53ft Standard Containers

Most shipping container homes are built using either 20ft or 40ft shipping containers, a standard size agreed many years ago, and often described in terms of Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). The USA and Canada, however, have been using 53ft long containers for road and rail transport since 1989. A 53ft Standard Containers has 60 percent more volume than a 40ft container and can make a real difference to a home or office container conversion.

40ft and 53ft Size Comparison

The 40ft standard shipping container is 12.192 metres (40ft) long, 2.438 metres (8ft) wide, and 2.896 (9ft 6inches) metres high. This gives an internal volume of 75.3 cubic metres (2,660 cubic feet). The floor area is 29.724 square metres (320 square feet).

The 53ft Standard Containers is much larger inside. They are 16.15 metres (53ft) long, 2.896 metres (9ft 6 inches) high, but are 2.59 metres (8ft 6 inches) wide. This gives them a volume of over 121 cubic metres (4280 cubic feet). The floor space is 41.82 square metres (424 sq ft), giving you an extra 12.1 square metres of added floor space over the standard 40ft shipping container – that could be enough space for a toilet and shower room in your container home as well as giving you the other 40ft space for your other living arrangements.

As such, if you’re looking for extra space for your container home conversion, then you should seriously think about a 53ft container. For an idea of how much larger these are, see this video of a family trying to unload a 53ft container from a low loader truck – you will see how much longer it is than a standard 40ft container.

What are 53ft containers used for today?

When they were first rolled out in the USA, 53ft containers were built for road and rail intermodal transport across the US and Canada. Thousands of them transit the US and Canada on the road and by rail and are the container of choice for transcontinental transport because you can fit so many more goods into them relative to the 40ft container.

 

These were not designed to handle the same rigours as sea containers and the road versions, at least, should not be the ones you seek to use in building a container home. However in 2007, the container shipping line APL started using 53ft containers for the Asia Pacific route between China and the US. These were built to handle the same conditions as their 40ft equivalents, and if converting them you can expect the same long life as you would the 40ft containers used today.

Unlike the 40ft equivalents there aren’t that many sitting about, as in 2013 APL stopped taking the 53ft containers. In 2015 however, two shipping companies started using the larger boxes for routes between the US and Canada and the US and Puerto Rico. More of these containers that have been designed to be thrown about and abused by the weather are coming onto the market all the time. Where it might be difficult to get a container on a container ship, Roll On Roll Off (RoRo) ships are able to transport them around the world, for instance from the continental US to Australia. 

Converting a 53ft container?

As with their 40ft equivalents, 53ft Standard Containers can be stacked – as such you can have a multi-storey construction in much the same way as you would a 40ft unit construction. They also come as reefers, so you can deal with insulation with as much ease as you may have the reefer shipping container. They are fixed to a concrete pad or piles in just the same way – the only real difference is in the size and space you get from using them.

The costs of converting a 53ft container into a home will be broadly similar to that of a standard conversion. You can do the same container modifications to them, such as removing walls for a double width home as well as cutting holes for windows and doors.

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The History of Shipping Containers/53ft Standard Containers

What is a Standard Shipping Container?/53ft Standard Containers

A standard shipping container is a widely used and indispensable vessel made from steel to transport goods. Although it may not seem groundbreaking, most shipping containers have standardized dimensions, so it’s easy to load and unload goods across all transport modes. However, there’s a long history behind the standard shipping container, and, of course, an outstanding person.

The First Use of Shipping Containers/53ft Standard Containers

Before the first shipping containers, freight was handled manually as break-bulk cargo. Goods traveled via pick-ups from the factory to vessels, warehouses, boats, and other destinations. This method required excess handling, which caused delays, increased costs, wasted time, and proved unreliable as shipping frequency increased.

Companies first utilized shipping containers for combined rail and horse-drawn transport in Britain at the end of the 18th century. By the 1830s, railroads were carrying containers suitable for other transport modes. The U.S. Army used standard-sized small containers during WWII, which helped speed up the distribution of supplies.

The Invention of the Standard Shipping Container/53ft Standard Containers

Malcolm McLean invented and patented the first standard shipping container in the USA in 1956. Although he wasn’t an ocean shipper, he owned the largest trucking company in the country at the time. Gradually, McLean came up with how to make intermodal transportation seamless and efficient.

When McLean started his trucking company, the standard practice was to load and unload cargo in odd-sized wooden cases. As he watched dock loaders move and transfer freight, he was amazed by how inefficient this method was. McLean knew that trucking carriers and shipping companies would gain from a standardized, intermodal cargo transfer process.

Knowing it was time to change the logistics industry, McLean purchased Pan Atlantic Tanker Company with all its shipping assets. With it, he started experimenting with better loading and unloading trucks. Eventually, McLean finally came up with the standard shipping container. It’s robust, theft resistant, reliable, and easy to transfer.

In April 1956, the first container ship, the Ideal X, departed from Port Newark and successfully made its route to Houston.

Standard containers made a true revolution in freight transportation and changed international trade in a variety of ways, including:

• Increased safety: Cargo began traveling sealed and safe in shipping containers, reducing pilfering and damage on all conveyance stages.
• Reduced manual labor: Containers reduced the work required for loading and unloading, dramatically changing the character of port cities worldwide. Cranes substituted workforce, and ports evolved to accommodate larger ships and loading facilities.
• Increased efficiency: Innovation in the shipping process reduced the expense of international trade and increased its speed by significantly shortening shipping time.

Less than 35 years after McLean’s invention, container shipping transported approximately 90% of the world’s cargo. Containerization has shaped our world; it provides an opportunity for the fast and safe delivery of millions of goods daily. Undoubtedly, this invention influenced globalization and the world economy.

How Standard Shipping Containers Have Evolved/53ft Standard Containers

From 1956 to today, the standard shipping container has evolved in various ways to meet the expectations of the 21st century. Everyone wants an efficient supply chain, and modern-day shipping containers allow that. Here, we’ve highlighted the most prominent ways the standard shipping container has evolved.

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Different types of shipping containers/53ft Standard Containers

Standardization is an essential feature of the shipping container, but the design is equally important. Today, shipping containers accommodate all kinds of freight, including perishable produce and dry goods. Further examples of unique products containers are built to carry include:

• Car containers made it possible to transport multiple cars together in a safe manner.
• Refrigerated containers included refrigeration systems and allowed for transporting temperature-sensitive items, such as pharmaceutical products and food.

• Tunnel containers consisted of two sets of doors on either side of the container. Having two doors allows for a faster loading and unloading process. Most shippers use these containers when they must unload and reload their freight more than once.

Improved cargo security

No one wants to deal with stolen freight, so today’s shipping containers are built to prevent theft. Standard shipping containers are one of the most secure ways to ship your cargo, with lockability added thanks to Malcolm McLean. Shipping containers have different locks, and some even have wireless security systems.

Eco-friendly shipping

A big challenge for the shipping industry is to overcome different carbon challenges. However, the standard shipping container is one of the cleaner inventions in the shipping industry. The most crucial factor is that the containers are reusable and can last for years transporting hundreds of shipments.

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