BETA
Chapter 1
The birth of the box
Chapter 2
Standardizing the world
Chapter 3
Anatomy of a modern port
Chapter 4
The global supply chain web
Chapter 5
Life beyond the ship
YOUR GOAL
Master of The shipping container
Ch 2 · Standardizing the world
marcus Standardizing the world
This simple steel box, With its standard size, Made world trade boom, and goods fly!
marcus International agreements in the late 1960s locked in standard sizes to unite global trade.
marcus A simple twist-lock corner mechanism allowed different containers to lock together and be lifted safely.
Fun Fact
Twist-lock corners: The standardized corner locks on shipping containers are strong enough to hold a stack of nine loaded boxes on a rolling ship.
Glossary
standardization (noun)
The process of making something conform to a uniform scale or standard. In 1968, the International Organization for Standardization established uniform dimensions and corner fittings for shipping containers.
The process of making something conform to a uniform scale or standard. In 1968, the International Organization for Standardization established uniform dimensions and corner fittings for shipping containers.
Quiz
Who designed the highly critical twist-lock corner casting mechanism for shipping containers in 1958?
Quiz
What is the name of the locking mechanism that secures containers to cranes and to each other?
Quiz
In which decade were global container standards officially agreed upon and implemented?