A container is a standardised steel intermodal transport unit, most commonly in twenty-foot or forty-foot lengths, used to move food and agricultural goods by sea, road or rail, with dry and refrigerated variants serving different cargo requirements.
In trade practice
Before loading food products, the container must be inspected for cleanliness, structural integrity, absence of odours and freedom from pest activity; a container inspection report is often required by buyers. Reefer containers maintain a set temperature throughout transit and must be pre-cooled before loading frozen goods. A common error is loading a reefer that has not reached the required temperature, causing partial thawing of the outer product layers. Container and seal numbers are recorded on the bill of lading and packing list, forming part of the shipment’s traceability documentation.
In a specification
Shipping contracts and letters of credit specify the container type, required pre-cooling temperature for reefer units, and that the container number and seal number must appear on all transport documents.