Interesting Facts About Shipping Containers in Atlanta

The world is now more globalized and interconnected. This can serve as a fantastic trend as consumers can obtain goods from a wide variety of places. At the same time, merchants all over the world can use the modern rails of commerce to provide goods to great customers around the world.

Many different elements have made this sort of commerce possible. Thanks to laws, regulations, treaties internationally, technology, and the ability to move goods with shipping and storage containers, we can see that global trade has boomed over the years.

Shipping containers have changed the way goods are transported on ships. With shipping containers, freighters can increase the overall carrying capacity of cargo ships and ensure the safety of the transported goods. 

However, there is so much to know about shipping containers. You may want to learn about the construction materials that go into them, you could learn about lost containers, and how shipping containers are made.

Of course, there is also much to learn about manual tracking, the number of the world's products that flow through ports via shipment, mathematical formula elements that are present, how large of a provider China might be, and a few facts about general delivery of goods.

Now, it will not be possible to learn about all of the facts present with amazing storage units. We will cover a few intriguing facts and save the rest for another day.

Here are some interesting facts you should know about shipping containers.

What Do Shipping Containers Do

Shipping containers are primarily designed to help individuals, companies, and governments transport products and materials. Though they come with the “shipping” prefix, they are used in transporting freight by sea, road, and rail. 

If you recently had a product or material shipped in from another region, it most likely spent some time transported in a storage container on a ship.

Think of them as large non-cardboard boxes used to bundle cargo and goods together in a compact and easy-to-handle manner. These standard shipping containers help freighters to save space as they can be stacked and packed tightly with each other.

Shipping containers can transport almost all types of products and materials. These include small items such as match sticks and large machines such as caterpillars and bulldozers.

At the same time, remember that your standard shipping container option can also be used in various ways. More people are finding novel uses for these used shipping container products. These uses can range from shipping container homes to unique office space and simple storage space for different types of durable equipment, chemicals,  non-perishable food, and more.

The Shipping Container is the Most Common Type of Cargo Ship 

There are seven main types of cargo ships. These are

• shipping container ships
• Dry bulk carriers
• Multi-purpose vessels 
• General cargo vessels 
• Tankers
• Feeder ships
• Roll-on/roll-off vessels 

Of these types, shipping container ships are the most common. This is because of the critical role it plays. Shipping container ships promote economic activities by transporting raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods from one location to another.

According to the consensus, there are almost 55,000 container ships in the world. Together, these shipping container ships can transport twenty-five million 20-ft standardized shipping containers at once! The global shipping container market is projected to hit 12 billion US dollars by 2027.

They can be Customized for a Variety of Purposes

Shipping containers are primarily designed to help freighter transport products and materials by rail, sea, or road. The most common type of shipping container is called ‘dry freight’ Containers. These are general-purpose Cor-Ten rectangular steel boxes. 

However, there are other customized types. These include:

• The refrigerated ISO Containers used to transport perishable goods
• tanks to transport liquids and gas
• Car carriers designed to transport vehicles over long distances

Other types of shipping containers are 

• Flat rack containers 
• Open-top containers
• Tunnel containers
• Open side storage containers
• Double doors containers
• Insulated containers 
• Half-height containers 
• Cargo storage roll containers 
• Intermediate bulk shift containers 
• Drums
• Swap bodies

There are many Different Sizes and Types of Containers Available

The shipping container, as we know it today, made its first appearance in 1955. Since then, cargo ships have used these containers to transport goods and other materials. 

However, the lack of a common standard became an issue. That is why sizing requirements were made for each container type. These sizing requirements differentiate between the many types and sizes of containers available.

• The 20-foot Standard Container is the most common container used in sea transportation. It has a capacity of 33,150 cubic meters or 1170 cubic feet. 
• The 40-foot long shipping container has a capacity of 67.700 cubic meters or 2,390 cubic feet.
• The refrigerated Containers with cubic volume capacities that differ from one model and manufacturer to the other. 

Due to the various sizes, cost elements, and effectiveness of these used containers, you can find that it is not merely shipping companies in the shipping industry that are interested in these floating shipping containers.

How Long Do Shipping Containers Last?

Shipping containers can last decades. The average lifespan of a shipping container is 25 years; however, there are shipping containers that last up to 35, 50, or even 100 years. 

Some of the factors that influence the lifespan of a shipping container are 

• Proper maintenance
• Protection from harsh weather elements 
• Ventilation
• Lubrication.

How Strong Are Shipping Containers?

Shipping containers are solid. The average shipping container can carry 27 tons of cargo. They are also strong at the corners. This allows freighters to stack fully loaded containers up to eight high. Unfortunately, their roofs are not as strong as their corners. That is why containers are stacked exactly along with their corners.

Shipping containers are built to last despite harsh weather conditions. They are produced with special Cor-Ten steel and weatherproof paint to survive extreme weather elements.

It is no wonder that people use these storage items that are present on sailing vessels to create tiny homes.

Bonus Fact

Containers float; yes, when a container falls off a ship during a storm, it floats.

Contact us for Shipping Container needs in Atlanta!

Reach out to us at Atlantic Trailer Leasing & Sales, LLC today for your various storage needs for rent or purchase. We are pleased to work with you on a project where you need several containers for different needs. Let us know more details about your project and we will provide you with suggestions that make sense for you.

Our sales team will be here to make sure that you have quality containers for your various needs. Call us today at 678-841-7329.