Open top shipping containers are just as they sound, they simply have no top on them and are constructed from corrugated steel and have a wooden floor. These containers have a few features that set them apart from regular shipping containers including bows and a tarpaulin that can be removed and the door header has the ability to be swiveled outwards. These special features in the structural composition of the container make the process of loading, shipping, and unloading the container easier. One container can be easily loaded from the top using a machine or a crane when there is no roof and the door header is moved out of the way. The roof bows are designed to provide stability to the open top container, not to only provide support for a tarp.
The open top shipping container is best suited to cargoes that are over standard height and do not fit into a regular cargo container. Many different types of overheight cargoes are shipped but some of the most common items that these containers are used for are logs and scrap metal. When an open top container is completely loaded it is often much higher than a standard shipping container and needs a unique storage space where it can be stored. Lashing rings on the sides of the container are designed to hold the load securely inside of the shipping container. Lashing rings can withstand a load that is as much as 1,000 kg. Most open top containers are around 40 feet long and are available in smaller sizes of 20 feet for smaller cargo needs. Open top shipping containers are most commonly used by disposal companies as waste bins to be left at construction / renovation sites. The bins are brought to the job site on a roll off truck deck, filled, then removed to the disposal area. They are also extremely useful for roofing jobs when old roofing materials are removed from a roof in massive volume. If there are materials that need to be recycled, these bins serve as the perfect receptacle for those so that the items can be sorted and weighed at the recycle depot. The open top shipping container is used to ship a wide range of products including pipe, cable, machinery, raw mining products, bulky cargo, logs, and construction supplies. These containers can also easily be modified for a variety of uses after their initial life as a shipping container. Many disposal and construction companies seek these types of containers for obvious reasons. People who want to use these containers for their yard or business also want them for specific reasons.
These containers are versatile for larger items so companies that want to ship large items do not need to worry about fitting a product into a certain small space. They are ideal for waste removal companies or truck transport because the large load which may often be oddly shaped can be covered with a tarp and then easily transported. Open top containers do not need modification by shipping companies or waste removal companies to make the most efficient use of them because they are already easily modified with the easy of beam removal so that the container can be filled from the top and then covered. The structure of the container is strong enough to hold a heavy load without buckling under the weight of it. Most shipping containers are designed to be moved and stacked; these open top containers are not as easy to stack because they contents are not contained in the space of the container. This means that there will be less of these types of containers on ships, but they may be overfilled to accommodate the product that is loaded into them. Open top containers have a unique design that serves a unique purpose. Most people don’t think about the fact that these types of containers are necessary for shipping larger items, but it makes sense when you consider that standard containers only hold a certain volume and these containers are designed to hold more volume of a larger product. The same cargo that fits into an open top container could not be easily loaded into a standard container easily.