Container paperwork leans heavily on shorthand, and different suppliers often use different terms for the same thing. These are the definitions we work from when we prepare a quotation. If a term in your documents is not clear, this page is the reference we would point you to.
The same container. GP stands for General Purpose and DV for Dry Van. Both name the standard 20' × 8' × 8'6" dry container, ISO type 22G1. Different trade vocabularies, one box.
The same container. HC (High Cube) and HQ are two abbreviations for the 40' × 8' × 9'6" dry container, ISO type 45G1. HQ appears more often in Asian trade correspondence, while specification sheets usually print HC.
The ISO 6346 type code for a 20FT standard dry container. First digit: length (2 = 20ft). Second digit: height (2 = 8'6"). G1 means general purpose with passive vents.
The ISO 6346 type code for a 40FT standard dry container. 4 = 40ft length, 2 = 8'6" height, G1 general purpose.
The ISO 6346 type code for a 40FT high cube. 4 = 40ft length, 5 = 9'6" height, G1 general purpose. This is the 40HC / 40HQ.
The international standard defining container external dimensions and gross-weight ratings. A box built to ISO 668 fits every ship cell guide, chassis and crane in the world.
The standard defining construction and testing requirements for general-cargo containers: the stacking, racking, floor-strength and weatherproofness tests a design must pass.
The weight of the empty container itself. A new 20FT standard tares around 2,110 kg and a 40HC around 3,580 kg. It is stamped on the door and stated with a ±2% build tolerance.
The maximum cargo weight the container may legally carry: max gross weight minus tare. Also called net load.
Max Gross Weight: container plus cargo, the rating on the CSC plate. For modern dry containers of every length it is typically 30,480 kg / 67,200 lb.
Shipper-Owned Container versus Carrier-Owned Container. A COC belongs to the shipping line: you borrow it for one move and pay demurrage or detention if you hold it too long. An SOC is your property, free to use as storage or export equipment, with no lease charges attached. Everything sold on this site is SOC.
A new-build is fresh off the production line. A one-trip is a new-build that carried a single revenue cargo on its delivery voyage, which is how it crossed the ocean without an empty freight bill. Structurally the same box, with minor handling marks at most.
Cargo Worthy versus Wind & Water Tight, the two common used-container condition grades. CW means structurally fit for international shipping and able to pass survey. WWT means weatherproof and sound for storage but not certified for shipping. Every new-build and one-trip unit exceeds both.
The International Convention for Safe Containers (1972). The CSC plate riveted to the door records that the design was type-tested under a classification society and the unit individually surveyed. Without a valid plate, no shipping line will carry the box.
The carrier's charge when their container sits inside the terminal beyond the free days, typically while waiting to be picked up after discharge. It applies to COC equipment. Owning SOC removes the carrier's demurrage clock, though terminal storage tariffs can still apply.
The carrier's charge when their container is kept outside the terminal beyond free time, at your warehouse for example. Like demurrage, it is a COC matter. An SOC has no return deadline to breach.
The delivery method where a new container's first voyage carries paying export cargo toward the buyer's destination. The cargo owner pays the ocean freight, the buyer pays the container and inland haulage from the discharge port, and the unit arrives as the buyer's property, one trip old.
Missing a term you keep running into? Email [email protected] and we will add it. This page grows from real buyer questions.