Container Door Opening
Shipping Container Dimensions
Contents
By far the two most popular containers you will come across are the regular 20 foot shipping container and the regular 40 foot shipping container. Here we explain the dimensions of the 40 foot shipping container.
40ft Shipping Container Dimensions
The most common shipping container is the 40ft container. They offer exceptional value for the money and considerable internal space.
40ft containers offer a large internal space of over 300 square foot. They also have greater value for money overall when compared to a 20ft container. 40ft containers, however, are more expensive to transport and difficult to maneuver.
| TYPE | 40FT STANDARD |
|---|---|
| External Length | 40ft |
| External Width | 8ft |
| External Height | 8ft 6″ |
| Internal Length | 39ft 4″ |
| Internal Width | 7ft 8″ |
| Internal Height | 7ft 10″ |
| Door Opening Width | 7ft 8″ |
| Door Opening Height | 7ft 5″ |
| Internal Cubic Capacity | 2,386 cu feet |
| Tare Weight | 3,510 kg |
| Net Load Weight | 26,970 kg |
| Maximum Gross Weight | 30,480 kg |
| Floor Space | 305 sq ft |
Shipping Container Standard Weights
| Typical Weights of Standard Shipping Containers | ||
| Length | 20ft | 40ft |
| Max Gross Weight | 30,480kg* | 30,400kg |
| 67,200lbs | 67,200lbs | |
| Tare Weight | 2,170kg | 3,750kg |
| 4,780lbs | 8,270lbs | |
| Payload (or Net Weight) | 28,310kg | 26,730kg |
| 62,420lbs | 58,930lbs | |
Wear and Tear
Shipping containers often take a beating, traveling around the world, being exposed to freezing conditions, and rust due to seawater or when the frost has melted.
During the cold season, and in freezing parts of the world, our shipping container tool can benefit the opening of frozen shipping container doors in freezing conditions and hard to open or rusted containers once the winter has ended.
Injuries often occur as a result of personnel trying to open and close difficult container doors, often the result of inappropriate techniques being used to open them.
Shipping container doors are not typical doors and there are 4-5 hinges per door. The hinge pins must be lined up correctly for the doors to be free to fully open and close.
Here are some likely reasons a frozen shipping container door will not open or close. Our tool helps to address these issues.
- The container frame is racked so that the door gear will not operate correctly. This may be caused by cargo shifting during transit. Look at the container to make sure that the doors are aligned and level, both top and bottom.
- The hinge pins and blade are seized due to corrosion.
- The door gasket has been damaged and is preventing opening. Door gaskets are designed to present two or more fins against the structure or adjacent door. These are generally flexible but when the gasket is damaged, they may become hard or blocked thus jamming the door closed, or preventing it being closed.
- Water has become trapped between the doors and frozen, particularly relevant to refrigerated cargoes, or containers with moisture releasing cargoes in cold weather.
Designed to fit and extend the door latch handles on side by side doors found on the following units with the safety of the truck driver, operator, and worker foremost in mind:
- Dismountable Shipping Cargo Containers
- Refrigerated Shipping Cargo Containers
- Semitrailer Dry Freight Cargo Vans
- Semitrailer Refrigerated Freight Cargo Vans
This intermodal container (also known as ISO Container or Conex Box) cargo inspection tool and leverage safety bar is to aid in opening and closing side-by-side doors found within Dismountable Shipping Cargo Container Transportation Industries (Railroad, Harbor, and Trucking Industries).
Eliminates the Need for a crescent wrench, screwdriver, hammer, and crowbar which are commonly needed/used to open stuck frozen shipping container doors.
Related: Injuries from Opening/Closing Hard to Open/Close Shipping Container Doors
Dimensions of 20ft Shipping Container
Shipping Container Dimensions
By far the two most popular containers you will come across are the regular 20 foot shipping container and the regular 40 foot shipping container. Here we explain the dimensions of the 20 foot shipping container.
20ft Shipping Container Dimensions
The standard 20ft shipping container is a popular pick for companies who need easy maneuverability.
20ft containers have a distinct advantage over the 40ft containers and that is that they are significantly easier to transport. They are also cheaper than the 40ft containers to the tune of several thousand dollars per container and are also cheaper to transport.
| TYPE | 20FT STANDARD |
|---|---|
| External Length | 19ft 10½” |
| External Width | 8ft |
| External Height | 8ft 6″ |
| Internal Length | 19ft 4″ |
| Internal Width | 7ft 8″ |
| Internal Height | 7ft 10″ |
| Door Opening Width | 7ft 8″ |
| Door Opening Height | 7ft 5″ |
| Internal Cubic Capacity | 1,170 cu feet |
| Tare Weight | 2,060 kg |
| Net Load Weight | 28,420 kg |
| Maximum Gross Weight | 30,480 kg |
| Floor Space | 150 sq ft |
Shipping Container Standard Weights
| Typical Weights of Standard Shipping Containers | ||
| Length | 20ft | 40ft |
| Max Gross Weight | 30,480kg* | 30,400kg |
| 67,200lbs | 67,200lbs | |
| Tare Weight | 2,170kg | 3,750kg |
| 4,780lbs | 8,270lbs | |
| Payload (or Net Weight) | 28,310kg | 26,730kg |
| 62,420lbs | 58,930lbs | |
Wear and Tear
Shipping containers often take a beating, traveling around the world, being exposed to freezing conditions, and rust due to seawater or when the frost has melted.
During the cold season, and in freezing parts of the world, our shipping container tool can benefit the opening of frozen shipping container doors in freezing conditions and hard to open or rusted containers once the winter has ended.
Injuries often occur as a result of personnel trying to open and close difficult container doors, often the result of inappropriate techniques being used to open them.
Shipping container doors are not typical doors and there are 4-5 hinges per door. The hinge pins must be lined up correctly for the doors to be free to fully open and close.
Here are some likely reasons a frozen shipping container door will not open or close. Our tool helps to address these issues.
- The container frame is racked so that the door gear will not operate correctly. This may be caused by cargo shifting during transit. Look at the container to make sure that the doors are aligned and level, both top and bottom.
- The hinge pins and blade are seized due to corrosion.
- The door gasket has been damaged and is preventing opening. Door gaskets are designed to present two or more fins against the structure or adjacent door. These are generally flexible but when the gasket is damaged, they may become hard or blocked thus jamming the door closed, or preventing it being closed.
- Water has become trapped between the doors and frozen, particularly relevant to refrigerated cargoes, or containers with moisture releasing cargoes in cold weather.
Designed to fit and extend the door latch handles on side by side doors found on the following units with the safety of the truck driver, operator, and worker foremost in mind:
- Dismountable Shipping Cargo Containers
- Refrigerated Shipping Cargo Containers
- Semitrailer Dry Freight Cargo Vans
- Semitrailer Refrigerated Freight Cargo Vans
This intermodal container (also known as ISO Container or Conex Box) cargo inspection tool and leverage safety bar is to aid in opening and closing side-by-side doors found within Dismountable Shipping Cargo Container Transportation Industries (Railroad, Harbor, and Trucking Industries).
Eliminates the Need for a crescent wrench, screwdriver, hammer, and crowbar which are commonly needed/used to open stuck frozen shipping container doors.
Related: Injuries from Opening/Closing Hard to Open/Close Shipping Container Doors
Shipping Container Door Diagram and Troubleshooting
Shipping Container Diagram
1. Doors
Two door leaves are fabricated from two vertical rolled hollow sections and 2 horizontal c section members. The frame is infilled with corrugated steel paneling.
These are normally attached to the rear corner posts each with four drop forged steel hinge blades. The blades allow 270 degree opening which allow the doors to swing back against the container side wall.
(Cargo may shift during transit. Look at the container to make sure that the doors are aligned and level, both top and bottom. In cases where the container frame is racked and the door gear will not operate correctly.)
Shipping Container Door
- Shipping Container Doors | Buy on Amazon or eBay
2. Lockbox
The lock box is a steel box welded to the right hand door which overlaps a staple welded to the left hand door. A padlock, normally type CISA type 285 66 can then be attached inside the lock box through the staple and is then protected from direct attack, hindering attempts to gain entry to the container.
Shipping Container Lockbox
- Shipping Container Lockbox | Buy on Amazon or eBay
3. Lockrods, cam keepers, handles
Each door is fitted with 2-4 vertical lock rods to enable opening, closing and locking of the doors.
Shipping Container Lockrods
- Shipping Container Lock Rods | Buy on Amazon or eBay
At the end of each lock rod (top and bottom) is a cam welded in place which engages with knuckles, also known as cam keepers.
Shipping Container Cam Keepers
- Shipping Container Cam Keepers | Buy on Amazon or eBay
The action of engaging the cams to the keepers forms an anti-racking function.
(In certain cases, often unfortunately too many, contents of the shipping container may have shifted, or containers even dropped, causing shipping container doors and lockrods to warp)
The door handle rotates the lockbar to initiates the door opening process by forcing the cams out of their keepers. Each door handle has a door locking handle retainer that slides over the door handle when in locked position.
Shipping Container Door Handles
- Shipping Container Door Handles | Buy on Amazon or eBay
4. Rubber gaskets
Rubber gaskets are fitted to the container doors during the manufacturing process and prevent water ingress.
(Door gaskets are designed to present two or more fins against the structure or adjacent door. These are generally flexible but when the gasket is damaged, they may become hard or blocked thus jamming the door closed, or preventing it being closed.)
Shipping Container Rubber Gaskets
- Shipping Container Rubber Gaskets | Buy on Amazon or eBay
5. ISO markings and CSC plate
ISO markings and a consolidated data plate allow worldwide intermodal transport when left in place and updated as necessary.
Shipping Container ISO Markings & CSC Plate
6. Hinge pins
Of course for a door to work, you need hinges.
Shipping Container Hinge Pins
- Shipping Container Hinge Pins | Buy on Amazon or eBay
(In certain cases when doors are difficult to open, hinge pins and blade are seized due to corrosion.)
