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When youve got a less-than-container load (LCL), you might find yourself considering a 20 container. Clocking in at just about half the cubic volume of a standard 40 container, a 20 container may seem perfect for you if you cant fill a dedicated 40 one.
However, many carriers are phasing out this option, and weve got three reasons you might want to reconsider, too. Well walk you through the why in this article. Well also offer you some LCL alternatives that will not only save you money but will also save you some valuable shipping time.
Since a 20 container holds half the freight of a 40 container, you might think that a 20 container costs half as much. However, in reality, youll probably pay up to 75% of the cost of a 40 container to ship a 20 one.
1. 20 containers require special equipment and handling for loading. As a result, freight carriers charge more for this specialized service.
2. Theres more value in shipping a larger quantity. Or, to put it a different way, when you buy more, youre more likely to get a better deal. Think about the difference between buying a single can of Coke at the store compared to the cost of a six-pack. Then compare that to the cost of a 24-pack you might get at a big box store. Buying freight offers similar parallels: The more you buy, the better rates youll get.
In addition to costing more, 20 containers often move more slowly than 40 containers, especially if they need to move by rail at any point.
Freight carriers require 20 containers to move by rail in pairs. As a result, if no one else is shipping a 20 container at the same time, your container will sit in the warehouse until another comes along. This may end up delaying your shipment considerably, possibly even for weeks.
Additionally, as we mentioned, many carriers are phasing out 20 containers or discouraging their customers from using them. This means your shipment may wait even longer before the second half of its pair appears on the scene.
That being said, weve got good news when it comes to LCL shipments.
First things first: Every shipment is different. A good freight forwarder will recognize this and create a custom solution for your budget and timeline.
That being said, when we speak to our clients who are considering 20 containers, we generally offer two alternatives:
Option #1: Purchase 20 of space in a 40 container. Well bring the container to you and you can load it with 20 of freight. Then, well return it to our warehouse, backfill it with consolidated freight thats headed for the same destination and send it on its way.
Option #2: Let us handle the consolidation from start to finish. Well come to you, pick up your freight and consolidate it in our warehouse, then get it on its way once we have a complete load.
Either one will likely offer you 1) a more economical option that 2) arrives more quickly than a 20 container.
The bottom line? If youre willing to be a little more flexible around the how the logistics of your shipment, you can save yourself some time and money.
At the end of the day, your best bet is to work with an experienced freight forwarder who can share a range of options with you.
By keeping an open mind around the logistics while sharing any concerns, youll help your forwarder create the right LCL solution for you.
Wed be happy to help! If youre looking for solutions for your LCL shipments, reach out to us. Well help you explore your options to find the solution that fits your timeline and your budget.
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Confused between 20ft shipping container vs 40ft shipping container? Well, you are not alone who is puzzled by the thought. They both belong to the standard shipping container category and are universal and the most common. The shippers and the business people generally use 20 and 40ft ones as they can easily transport them using different intermodal transportation methods like the sea, air, truck, or train. They are also known as dry van containers as they carry all the dry goods. There is a reference that is set for standard measurements of these containers. The Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) is for 20ft shipping container and the Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit or FEU is for 40ft container.
How 20ft and 40t shipping containers appear different?
They both look different from each other as 20ft box is smaller than 40ft one. It is not the size that matters, the loading weight, price, and the usage of both of them are quite different from one another. They both are heavy-duty steel or aluminum boxes that can carry all the dry loads for longer periods. Mostly every different container type has them as variants, be its open top, side door, double door, or others. Though they both are made of the same metal and carry the same dry cargo, they appear distinct in the case of size and dimensions.
Now lets see the dimensional difference between both of them:
What are the dimensions of a 20ft shipping container?
The dimensions of 20ft shipping containers are:
What are the dimensions of a 40ft shipping container?
The dimensions of 40ft shipping containers are:
The 20ft and 40ft boxes are available in different container types. Lets discuss them and their dimensions one by one.
20ft vs 40ft Dry van
A 20ft dry van is an ideal cargo container that is widely in use for the transport and storage of dry loads. They are basic boxes that are sturdy, robust, and highly durable. They can work efficiently for longer periods without any issue.
Whereas 40ft dry van is bigger than 20ft and has the capacity to load more cargo than 20ft ones. They also come a bit pricier than 20ft but the build of both the maritime container is from the same metal.
The dimensions of both are:
20 feet Dry Van
40 feet Dry Van
20ft vs 40ft Pallet wide
The 40ft pallet wide containers can carry more Euro pallets in them in comparison to 20ft pallet wide containers. They are perfect for transporting goods that are fragile as they stop the goods from moving during transportation that happens due to fiction.
The dimensions of both of them are:
20ft Pallet wide
40ft Pallet wide
20ft vs 40ft Double Door
In a 40ft double door container, the loaders can fill more merchandise than a 20ft double door and can also compartmentalize the goods easily. The shipper has the access to the shipping box from both sides. So, different shippers can keep different items safely and can save their money as well.
The dimension of the containers are:
20ft Double Door
40ft Double Door
20ft Side Door
They are perfect for transporting and storing large and heavier goods. As the shippers can load the merchandise using forklifts by using the side door. It allows the free movement of forklifts with ease.
The dimension of a 20ft side door is:
20ft vs 40ft Open Top
Both the open top containers are different from each other in terms of carrying the load. The former can carry less load than the latter. And they both are good for carrying tall items that need to be put in the box with the help of a crane. They provide ease of putting protruding goods as they have a tarpaulin cover that is a strong cloth.
The dimension of both of them are:
20ft Open Top
40ft Open Top
20ft vs 40ft Hard Top Open Top
The 20ft hard top open top is known for carrying more goods than the 40ft one. They provide more security to the goods than the open top as they have removable steel cover rather than tarpaulin ones.
The dimensional difference between them are:
20ft Hard Top Open Top
40ft Hard Top Open Top
20ft vs 40ft Flat Rack
The main difference between them is that they both carry different loads of cargo. Where 40ft flat rack has the capacity of carrying the cargo in larger amounts, the 20ft ones have lesser. They are ideal for carrying large metal pipes. The shippers can stack them on one another after removing the end wall panels.
The dimensions are:
20ft Flat Rack
40ft Flat Rack
20ft vs 40ft Platform Container
The 20 and 40ft platform units are suitable for carrying over-the-gauge cargo that extends the steel shipping container. They can save one from empty container positioning as you can easily stack them on one another.
The dimension of the platform containers are:
20ft Platform Container
40ft Platform Container
20ft vs 40ft Insulated Container
They both can carry the perishable goods by maintaining the temperature inside the shipping box and are ideal for carrying temperature-sensitive goods. They are different from each other in dimension.
So the dimension of both of them are:
20ft Insulated
40ft Insulated
20ft Reefer
20ft refrigerated container can easily carry the perishable goods and keep them safe for a longer time. They can do so as they refrigeration unit that maintains the ideal temperature inside the cargo unit.
The dimension is:
20ft Bulker
They are used to transport or store goods that need bulk movement. They are ideal for moving goods like grains, coffee, malt, or other such items.
The dimension of the bulker container is:
After this, lets move to, How much can be loaded in 20ft and 40ft containers?
20ft Shipping Containers vs 40ft Shipping Containers- Major Differences
Both the containers have evident differences. Lets look at them separately.
Price Range The price range of a 40ft is more than a 20ft unit. As the loaders can keep more number of merchandise in the box in 40ft one. Weight The 40ft is heavier than the 20ft storage container. That is why 40ft cargo box can carry more weight than a 20ft one. Loading and Storage Space The 40ft shipping container is ideal for loading more goods as it has more loading space and storage space than 20ft boxes.
Thus, we see here that there is a huge difference between both of the containers. Hope now your confusion of 20ft shipping container vs 40ft shipping container is resolved. You should keep all the factors like dimensions, type, size, usage in mind so that when you go to buy, you choose the best.
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