10 Most Common Types of Containers: Sizes and Purposes

October 28, 2024

Few products are as important to the logistics industry as shipping containers. It is estimated that, across the entire global maritime fleet, there are well over 30 million containers in operation. All of which are constantly traversing the world to ensure consumers everywhere have the goods they need.

Not surprisingly, given the sheer volume of shipping containers, these often come in various shapes and sizes. Some are designed to replicate specific climates and humidity while others are meant to carry oddly shaped cargo in massive container ships.

To better understand the diversity of shipping container types and their importance, we at Auba put together a quick guide of the ten most common types of containers.

1. Dry Container

Red and blue dry shipping cointaners lined up for shipping

Dry containers are, by far, the most common form of container in the world—that is why they are also known as “general purpose containers.” In general, dry containers can be thought of as the standard image of a shipping container: a metallic recipient with rectangles as its length and squares at its width. They have a single door in one of its shorter sides meant to allow shippers to place and remove cargo at ease.

These containers lack any form of temperature or humidity control, so they are frequently used to transport non-perishable goods. Think of general consumer products like tools, electronics, or personal stationary.

Dry containers are further classified based on their length. The standard container is the 20ft dry container, which, as its name suggests, has a length of 20ft—coincidentally, these containers are used as a unit of measurement known as a TEU (or twenty-foot equivalent unit), which represents the number of 20ft containers in a vessel. But there are also 40ft containers (often measured in a similar unit: the forty-foot equivalent unit or FEU) that are double in length of a TEU and 10ft containers that are half of the length.

2. Flat Rack Containers

Empty blue flat rack container lined up with shipping other types of shipping containers

Flat rack containers consist of a flat surface that is equal to the one of a dry container, and two walls in the shorter squared sides of the container. Meaning, the sides and top of the container have been removed.

By and large, flat rack containers are used for larger and heavier cargo that might not first fit into a standard container with ease. As a result, these are most commonly used to transport machinery or heavy equipment, as well as many types of vehicles.

3. Open Top Containers

Blue top open container with big industrial size inside

Open top containers are similar in dimensions to a dry container but differ in that they have a removable top. This allows shippers to transport cargo of heights that don’t often fit into traditional shipping containers, such as specialized machinery or large tires. They also allow companies to load cargo from above that might otherwise not be able to enter a container through their small doors. These containers, much like dry containers, also come in the standard 20 and 40 ft sizes—both of which have the same height.

4. Open Side Container

Yellow open side container ready to be shipped

Open side containers have the same shape and dimensions as the standard dry containers but also have an additional set of doors on one of its elongated sides. So, instead of just having one door in one of the square sides of the containers, open side containers also have a special system of large doors on one of the rectangle-shaped sides of the container. This type of container is ideal for products that might struggle to enter a regular shipping container through one of its standard doors but still have the adequate dimensions to be transported within a container.

5. Double Door Container

Close up of a an open double door container

Double door containers are just like the standard dry container in terms of size and materials, but have one important twist. Instead of having just one door, as the standard shipping container, these containers have two on opposite sides of the container’s length. This allows companies to more easily place and remove cargo from containers. And it also makes it ideal for lengthy materials like metallic beams, that might be difficult to remove with a single door open. Given their shape, these containers are also known as “tunnel” containers.

6. Refrigerated ISO Container

Stack of three refrigerated ISO container at a port

Refrigerated ISO Containers also known as “reefers” are designed with a special temperature unit that allows companies to control conditions within the container. Namely, these containers allow shippers to set a desired temperature at which o keep the inside of the container regardless of where it will travel. So, a container traveling from the cold regions of northern Russia to the warmth of a Saudi Arabian port like Jeddah, could maintain its temperature all throughout the journey. These containers are equal in size and dimensions to dry containers, although the temperature regulating units are often visible in one of the square-shaped sides of the container, opposite to the door.

Given their capabilities, refrigerated ISO containers are often used to transport perishable goods, such as fruits, meat or other foods. They could also transport products that need to stay at a certain temperature as not to damage their functionalities.

7. Insulated Container

Close up of a black insulated container at a port with more insulated containers

Insulated containers, similar to reefers, are designed to keep certain temperatures within a container. However, on top of a temperature unit, these containers also have a layer of insulation that allows them to keep temperatures for much longer periods of time than reefers.

So, just like refrigerated ISO containers, insulated containers are commonly used to transport perishable goods. Although, since they are, by design, better suited for longer voyages, they are often employed to transport perishables with longer shelf lives besides standard types of foods and beverages.

8. ISO Tank Container

Stack of ISO tank containers inside a shipping vessel

The ISO tank container is used to transport liquid cargo through containerships, just as one would transport any other container. They consist of a cylinder suspended in a rectangle cage made of strong metal. Its external dimensions, thus, are equal to those of a dry bulk container, even if they might look very different in appearance. These are most commonly used to transport important liquids such as fuels.

9. Half Height Container

Four half height containers at a shipping port

Half height containers are made from the same materials and follow the same conventions as dry containers but have half the standard height. These containers are mostly used for valuable commodities that are short in size such as ores or stones—both of which, it is worth noting, are also quite dense.

10. High Cube Container

Stack of blue and red high cube containers ready to be shipped

High cube containers differ very slightly from standard dry containers in that they are about a foot taller—although they maintain the same length and width. They are most often seen in 40 and 45 ft sized when clients need to ship products that just barely miss the mark to be transported through more standard containers.

What They All Have in Common

Although it is true that all these containers differ in their sides and properties, they are all designed to ensure products are moved safely and efficiently across the world. A mission that aligns closely with our goals at Aba, where we are building a next generation copilot for all logistics operations through AI. Be it a reefer or a tunnel container, our app will be able to track it across land and ocean.