All You Need to Know About 20’ GP Shipping Containers

Rivka Vurkana
4 min readDec 26, 2022

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One of the most popular and efficient means of cargo transports across the globe is sea containers. There are many specific types of shipping containers, one of the standard types is the 20 feet GP (general purpose) shipping container. Their compact design supports the transport between rails, trucks, ships, and any port handling equipment seamlessly. To start with, we need to gain better knowledge and comprehension in the main distinction of the 20 ft GP shipping containers among the other size preferences, what are the benefits and advantages of picking out the 20’ GP shipping containers to be your most suitable option, their functions, what are they made of, specifications, along with the features or add-ons that are included in the containers.

What Exactly is a 20’ GP Shipping Container?

A 20 feet general purpose shipping container is also known as a standard container for its size and volume. This type of shipping container has a total length of 20 feet measured from the front edge to the other end, with an external height of 8'6'’ (2,6m). It is made of maritime-grade corten steel. Corten steel is an alloy consisting of steel and other metals, known as one of the high-strength steel. Alongside the durability, they require low maintenance and take longer time to rust, which is very ideal for shipping containers where they need to be resistant under any weather and circumstances. The 20 ft GP shipping container has corrugated or ridged walls topped with sturdy roof, and furnished with concrete plywood floor.

The 20’ GP type of shipping container is a divine choice to transfer goods and materials across the sea, a good investment for their longevity and economical reason.

20’ GP Shipping Container Specifications

The 20 ft GP shipping container has some detailed specifications with a length, width and height of 20’ x 8’ x 8,6’. This type of shipping container is able to accommodate 1,171 cu ft of volumes with 4,585 lbs of tare weight and a maximum freight of 62,615 lbs. The 20’ gp shipping container is common to deliver a range of goods, like industrial equipment, raw materials, apparel, to vehicles like cars or bikes. Shipping containers are a considerable choice for a long term investment. When no longer used, the standard containers still hold a functional or price value to be converted into business spaces or extra storages when needed with less hassle.

Features and Add-ons

This type of dry container is also equipped with some additional features like the extra air vents, forklift pockets, plywood floor, lashing rings, and easy open doors. The small extra air vents on both sides of the shipping containers are functional for proper ventilations in removing excess moisture from the air. Shippers would not have to worry about rotting goods as well since the ventilated shipping container helps maintain a balanced temperature. Plywood flooring is also a durable choice which is easy to install on any type of platform. It is a composite building material that is made of thin layers of wood veneer, a suitable element to be a container flooring. The other features like forklift pockets and lashing rings are also helpful for transporters moving the containers from rails to trucks, to lift from lands to ships, and to secure the applications.

Considering a 20’ GP Shipping Container

Compared to air, road and rail freight, sea containers hold the advantage of transporting over long distances with still an affordable rate. Sea containers are also relatively sustainable for delivering goods internationally, which makes it an ideal choice to transfer in big volumes. The type of materials that are efficient to be transported using sea containers are petroleum products, crude oil, chemical industry products, condensed gas or livestocks. Also many types of market industry like garments, electronics, vehicles, or building equipment.

All in all, there are the pros and cons of each shipping alternative. Sea containers work best when you are a regular shipper who delivers materials or goods in big volumes and not relatively in need of express transfers. More valuable goods that need short shipping times like documents, urgent goods, or high value commodities may work better using the shipment option like air freight.

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