Many manufacturing and exporting firms in Australia have customers all around the globe. To send a massive number of bulk products to the nations of these clients, these firms will need to ship the goods out. For shipping Australia and to other destinations, shipping companies utilize universal intermodal containers, often called freight, ISO, high-cube, or box containers.

An intermodal container is a reusable steel box that is utilized for secure, safe, and efficient storage and shipping of materials within a containerized intermodal freight system. In other words, no matter where the shipment goes in the globe, international ports have the facilities, vehicles, and equipment to haul, lift, carry, and transport these containers. Since there is no need to acquire special apparatus to handle intermodal containers, t ransporting them to their destinations is fast, easy, hassle-free, and affordable.

Generally, an intermodal container is constructed out of corrugated weathering steel, which withstands the harsh elements of seawater, salt air, and sunshine. At the end of each container is a pair of hinged doors. The majority of the containers are around 8 feet wide and 8 feet high. They are either 20 feet or 40 feet long. But there are taller and longer units, called high-cubes, which are around 9 to 10 feet high and 48 to 53 feet long. The United States makes use of these longer units.

Each of the 8 corners of an intermodal container has castings with openings for twist-lock fasteners. Cranes use these fasteners to carry a container, and flatbed trucks utilize them to stabilize the container on their trailers.

Intermodal containers are sturdy enough to carry a few more containers above them. In fact, they can hold up 6 more containers stacked above them. The capacity of each container is expressed in twenty-foot-equivalent unit rating, or TEU, a measure of capacity equal to a single standard 20-by-8-foot container.

There are also "pallet" wide containers, and these are 2 inches wider than standard units. They are most common in Europe to fit in Euro pallets. In the same way, Australia uses RACE containers, which are also slightly wider than standard containers, to fit in Australian standard pallets.

For international removals to Australia and other countries, contact Atlantis Overseas Removals.