How Many IBCs Fit in a Fully-Loaded 12 metres shipping container?
The dimensions of a 12.1 metres (in length) shipping container are about 2.3 metres in width, and 2.3 metres in height. The dimensions of an IBC tank vary. A 12 metres shipping container can fit:
- 1136 litre IBC tank – 106.7 cm x 121.9 cm x 109.2 cm – 36 pieces;
- 1325 litre IBC tank – 106.7 cm x 121.9 cm x 119.4 cm – 18 pieces;
- 2082 litre IBC tank – 106.7 cm x 121.9 cm x 180.3 cm – 18 pieces.
Size Range of IBCs
The shipping tanks range greatly in size, most falling between 89 cm by 89 cm and 114 cm by 114 cm. The height of the plastic and steel totes will also vary, causing significant range in litre capacity of the containers. This allows manufacturers to select shipping IBCs that hold the most litres of product or material without sacrificing space.
Optimization of IBC Containers
Manufacturers can choose or customize a tank based on dimensions to allow for high stacking of totes in shipping or storage. A larger capacity tank or tote can offer greater storage, but is often too tall to allow high stacking in a 12 meters container.
IBCs vs. Pallets
Because of its cubic shape and sturdiness, the IBC tank often beats the pallet system inefficiency, as heavily-laden pallets cannot be stacked as high. The versatility of the smaller IBC container allows manufacturers to fully optimize the space in each shipping container.
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