Container Floors—A Close-Up Look
During this time of spring showers (and flurries!), container deliveries are being halted by soaked, soft ground. But it also gets you thinking about that container floor. You want a nice, dry container, but exactly how does that work with container floors? Today we’re going to explore that in more detail.
Container flooring is made up of two basic parts—steel cross-member supporting the floor and a wood floor. The combo makes for a super strong and very watertight floor to your container.
Steel cross-members span the width of the container. They are spaced out about every 4-6". They are about 5" high. This framework to the flooring gives it strength. A 20' container weighs 5,000 pounds, but it can hold 62,000 pounds. That is more than you are allowed to drive down a highway without a special permit.
Marine-grade plywood is screwed into the cross-members. Marine-grade plywood is plywood that has been treated to make it more waterproof and insect-proof. Also, an additional coat is put on the bottom of the wood to create even more of a moisture barrier. The plywood is ¾" thick.
The end result is that you have a nice, strong floor that will stay dry even if there is moisture under the container. However, if your flooring should wear out, it is also easy to replace. Unscrew the section that needs replacing (or even part of a section that needs replacing) and screw in a replacement piece.
Container flooring pulled up from cross-members and forklift pocket. The flooring is held above it so you can see the moisture barrier on the underside of the wood.
Container floor pulled up on a 40' by the steel plated end
In this new container, you can see where the lines were drawn to tell workers where to screw the floor into the cross-member.
You may have to walk through wet ground to get to your container in the spring and fall, but at least once you’re in there, it will be nice and dry.