GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 15, 2026
Container
A freight forwarder ships electronic components from Shanghai to Hamburg: the cargo is stuffed into a 40ft container, sealed, and carried as a self-contained unit aboard the vessel.
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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_container
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A freight forwarder ships electronic components from Shanghai to Hamburg: the cargo is stuffed into a 40ft container, sealed, and carried as a self-contained unit aboard the vessel. A container is a standardised, reusable steel cargo unit whose external dimensions and corner castings conform to ISO specifications, making it fully interchangeable across ships, rail wagons, and trucks worldwide – no reloading required. Standard lengths are 20ft, 40ft, and 45ft; the 20ft unit is the basis of the TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). Beyond the standard dry box, specialised types include refrigerated containers (reefers), open-top containers, and flat-rack containers for oversized or heavy cargo. Containerisation has fundamentally cut handling costs in global ocean freight and drastically reduced the cargo damage that characterised break-bulk shipping.
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