Introduction to Open Top Containers
The basic structure of shipping containers is much more significant than what many people may think. That’s because factors such as the safety of goods being carried, the quantity of goods that can be accommodated, and others depend heavily on it. Essentially, there are several types of cargo containers. One of the more commonly used ones are open top containers. These containers have a unique structure that, as the name implies, features an open top that can be covered by a tarpaulin. An open top container is used to transport large goods that cannot be accommodated in regular-sized containers. The open top structure also allows easy passage of air and good ventilation for goods placed inside the container. These are just some reasons organizations may opt for open top containers instead of conventional ones. The goods stored in open top containers can be accessed either through the open top or through doors on either end of the container.
Why do you need an Open Top Container?
Goods that are about to be shipped can come in a plethora of sizes and shapes. So, inserting such goods in standard containers may prove to be restrictive and ultimately damaging for them. To prevent this, open top containers are used. These containers not only simplify the carriage of different kinds of cargo but also make the loading and unloading of goods much more streamlined, practical, and safe. Most importantly, such containers also help shippers with greatly reducing the time that is required for the logistics process to be completed. As time is an invaluable resource in trade and the maritime shipping industry, open top containers provide the ideal solution to save time during complicated shipping procedures.
Uses of an Open Top Container
Businesses that frequently transport oversized, heavy, and immobile loads and objects can consider using open top containers. Apart from this, such containers also aid visibility and mobility while being used to transport goods for which technical expertise is required. If the personnel or drivers are not available for transporting such goods over long distances, even then the visibility and ease of loading and unloading in such containers make them safe for transportation. Generally, open top containers are used to carry wires, large cranes, debris, long steel bars of varying width and thickness, large quantities of scrap material, ore, coal, and similar other minerals, large tree trunks, large and heavy construction components for building swimming pools, high-rise towers, or mini open-air gyms.
Like all other types of shipping containers, open-top containers are used both for transportation of goods over large distances or the storage of goods in one secure place.
Common features of Open Top Container
As stated earlier, open top containers normally have a tarpaulin to cover the open top instead of a solid metal or plastic roof. Therefore, large cargo, or machinery can be loaded from the top in such containers. For greater flexibility, such containers also use end doors. Apart from these differentiating factors, open-top containers are similar to standard ones.
Types of Open Top Container
Although multiple classifications may be available, open-top shipping containers, in general, have two well-known classifications — hard top open-top containers and soft-top open-top containers. Hard top containers have a detachable hard roof made out of steel, aluminium, or other metals or alloys. Using a crane, transporters can remove this roof to open the top of the container.
On the other hand, soft-top open-top containers contain tarpaulin-covered roofs. This protective covering is installed using lashing rings or heavy eyelets. Businesses using such a container can even change this covering material to plastic sheets, canvas, or other durable and element-resistive clothing material. If the size of a given cargo is larger, then the size of the material can be customized to be larger as well.
Open Top Container Specifications and Dimensions
Knowing what sizes an open-top container is available for use is key to making the right choice for shipments. Usually, open-top containers can be classified into two types: 20-foot and 40-foot units. Here are individual specifications of each type:
In certain cases, shippers may want to customize the size or weight carrying capacity of the container, thereby changing these standard dimensions specified above.
Benefits of Open Top Container
As stated earlier, goods meant for international or domestic trade come in a whole variety of sizes, shapes, and weights: large, small, wide, long, heavy, fragile, light. Therefore, shipping containers must also be flexible enough to accommodate all these variables. Open-top containers offer this flexibility to shippers. In other words, using open-top containers enables users to move forward with even the most oddly-sized or heaviest goods possible. The sheer range of items that can be transported is a huge positive for shippers in maritime or any other kind of trade. Some of the items that can be shipped or stored using an open-top container are construction vehicles, large machines, ore, rocks, minerals, and construction debris.
Easy loading and unloading of goods are also huge positives that open-top containers provide.
Also Read: TEUs [Twenty Foot Equivalent] Containers in Shipping & Logistics
How to Choose the Right Open Top Container
Safety is the topmost priority while choosing an open-top container. Therefore, one must check the structural integrity of the container to evaluate how safely it can fit goods. Reputed logistics companies provide to-be-users with details and stats to confirm the structural and safety integrity of their open-top container. The unit with the highest safety levels must be chosen for the purpose. Structural integrity also is useful to check how much stress a given container can take, given that most containers are stacked one upon the other during transportation.
Internally, things such as padding and other element proof measures need to be checked for ensuring the safety of goods from bacteria or other decay-causing elements. Shippers must make sure that rust or decayed areas are not there within an open-top container. They must ensure that the transporter provides facilities for fumigation to ensure that. Finally, businesses must make the choice regarding hardtop, soft-top, and choice of cover for the roof of the container.
Apart from these, businesses will need to see if the container fulfils their other prioritized criteria that will be essential to their shipping or storage operations.
