Containers are key transportation carriers in the cross-border logistics process, and effective management is crucial. In order to facilitate the identification, management, and handover of containers in international transportation, as well as document preparation and information transmission, the International Organization for Standardization has promulgated the “Container Codes, Identification and Marking” (ISO6346-1995), this standard clearly stipulates the contents of the container, the size of the marking font, the location of the marking, etc. According to this standard, container markings can be divided into two categories: required markings and optional markings. Since “required markings” are required for all containers, let’s focus on popularizing them below.
There are two types of marks stipulated by the International Organization for Standardization: required marks and optional marks. Each type of mark is divided into identification marks and operation marks. Specifically, the container has the container owner code; the box number or sequence number, the verification number; and the container size and type code.
1. Necessary tags
1. Identification mark. It includes the box owner code, equipment identification code, sequence number and verification number.
(1) Box owner code (Owner Code). It is the three capital Latin letters registered by the container owner with the International Container Bureau. For example, one of the container owner codes of Maersk Group’s own containers is “MSK”.
(2) Equipment identification code. It is the fourth letter following the container owner code, which is used to indicate the type of container. The most common one is “U”, which is used to indicate all conventional containers. In addition, “J” means a container with a detachable container, and “Z” means a trailer and chassis for a container.
(3) Serial number, also known as “box number” or “box registration code” (Registration Code), consists of 6 Arabic letters. If the valid digit is not 6 digits, use “0” to supplement the 6 digits before the valid digit to distinguish the container from the same container owner, such as “053842”.
(4) Check the numbers. Also known as “Check Digit”, the check digit is used to verify whether the container owner code and sequence number records are accurate, and is obtained through computer processing. It is located after the sequence number and is represented by an Arabic numeral followed by a box.
2. Homework marking. It includes the following three contents:
(1) Rated weight and custom weight markings. The rated weight is the total weight of the container, and the dead weight is the empty mass (or empty weight) of the container, which should be expressed in kilograms (kg) and pounds (lb) at the same time;
(2) Air, land and water transport container markings. Due to the strength of the container, it can only be stacked in two layers. Therefore, the International Organization for Standardization stipulates a special mark for this container. The mark is black and is located in the upper left corner of the side wall and end wall. It also stipulates that the minimum size of the mark is: 127mm high and 355mm long. The font height of the letter mark is at least 76mm. ;
(3) Electric shock warning mark on the top of the box. This mark is a triangle with a yellow background and various colors. It is usually placed on tank containers and escalators at the top of the container to warn those who climb the stairs of the risk of electric shock.
2. Self-selected tags
1. Identification mark. It includes:
(1) Country and region codes, such as CN for China and US for the United States;
(2) Size and type code (box code).
2. Job marking. It includes:
(1) Super high mark, which is marked with black numbers and borders on a yellow background. This mark is affixed to the lower left corner of each side of the container, about 0.6m away from the bottom of the container, and is affixed below the main mark of the container. All containers with a height exceeding 2.6m should be labeled with this mark;
(2) International Union of Railways mark. Containers that comply with the regulations of the International Union of Railways can obtain this mark. This sign is a necessary traffic sign for transporting containers on European railways. The upper “ic” represents the International Union of Railways, and the lower numbers represent the codes of each railway company. For containers that are overweight (total weight exceeds 30.48t), a triangular overweight mark of “SUPER HEAVY” should be set.
3. Passage Marks
In order for a container to pass through or enter it for transit smoothly during transportation, the container must be affixed with various traffic signs required by regulations. Otherwise, cumbersome certification procedures must be completed, which prolongs the container’s turnover time.
The main traffic marks on the container include; safety license plate, container approval plate, insect-proof treatment board, inspection badge and International Union of Railways mark, etc.