new and used containers as required.

SELL CONTAINERS

We are always looking to buy single are large numbers of containers. No matter what the condition

Please call us on:
0870 241 8735.

We Can Supply CONTAINERS Anywhere in the UK

We can transport our containers to virtually anywhere in the UK. We can also assist with all other logistics requirements.
Listed below are recent locations we have supplied containers to:

North London, South London, Central London, Avon, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Borders, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cleveland, Clwyd, Cornwall, County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County, Londonderry, County Tyrone, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Dumfries, and Galloway, Durham, Dyfed, East Sussex, Essex, Fife, Gloucestershire, Grampian, Gwent Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Highlands and Islands, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Lothian, Manchester, Merseyside, Mid Glamorgan, Norfolk North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire, Powys, Rutland Shropshire, Somerset, South Glamorgan, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Strathclyde, Suffolk Surrey, Tayside, Tyne and Wear Warwickshire, West Glamorgan West Midlands, West Sussex