Reference
40' Refrigerated
The standard reefer. Full internal dimensions, door opening, capacity and weights below.
- Inside length
- 11.840 m
- Inside width
- 2.286 m
- Inside height
- 2.120 m
- Door width
- 2.286 m
- Door height
- 2.195 m
- Capacity
- 60 m³
- Tare weight
- 3850 kg
- Max cargo weight
- 26630 kg
About the 40' Refrigerated
The forty-foot reefer, which moves the bulk of the world's temperature-controlled trade in fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy.
Most units are high-cube externally, recovering some of the internal height the insulation takes. As with the twenty-foot version, capacity sits noticeably below that of an equivalent dry box.
Airflow matters as much as the setpoint. Chilled air is delivered under the floor and has to return over the top of the cargo, so the load must be stowed to let it circulate and must stay below the marked load line — packing tight to the walls or above that line will stop the unit holding temperature.
What it carries
How it is built
- Insulated panels — typically polyurethane foam injected between steel skins — carried on a standard steel container frame.
- An integral refrigeration unit built into one end, running on three-phase power drawn from the vessel, the terminal, a road genset or a rail supply.
- A T-bar or deep-grooved floor, so chilled air delivered under the cargo can travel the length of the box and return through the top.
- A lined interior, usually stainless steel or aluminium, that can be washed down between cargoes.
- A control panel carrying the setpoint, supply and return air temperatures, and on modern units a data logger.
- External dimensions meet ISO standards, so the unit drops into a ship's cell guides exactly like a dry box.
- The floor is gratinged so chilled air can travel underneath the cargo, and the side walls are corrugated so it keeps moving there too. Stowing on pallets opens a further air channel.
- At least 12 cm of clear space must be left above the cargo for the air to return, and the maximum load height is marked on the side walls.
- As well as holding temperature, the unit can exchange fresh air to vent the carbon dioxide and ethylene that fruit gives off.
- Both supply and return air temperatures are measured, and the display sits on the outside of the unit so operation can be checked without opening the doors.
- High-cube reefers are favoured for light, voluminous cargo such as fruit and flowers.
- Chilled meat is sometimes carried hanging, on hook rails fitted to the ceiling.
Why it is used
- Holds a chosen setpoint anywhere from deep frozen to chilled, independent of outside conditions.
- Handles and stacks exactly like a dry box, so no special terminal equipment is needed beyond a power point.
- Onboard logging means the temperature history travels with the cargo and can be produced on delivery.
- Some units offer controlled or modified atmosphere, extending the shelf life of fresh produce on long voyages.
What to check before booking
- Insulation and machinery both consume space, so internal dimensions and capacity fall well short of a dry container.
- Power must be continuous through the whole journey, including terminal dwell and the inland legs.
- Cargo has to be stowed so air can circulate; packing tight to the walls or above the red load line will defeat the unit.
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