20ft New Refrigerated Container

excl. VAT · incl. VAT: €13,030.50

What a 20ft new reefer container gives you that a used one cannot

A 20ft new reefer container is a factory built insulated unit with its refrigeration machinery installed, tested and delivered with a full service life ahead of it. In the trade these are described as one trip units, meaning the container has made a single laden voyage from the factory to the region where it is sold, which is the normal way a newly built box reaches a European buyer. Structurally and cosmetically it is new. The lining has never held cargo, the foam has never been punctured and the machinery has no accumulated running hours behind it.

That matters more in refrigeration than it does in dry cargo. With a plain steel box, a dent is cosmetic. With a reefer, every panel penetration is a potential route for moisture into the insulation, and every hour on the compressor is an hour closer to a service event. Buying new removes both unknowns at once. You also get current control electronics, current refrigerant handling and a machinery model that will be supported by service networks and parts supply for years rather than months.

Specifications depend on the build supplied

One point should be made plainly before anything else. The exact internal dimensions, the tare weight and the setpoint range of a reefer are not fixed properties of the size class. They follow from the machinery fitted and from the way the particular unit is built, above all from the thickness of the insulation and from the depth of the machinery pack in the front wall. Those figures should be taken from the quotation for the specific unit offered rather than from any general table, and you should ask for them in writing before you plan a layout or commit to a load pattern. Everything below explains the construction, the controls and the practice, which are the parts that do not change from one build to the next.

Shell construction and the insulation build up

A reefer is a sandwich panel structure wrapped in a shipping container frame. The outer skin is steel, and the corner castings, corner posts and rails carry the structural and stacking loads exactly as they do on a dry box, which is why the unit can still be lifted, stacked and carried on standard equipment. Inside that skin, polyurethane foam is injected into the cavity under pressure. It expands to fill every void, bonds to both faces and cures into a rigid closed cell layer that is both the insulation and a stiffening element of the panel.

The inner face is stainless steel or food grade aluminium. Two reasons drive that choice. The first is hygiene, because the surface has to survive repeated wash down with detergent and hot water without corroding, pitting or shedding anything into the product. The second is durability, since an unbroken inner skin is what keeps the foam dry. Waterlogged foam is the failure mode that ends a reefer, so the interior lining is a working part of the insulation system rather than a cosmetic finish, and it should be treated that way by anyone loading the unit.

The T bar floor and how air actually moves

The floor is aluminium T bar extrusion running the length of the unit. The upper flanges form the surface you stack and drive on, and the gaps between the profiles form a continuous duct beneath the cargo. Air is delivered from the evaporator into that duct, travels the length of the box, turns upward through the load, absorbs heat and returns along the ceiling to the machinery. That is the whole principle, and understanding it is the difference between a unit that holds temperature effortlessly and one that seems to underperform.

Two habits break it. The first is sealing the floor, whether with a fitted rubber mat, sheet material laid to make cleaning easier or a pallet placed deck down across the channels. The second is stacking so that the return path is blocked, typically by loading right up to the ceiling at the door end or by pressing cargo hard against the evaporator face. On chilled produce, the load itself has to be stowed so air can pass through it rather than around it, which is why vented cartons exist and why they should be aligned with the airflow rather than across it.

Machinery and controls

The refrigeration pack is an integral assembly recessed into the front wall: compressor, air cooled condenser, evaporator, fans, expansion device, electrical panel and controller. It is a three phase machine. That is a hard requirement, not a preference, and it is the first thing to establish about any site where a reefer is going to stand.

Modern controllers do considerably more than hold a setpoint. Expect a microprocessor unit with a display and keypad, selectable chilled or frozen operating modes, automatic demand defrost rather than a fixed timer, fault code logging, sensor diagnostics and an internal data logger that records the temperature history for download. For respiring cargo there is a fresh air exchange vent that lets carbon dioxide out and oxygen in at a controlled rate, and some builds accept controlled atmosphere equipment. If you have documentation obligations for food or pharmaceutical goods, the logger and its download route are worth specifying in detail, because retrofitting monitoring later is more troublesome than ordering it correctly.

Commissioning and the pre trip inspection

The standard functional test for reefer machinery is the pre trip inspection, universally shortened to PTI. It drives the unit through its full control sequence, confirms that it pulls down, exercises the defrost cycle, checks every sensor against expected behaviour and reports fault codes. On a new unit a PTI is a commissioning record rather than a diagnosis, and it is still worth having, because it gives you a documented baseline of how the machine performed on day one. Keep it with the service file.

Cold chain practice

A reefer is designed to hold a temperature, not to create one. Product should arrive at the temperature you intend to store it at, because pulling a warm load down inside the box is slow, expensive and hard on the machinery, and in the meantime the outside of the load is colder than the middle. Pre cool the empty unit before loading, keep door openings short and grouped rather than frequent and casual, and load with a plan so that nobody is standing in the doorway deciding where to put things.

• Pre cool the empty unit to setpoint before the first pallet goes in
• Load product that is already at its target temperature
• Keep the floor channels and the ceiling return path clear
• Group door openings and close the doors between movements
• Record temperatures and keep the download from the controller
• Check door seals regularly, since a leaking gasket costs energy every hour

Hygiene, cleaning and food grade duty

The washable lining is only useful if it is actually washed. Establish a cleaning routine appropriate to the product: detergent, rinse, sanitiser where required, and a check that the floor channels are clear along their full length and that the condensate drains run freely. Blocked drains are the most common cause of standing water inside a cold store, and standing water is the most common cause of a hygiene finding. Inspect the lining for punctures after every heavy load, because a hole is a route for water into the foam and should be sealed straight away.

Siting a unit that is going to stand still

Many buyers order a new reefer for a fixed site rather than for transport. Stand it on firm and level ground, taking the load at the corner castings, so the doors seal and the condensate drains as intended. Leave generous clearance around the machinery end, because the condenser has to reject heat into the surrounding air and will fight itself if it is boxed in or recirculating its own discharge. Leave working room at the door end for the doors to open fully and for handling equipment to turn. Shade or a canopy over the unit reduces solar gain and therefore running cost.

Maintenance and service planning

Plan the service arrangement before delivery, not after the first fault. A reefer needs periodic condenser coil cleaning, drain checks, gasket inspection, fan and defrost checks and refrigerant circuit inspection by a technician qualified to handle refrigerant. Ask which service networks cover the machinery model offered, what the recommended service interval is for the way you intend to run it, and whether spare parts are held regionally. A cold store that cannot be serviced quickly is a liability regardless of how new it is.

What to specify when you order

• Machinery make and model, and the service and parts network that supports it
• Refrigerant type used in the circuit
• Confirmed internal dimensions, tare weight and setpoint range for the actual build
• Electrical supply requirement, plug type, cable and isolator arrangement
• Controller features, data logging and how records are downloaded
• Whether a PTI record is supplied with the unit
• Fresh air vent, any monitoring options and any additional lashing or fittings
• Delivery method, offload arrangement and vehicle access needed

Ordering a 20ft new reefer container is mostly a matter of asking those questions in advance and getting the answers written into the quotation. The construction is well proven and the control technology is mature. What varies between offers is the machinery fitted, the documentation that comes with it and the support behind it, and those are the points worth negotiating.

What are the internal dimensions of a 20ft new reefer container?

They depend on the build. Internal dimensions, tare weight and setpoint range follow from the machinery fitted and from the insulation thickness of the particular unit, so they are not fixed properties of the size class. Ask for those figures in writing on the quotation for the specific unit offered, and use them for layout planning rather than a general table found elsewhere.

What does one trip mean?

A one trip container has made a single laden voyage from the factory to the region where it is sold. That voyage is how new build units reach European buyers, so a one trip unit is effectively new: the lining has never held a customer cargo, the insulation has not been punctured, and the machinery carries no meaningful accumulated running hours. It is not a used container.

Why does the floor have aluminium T bars instead of plywood?

Because the floor is part of the air system. The gaps between the T bar extrusions form the supply duct. Air leaves the evaporator, travels the length of the unit under the cargo, rises through the load and returns along the ceiling. Sealing those channels with matting, sheeting or a pallet laid deck down breaks the pattern and causes uneven temperatures and higher consumption.

Can a reefer chill warm product down?

It is not designed to. A reefer holds a temperature rather than creating one, so goods should arrive already at their intended storage temperature. Pulling a warm load down inside the box is slow, consumes a great deal of energy, stresses the machinery and cools the outside of the load far faster than the core. Pre cool the empty unit before loading instead.

What electrical supply is needed?

Reefer machinery is three phase, without exception, so establish the supply available at the site before ordering. Ask for the nameplate data of the machinery actually offered and pass it to a qualified electrician, who will size the supply cable, protective device and isolator and confirm the board can handle the starting current. Plug type and cable should be stated on the quotation.

What maintenance should be planned for?

Periodic condenser coil cleaning, condensate drain checks, door gasket inspection, fan and defrost function checks, and inspection of the refrigerant circuit by a technician qualified to handle refrigerant. Arrange the service cover before delivery rather than after the first fault, and confirm which service network supports the machinery model offered and whether spare parts are held regionally.