Container Packing

Rosewood has extensive experience of container packing where bulk cargo is destined for transportation by road and sea. A container has a steel framework that is fitted-out with steel cladding and either a hardwood timber or plywood floor. The most frequently used types are an open-top style and a closed style.

Open-top containers are designed to carry heavy or irregularly shaped cargo and those that are too high for a closed container. A removable door header and roof bows enable loading to take place through the roof aperture or door using lifting equipment such as cranes and slings. Closed containers are mainly used for general cargo and loading usually takes place using a ramp or dock access to the full width doors.

Rosewood takes a strategic approach to planning how cargo is packed. We will consider the positioning, equal weight distribution and how to ensure that it remains static during transit. We will also take the maximum weight limits into account for both the UK and the country of destination. Containerised goods must be stowed tightly so that cargo movement is restricted in all directions and this can be achieved in a number of ways.  The size of the packages could, for example, be similar to the internal dimension of the container in one plane, such as the width, so that a close fit is achieved. This reduces the packing time and may negate the need for additional bracing and packing out materials that in turn reduces cost. Alternatively, if the shape and form of a cargo permits, it could be built-up in a 3-dimensional brick wall pattern. The latter has a dual purpose because it also secures cargo by locking it into place.

Where tight stowage is not possible and/or where the cargo requires restraint, one or more of the following may be applied:

• Shoring - timber battens are located in spaces between cargo to keep it pressed against walls or other cargo.
• Lashing - ropes, wires, chains, strapping or netting is secured to anchor points and tensioned against the cargo to reduce in-transit movement.
• Wedging - specialized cargo airbags are strategically positioned in spaces within the cargo to restrict movement against the surfaces of the
  container through inflation blocking.