Every shipping container that I have seen has similar labels, embossed metal plates and markings. So, I started to wonder what they all mean. It turns out, they have a lot of significant information that could help you determine which one to use for your home.
Since 1972, the CSC (Convention for Save Containers) established an international agreement to standardize the manufacturing, sizes, structural capacity, and periodic inspection to maintain safety for workers around the shipping containers. A metal CSC inspection plate with all this information is required on all shipping containers.
During the 1960’s, there was a rapid increase of shipping with containers being used in the global trade market via open waters. So, another group called the International Maritime Organization (IMO), began a study of how the safe use of shipping containers could be regulated in 1967 along with the Economic Commission for Europe.
The IMO, with the United Nations, finalized the CSC that is still being use today. To learn more about the IMO, check out their website at: (http://www.imohttp://www.imo.org/en/About/conventions/listofconventions/pages/international-convention-for-safe-containers-(csc).aspx)
In order to better understand what all the labels mean, let’s take a look at the markings of a typical shipping container that I photographed at a distributor near me.
Labels Painted on the Doors
The Owner’s Information
Since the owner is responsible for keeping the container safe by repairing anything that becomes damaged and making sure it is inspected when they are required to have it looked over, the containers will have the owner’s information prominently on the container.
It is usually found at several locations on the doors. The posting of the owner’s info will keep the owner accountable for its safe intended use. It will also help people keep track of this shipping container.
Weights, Loads, and Capacities
The container will have a list of it weight, loads capacity, and spacial capacity in both metric and British measuring units.
Gross Weight is listed as the weight of the empty container plus the maximum weight it can hold of cargo.
Tare means the weight of the empty shipping container.
Net means the weight of the cargo that can be put in the container.
Cu. Cap. means the cubic capacity of the shipping container. You get this volume number by multiplying the interior width, depth, and height of the shipping container.
The CSC Metal Plate
The plate is usually stainless steel, aluminum, or brass.
The letters on it are designed to withstand harsh environments that would include salty ocean spray, bleaching sun, and all kinds of abrasives, chemicals, and temperatures.
The companies that own the containers can be fined if they allowed the CSC metal plate to become illegible. This is because it is important for people to be able to read the plates when the container travels all over the world while being monitored for safety.
Location of Initial Inspection
On this plate, the location of its inspection is posted at the top.
I find it fascinating to imagine all of the places around the world these shipping containers have begun their voyages.
This one starts with “GB” that denotes the shipping container began in Great Britain. On others, you might see “BV” for Bureau Veritas France or “US” for United States of America.
In the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard is the top-level authority that oversees other authorities who conduct CSC testing and certification.
The Type of Shipping Container
The Type denotes the special model that a certain manufacturer has built.
Like car manufacturers, the shipping container manufacturers have several different models of various container types.
The Manufacturer Information
The manufacturer names each shipping container with this manufacturer number. The CSC classification society will often refer to each container by this number.
The Owner’s Information
The shipping container also has a name from the owner of the container.
The owner of the shipping container is usually the organization that coordinates and controls the shipping fleet. Sometimes, the owner is the same as the manufacturer.
If the owner if not the same as the manufacturer, you might see a separate address under the owner’s and manufacturer’s information.
Notice that this is the same number/letter information that was painted on the other door of this shipping container.
It makes it easier for a person to track down the shipping container with this number.
Timber Component Treatment
As pointed out in my blog about the pesticides in the wood floor of the shipping containers at https://liveinacontainer.com/are-shipping-container-home-safe-to-live-in/, the CSC plate declares what was added to the plywood or bamboo floor.
The three types of treatment commonly used are Radaleum, Basileum, or Talileum-400. This one has Radaleum in the wood “timber” flooring.
CSC Safety Approval
This part of the plate points out the date that the container was manufactured. It also repeats the manufacturer’s number of the container.
The maximum operating weight that was also posted in bold letters on the other door is listed here too. This shipping container can hold, including its own weight plus cargo, 71,650 pounds. That’s the same weight as seven school buses!
The allowable stacking load is listed. This shipping container is designed to support about five or six additional shipping containers on top of it that can weigh a total of 476,200 pounds. To follow the school bus comparison, this container is designed to support the weight cargo equal to around 47 school buses on top of it.
The reason it says 1.8 G is that the shipping container was designed to hold 80% more than the load put on it from gravity. Just as an astronaut will feel a more weight put on them when shot into space, the shipping container could receive more than gravity weight when it bobs up and down while on a ship at sea and with several other container on top of it.
Transverse Testing Rack Force
Rack force is the load the shipping container can withstand without twisting and buckling under extreme loads of having winds blowing at it from all angles while other loaded and bobbing shipping containers are bearing down on it as the ship tosses from wave to wave.
First Exam Due Date
Shipping containers are inspected after each voyage. And, they have scheduled exams. The first safety examination has to occur no more than five years after it was manufactured. Then, it has to be examined at least once every 30 months after the initial exam.
Safety examination plate has different inspection information depending on what type of periodic examination program it is set to follow.
This plate shows the next examination date (NED). Approved continuous examination program (ACEP) systems may be for ones that are leased or used by the owner. They might not have an expiration date.
Shipping containers under the ACEP system will have plates that indicate the ACEP designation, the country granting the ACEP, the year the approval was granted, and the ACEP registration number.
Here is the checklist that the shipping containers inspectors use to make sure that the cargo will safely travel in them without hurting anyone working near them. You can use it too when selecting your shipping containers for your home.
Inspection Checklist on the Outside of the Container
- No holes in the walls or the roof.
- Make sure the doors operate properly.
- The closing devices needs to operate properly. The door hardware is one of the things that often get damaged during the shipping container’s use
- All adhesive label from a previous cargo must be removed
- Stanchions are complete and fitted on the flat racks. Lashing belts are in good condition on the 40 foot flat racks.
- Roof bows are complete and fit correctly on the open-top containers
- The tarpaulins are not damaged and fit properly on top of the open-top containers. The ropes and the roof eyes cannot be missing or damaged.
- Roof is not damaged on the hard top containers. The roof locking mechanism fits and operates correctly.
- For refrigerated units and heatable tank containers, the temperature needs to maintain the correct temperatures.
Inspection Checklist Inside the Container
- Make sure that the container is watertight. The way this is examined is by having the inspector close the doors while inside the dark container. Both doors needs to close tightly. They look for light through any cracks and holes in the container.
- The inside must be complete dry of any condensation or frost.
- The container needs to be clean. There should not be any unusual odor or residues from the previous cargo that traveled in the container.
- No sharp items like nails or other protrusions exist that could damage the cargo.
We might not learn everything about the container such as where it has been and what cargo it carried. But, understanding the markings on the shipping containers can help you know more about the container you select for building your home.