Container jargon is dense and a lot of it is used loosely by sellers. Here is what each term actually means, in plain language, so you can read a specification or a CSC plate with confidence.
| As-is | A container sold on its description with known faults declared. Cheapest grade, suitable for cutting up, spares or non-critical use. |
|---|---|
| Bunded container | A unit with a sealed sump beneath a mesh or grid floor, designed to capture spills from drums or chemical storage. |
| Cargo worthy (CW) | A used container certified by a surveyor as structurally fit to be loaded and shipped again, carrying a valid CSC plate. |
| Cam bar / locking bar | The vertical steel rods on the doors that rotate to engage the frame at top and bottom. Four per pair of doors is standard. |
| Corner casting | The eight cast steel blocks at the container corners. Every lifting, stacking and securing force passes through these. |
| Corrugation | The pressed profile in the wall panels. It provides enormous stiffness from thin steel and is why the walls do not need internal framing. |
| Corten steel | A weathering steel alloy that forms a stable oxide layer, slowing further corrosion. Standard container construction material. |
| CSC plate | The Convention for Safe Containers data plate on the door, recording identity, tare weight, maximum gross and the date of last approved examination. |
| Double door / tunnel | A container with cargo doors at both ends, allowing walk-through access and first-in first-out stock rotation. |
| Dry van | Industry term for a standard general-purpose container with no refrigeration or special features. |
| Flat rack | A container with no roof and collapsible or no side walls, used for out-of-gauge cargo. |
| Gross weight | The total permitted weight of the container plus its contents. Commonly 30,480 kg for 20ft and 40ft units. |
| High cube | A container 9 ft 6 in tall externally rather than the standard 8 ft 6 in, giving about a foot more internal height. |
| HIAB | A lorry-mounted crane used to lift a container off the vehicle and place it precisely, including over low obstacles. |
| ISO 668 | The international standard that fixes container external dimensions and ratings so that units interlock worldwide. |
| Lock box | A welded steel shroud over the door hasp that encloses a padlock so bolt cutters and grinders cannot reach the shackle. |
| One-trip | A container that has made a single loaded voyage from the factory. Effectively new in paint, floor and seals. |
| Open side / HCOS | A container whose full length opens on one side, allowing forklift loading at any point along the unit. |
| Open top | A container with a removable tarpaulin roof on bows, for loading tall cargo from above by crane. |
| Payload | The maximum weight of cargo, calculated as gross weight minus tare weight. Assumes evenly distributed load. |
| Reefer | A refrigerated container with an insulated shell and an integral refrigeration unit for chilled or frozen goods. |
| Tare weight | The empty weight of the container itself, stamped on the CSC plate and used to calculate payload. |
| TEU | Twenty-foot equivalent unit. The industry counting measure: a 20ft container is one TEU, a 40ft is two. |
| Tilt-bed delivery | Off-loading method where the vehicle bed tilts and the container slides off as the lorry pulls forward. Needs a long clear run. |
| Twist lock | The rotating fitting that engages a corner casting to secure containers to each other or to a vehicle. |
| Wind and watertight (WWT) | A used container guaranteed to keep out wind and rain, but not certified for onward shipping. |
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