Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘40ft’

Second hand 10ft refrigerated container

If you are considering buying a 10ft refrigerated container the following facts may be useful:-

INTERIOR

    Length        245cm    Width         224cm    Height        222cm

    Cubic Capacity 13 cu m

    Door opening width 224cm      Door opening height 218cm

    Tare weight 1500kgs     Max gross weight 15000kgs

    Pallet capacity 5 to 6 depending on type

 EXTERIOR

    Length  300cm      Width  243cm      Height 259cm

The downside of 10ft containers is that they are normally more expensive than the more widely available 20ft and 40ft containers as they are not built in such numbers and do not have such a demand in the commercial marketplace.

Depending on what is to be stored in the containers the shipping container can be adapted specifically for purpose.   For example, should the chemicals be in easily handled, the chemical store can have the cheaper option of a bunded floor.  However, should the chemicals/hazardous goods be in large barrels then a sub floor sump can be put in.   There is the option of metal shelving, additonal insulation and ventilation - all of which can be put in according to the specific requirements.  Sizes range from 8ft to 40ft.

The addition of a lock cowl or lock box, together with a heavy duty, high security padlock makes the chemical store/agricultural store extremely safe from non-authorised access.   This gives flexibility as to where the store is to be sited.

chemical store with sump

chemical store with bund

Here at CS Shippng Containers we have been missing the Olympics. Susan, who handles the logistics side of the business has, in particular, been missing the swimming. So, at coffee we got talking about the recent posts we have filed about shipping containers being converted into all sorts of amazing things and linked it to the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London.

Apart from her talents in keeping calm and organising everybody so your cargo containers get to where they are meant to, on time and in the right conditition, Susan is an amazing artist. It didn’t take her long to come up with these 3 simple and fun ideas.

OK. We admit none of this is very likely, but it does make the point that, as our previous posts show, 20ft or 40ft containers are very versatile - not only as a source of inspiration for Susan!

North Sea Oil Rigs had been using shipping containers for offshore accommodation for sometime when, shortly after the Falklands War, the British Army decided to rent what became known as the Coastel.  This in effect comprised of shipping containers that had been installed onto barges to provide floating accommodation - in this case in Stanley Harbour.

But there have been other examples of how shipping containers - or iso containers as they are known in the Army - have been used in the operational field.  In the Gulf War when the Allied Forces arrived in Saudi Arabia accommodation was very limited.  In fact the only shelter available was in warehouse and the shipping containers that were already in the port.  The 20ft and 40ft containers were quickly put to use as secure containers to store arms and ammunition as well as stores.  Many were converted into temporary offices and living quarters.

In Bosnia and Kosovo shipping container conversions were delivered as living accommodation, bedrooms and bathrooms to nearly all the camps.  The US Army uses similar conversions throughout Iraq today and the Australian Army even has Medical Operating Theatres in shipping containers which they move to wherever they are needed.

Who says that shipping containers don’t get everywhere?

I am often being asked to give details of size and weight of shipping containers, so I thought it would be useful to attach a table giving the details.

These are the most common sizes of used shipping containers although there are, other more specialist containers such as flat racks etc that might be of interest to some of you and which we will feature on another occasion.

Recently there has been a change in the world of shipping containers.   The scarcity of 20ft second hand containers has meant that we are beginnng to see the price of 20ft containers being the same as, or sometimes more than, 40ft containers.  This will come as a surprise to many who think that the price of containers goes up the larger they are!

20ft used shipping container

These are made of numbers of shipping containers, either 20ft or 40ft, often piled up 5 or 6 high and used as either windbreaks, enclosures or even as giant advertising hoardings.

Recently, the film Gulliver’s Travels, which is being made at Pinewood Studios, used over 80 second hand shipping containers - both 20ft and 40ft - to form a backdrop.   Covered with green cloth, the shipping containers were cheaper to use, and quicker to assemble , than the more conventional scaffolding.  

The world of drama often uses shipping containers, indeed the second series of the highly popular drama “The Wire” as based around the freight port in Baltimore.  Closer to home “Dr Who” has used shipping containers.

We have also got used to seeing walls of containers used as advertising hoardings.  Companies all across the UK are using the walls to promote their profile - often using additional container doors set into the back of the wall of containers so that they can be used for traditional storage as well.

Today is the European Team Championships for the world of athletics.  The stadium in Leira, Portugal, although traditionally constructed, is brightly coloured and made me think of shipping containers.     With the approach of the 2012 olympics maybe we should consider using shipping containers to quickly form stadiums for our athletes to practice in.   Obviously this could be taken up to the ultimate level with shipping containers converted into actual stands of seating, but at their simplest  they would provide the ideal windbreak.

Shipping Container Walls maybe the most basic of  “conversions” but they certainly have their uses!

Yesterday we discussed the process of ordering a shipping container conversion.  Today I promised that we would go through some of the options that you might want to consider when converting your container.

If the container is going to be used as an office, site accommodation or a classroom, the first thing is to insulate and line it.   The most common method of doing this is with a combination of rockwool and melamine faced board.   This produces nice smooth walls and ceilings - although you can choose to have wall paper or a painted finish if you require.   Flooring is generally placed over the existing wooden shipping container floor.  The most common is a hard wearing lino although carpet (and in particular carpet tiles) are another favourite.

10 ft office conversion

The next thing to consider is the number of windows required.   For a 20ft container the normal requirement is between 2 and 4 windows and for a 40ft 4 or 8 windows.   The windows can be double glazed and are normally 3ftx3ft with lockable steel shutters for security.  As far as access is concered it is quite common for the double shipping container doors to either be sealed off or replaced with a blank end and  personnel door put into the container - usually on one of the long sides.

Shipping containers are then ideally suited to be fitted with electrics, lighting and heating.   Specify the number of double or single sockets you require and, if possible, where they are to be located within the container.

shipping container conversion

Do remember too that it is perfectly possible to have containers joined together along the length to give additional width.   Bespoke Container Conversions are able to do this with up to 5 containers and then go up to 7 storeys high due to the strength of the corner posts of a genuine ISO shipping container.

These are just the basic alterations that you can have to a shipping container.   Plumbing, glass frontage, internal bulkheads and air conditioning are also possibilities - in fact most things are possible so don’t be afraid to ask.  And if you are looking for something temporary on a short term basis, don’t forget that standard offices and site accommodation are available on a hire basis as well.

We have been getting a lot of enquiries recently from schools asking about shipping containers for secure storage. Storage needs range from keeping bicycles safe, additional on-site storage for sports equipment to archiving school records. The requirements range from an 8ft container to a 40ft one.

What has been most marked recently though is the number of schools asking about shipping container conversions to provide classrooms either permanently or whilst a major redevelopment project is being undertaken. Obviously, whilst standard considerations apply to this sort of conversion such as insulation, windows, personnel doors, heating and lighting, special consideration has to be taken into account as the containers are going to be used by children. This affects lighting for example which has to be of a higher tamper proof variety than that installed in, say, a standard office conversion. Anti slip flooring is also important.

CS Shipping Containers also tries to arrange deliveries of either storage containers or the classroom shipping container conversion to fit in with the school time table. Often we deliver first thing in the morning before school starts in order to create as little inconvenience and to reduce any safety risks that may be incurred when children are around.

I get asked about once a month about burying shipping containers - either because of disguising them so they don’t stand out in the countryside or for the insulative properies that this will bring.  This week, for example, I got asked for advice about building bunker camping shelters made out of 10ft containers that would be buried at various points in the Yorkshire Dales.   Whatever the reason it is important that although shipping containers will support an enormous amount of weight directly on top (as we have seen in a previous post when shipping containers were used to support a bridge in Utah), this is only if this weight is placed over the load bearing iso corners.  The top and the sides of the shipping container are prone to flexing otherwise and this means that the roof can, and will, eventually collapse.  So at the risk of being boring and giving you more information than you would ever want to know about how to bury a shipping container safely I am going to outline one method of doing this safely just in case you have your own shipping container conversion in mind that would need this sort of information!

Let us take as an example a 40ft container that we want to almost completely bury.   First of all dig a hole.   This should be 16ft wide, 55ft long and at least 6ft deep.   Any hole this large is going to fill with water so a sump or a trench needs to be dug before lining the base and 2ft up the sides with heavy duty foundation plastic.  A french drain with an integral silt shield should be put in the bottom of the hole, staked into place so it does not go under the corners or the edge of the container.   Secure the plastic within 6″ of the sides with t-posts before covering the base with 6″ of gravel.

If you are not completely exhausted by this stage, the shipping container can now be placed on top of the gravel in the centre of the hole, making sure it is level.   To support the sides and top of the iso container a barricade needs to be built all around.  This can be in the form of gabion or hesco baskets filled with rocks or sand or, providing that they do not touch the container itself,  walls of tyres filled with sand.   These need to be built up so they stand proud of the container top and can support heavy timber crossbeams and a false  “roof” covered with another layer of plastic so that the container can be completely buried.  At the door end of the container protect the doors by building a wooden post frame around them so they can open easily whilst the surround can be appropriately disguised if required.

All of this proves that burying a shipping container for whatever container conversion you have in mind is not a task lightly undertaken.   It takes a vast amount of work but, if done properly, is well worth the effort.   Should you be inspired to have a go, let me know how you get on.