40ft New Open-Top Container

excl. VAT · incl. VAT: €7,019.81

Specifying a 40ft new open top container properly

Buying new changes the conversation. With a used box you are assessing what somebody else did to it; with a 40ft new open top container you are deciding what it should be before it is built or before it leaves the depot on its first job. That means the specification is yours to get right: the cover material and its fixings, the bow set, how the door header is arranged, how many lashing points you want and where, the paint system, and the marking and plating the unit carries. Those choices decide how the container behaves for the next fifteen winters, and they cost far less to make now than to retrofit later.

The dimensions are fixed by the standard footprint. Internal length is 1203.20 cm, internal width 235.20 cm and internal height 239.50 cm, which gives 28.37 m² of floor and 66.80 m³ of volume. External dimensions are 1219.20 cm by 243.79 cm by 259.11 cm. The door opening measures 234.01 cm wide by 227.99 cm high, maximum gross weight is 30,480 kg and net weight is 4,000 kg. The number that drives the whole purchase is the difference between 239.50 cm of internal height and 227.99 cm of door height: that band of extra height is only reachable from above, which is the reason an open top exists at all.

It is worth being clear about what new means in this trade. A container described as new or one trip has usually made a single loaded voyage from the factory to the region where it is sold, because moving an empty box across the world costs almost as much as moving a full one. The steel, the floor, the paint and the cover are unused in every practical sense, and the unit arrives without the dents, patches and mismatched parts that a working life leaves behind. Ask the seller which of the two descriptions applies to the unit you are quoted, and ask whether the cover and the bow set were supplied with the container from the factory.

Loading from the top and planning the lift

Top loading looks simple and is where most of the risk sits. The cover comes off, the bows lift out, and the load is lowered in through an opening bounded by the top side rails. Two things then decide whether the job goes smoothly.

• Rigging geometry. Slings converge above the load, so the effective width of the rigging at the roof line is wider than the item itself. Work out that width before the crane arrives, and use a spreader beam where the slings would otherwise foul the side rails.
• Hook height. You need the crane hook high enough to clear the roof line plus the full sling height above the piece, on a container that already stands 259.11 cm tall externally.
• Landing plan. Decide where the item touches down, mark it, and lay bearers first, because sliding a heavy piece along a new floor to correct its position is how new floors get damaged.
• Fit and clearance. Plan the item into a 1203.20 cm by 235.20 cm floor with real clearance at the sides for hands, packing and lashings, not a paper fit measured to the millimetre.
• Sequence for weight. Distribute load along the length rather than concentrating it, and keep the total within the 30,480 kg maximum gross weight including packing and securing gear.

The container can also be loaded through the doors when the header is swung clear, which is worth remembering on days when no crane is available. That route gives you the full 227.99 cm door height plus whatever the header arrangement releases, and a forklift can place a load directly rather than working it in from above.

Over height cargo and declaring it correctly

If your cargo stands taller than the container walls, the load is out of gauge in height, and that is a declaration issue as much as a physical one. Carriers, terminals and hauliers need the true dimensions of the finished package, measured from the ground to the highest point, because that figure decides stowage on a vessel, clearance under bridges and gantries, and whether an escort or a special routing is needed by road. Measure the item as it will actually travel, including any cradle, packing and the cover if it is fitted over the top, and give the same figure to everybody in the chain. Guessing low is the expensive option, since a container that will not pass a gantry gets re-handled at your cost.

Where cargo projects above the walls, the tarpaulin usually cannot be fitted flat over it, so decide early whether the load travels under the cover, under a purpose made cover arranged over the cargo, or uncovered with the cargo separately wrapped. That decision changes the weather protection and sometimes the customs treatment, so it belongs in the plan and not on the loading bay floor.

Securing under a soft roof

Lashing rings are the part people underspecify and then miss for years. Say how many you want and where before ordering, because retrofitting welded points into a new container means cutting the paint system you just paid for. Then use them properly.

• Tie down to the rings and the frame, using a mix of steep and shallow lashing angles so the load is both held down and stopped from surging.
• Lay anti slip material under the load so friction carries part of the work, particularly on a smooth new floor.
• Block and brace against the walls with timber rather than letting a load rest directly on a painted panel.
• Pad any sharp corner that could reach the cover, since a tarpaulin will find a sharp edge within one journey.
• Re-check tension after the first movements of the trip if you have access, as loads settle and packing compresses.

Rig the cover so it crowns across the width and sheds water to the sides. Every bow goes in, the roping is tensioned evenly through every eyelet, and nothing is left slack enough to flap. Flapping wears a new cover faster than sunlight does, and a sagging cover collects water that becomes a serious weight in winter. Where a customs sealable cover is required, the unbroken roping run and correctly fitted bows are part of what makes the seal valid.

Protecting the investment

A new unit is worth looking after, and most of the care is unglamorous. Store the tarpaulin dry, folded rather than crumpled, and clean of grit before it goes away, since abrasive dust between folds is what cracks a cover. Keep the bows as a matched set with the container instead of letting them drift around a yard, and mark them if you run several units. Touch up paint damage promptly, especially deep scratches on the top rails and around the header where loading contact happens, because a paint system that is intact is the main defence a new box has. Grease the door hardware and the header pins on a schedule so they never reach the seized state that ruins used units.

Standing the container properly matters too. Set it level on blocks under the four corner castings so the frame is not twisted, keep the base clear of standing water and vegetation, and leave enough space around it to open the doors fully and to walk the sides for inspection. A twisted stand is the usual reason doors on an otherwise sound container stop closing cleanly. Ask what documentation comes with the unit, including the CSC safety approval plate that records approval for international carriage and its examination dates, and keep it with your records, because a buyer in ten years will ask for exactly that.

What a quotation for a 40ft new open top container should state

• Cover specification, fixing method and whether a spare or replacement cover is available separately.
• Number of roof bows supplied and confirmation that the set is complete and matched.
• Door header arrangement, and whether it swings or lifts out.
• Lashing ring count and positions inside the container.
• Paint system, marking and the plating and documentation supplied with the unit.
• Delivery arrangements including vehicle access, standing area and how the unit will be set down at your site.

What should I specify when ordering a 40ft new open top container?

Cover material and fixing method, the number of roof bows and whether the set is matched, how the door header is arranged, the number and position of lashing rings, the paint system, and the documentation supplied. These are cheap decisions before delivery and expensive afterwards, since retrofitting welded lashing points cuts into the paint system you have just paid for.

What are the internal dimensions?

Internal length is 1203.20 cm, internal width 235.20 cm and internal height 239.50 cm, which gives 28.37 m2 of floor and 66.80 m3 of volume. The door opening is 234.01 cm wide and 227.99 cm high. External dimensions are 1219.20 cm by 243.79 cm by 259.11 cm, with a maximum gross weight of 30,480 kg and a net weight of 4,000 kg.

How do I plan the crane lift for top loading?

Work out the effective width of the rigging where it crosses the roof line, because slings converge above the load and can foul the top side rails; a spreader beam solves that. Confirm hook height above an external height of 259.11 cm plus the sling height. Mark the landing position, lay bearers first, and plan real side clearance rather than a millimetre fit.

What happens if the cargo is taller than the walls?

It becomes out of gauge in height and must be declared with the true measurement from ground to highest point, including cradle and packing. That figure governs vessel stowage, clearance under bridges and gantries, and road routing. You also need to decide whether the load travels under the tarpaulin, under a cover arranged over the cargo, or uncovered with the item separately wrapped.

How do I keep the tarpaulin in good condition?

Fit every bow so the cover crowns and sheds water sideways, tension the roping evenly so nothing flaps, and pad sharp corners on the cargo. Store the cover dry, folded rather than crumpled, and free of grit, since abrasive dust between folds is what cracks the material. Clear standing water before frost, because ice adds weight and stretches the fabric.