A structural floor with collapsible end walls and no sides or roof — the specialist container for extremely heavy, wide, or out-of-gauge cargo that won't fit inside any enclosed box.
A flat rack container consists of a heavy-duty steel floor (with lashing rings along the sides) and two end walls that can fold flat — hence the name "collapsible flat rack." There are no side walls and no roof. Cargo is secured using chains, straps, and lashing rings built into the floor.
Flat racks are used exclusively for out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo — goods that exceed the dimensions of any enclosed container. They are stowed in special positions on vessel decks, often with adjacent bays kept empty to accommodate width overhangs.
| Specification | 20ft Flat Rack | 40ft Flat Rack |
|---|---|---|
| External Length | 6.058 m | 12.192 m |
| External Width | 2.438 m | 2.438 m |
| Floor Length | 5.640 m | 11.835 m |
| Usable Floor Width | 2.220 m | 2.220 m |
| End Wall Height | 2.233 m (erected) | 2.233 m (erected) |
| Max Cargo Width | 2.438 m (standard) | 2.438 m (standard) |
| Max Cargo Height | No limit (OOG declared) | No limit (OOG declared) |
| Tare Weight | ~2,760 kg | ~5,000 kg |
| Max Payload | ~45,000 kg | ~40,000 kg |
| End Wall Type | Collapsible / foldable steel walls | |
| ISO Type Code | 22P0 / 22P1 (20ft) — 42P0 / 42P1 (40ft) | |
Construction trucks, bulldozers, harvesters, military vehicles
Large electrical transformers, generators, turbine components
Sailboats, yachts, and small vessel hulls
Beams, rails, pipes wider than 2.4m, pre-fabricated frames
Pressure vessels, industrial boilers, reactor components
Locomotive bogies, wagon components, track equipment
Flat rack cargo that extends beyond the standard container dimensions in any direction — over-width, over-height, or over-length — is classified as Out-of-Gauge (OOG). Surcharges depend on how far the cargo overhangs:
The end walls of a collapsible flat rack fold inward and flat. Five collapsed flat racks can be stacked and shipped in the same space as one standard container, significantly reducing the cost of returning empty equipment to the origin port. This makes flat racks economically viable for shipments in both directions.
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