20ft Open Top Shipping Container

A 20ft with a tarpaulin roof instead of a steel one, and a door header that lifts out. For anything that has to go in from above.

When the load will not go through the door

Some things simply cannot be pushed in horizontally — a machine taller than 2.3 metres, a tank, a piece of plant with an awkward centre of gravity, bulk material tipped in by loader. An open top lets you crane the load in vertically and then close the roof over it.

The removable door header is the part people overlook. It means you also get a full-height opening at the end, which matters when a load is too tall for the standard door aperture but does not need craning.

Construction

Steel roof bows span the top, and a tarpaulin fastens down over them. The tarp is weather resistant but it is fabric, not steel: a well-maintained open top keeps rain out, a neglected one does not. Check the tarp and its fixings periodically.

Common uses

Scrap and recycling. Machinery movement. Bulk aggregate and mineral handling. Project cargo. Occasionally waste management where loading is from above.

Security note

A tarpaulin roof is not a secure roof. For high-value contents stored long term, a standard container is the better choice.

Tell us the load weight as well as its dimensions when you enquire about a 20ft open top container. Payload limits catch people out more often than size does.