How often should the gasket on a mortuary transfer case be replaced?

Answer: At 24 months or 500 disinfection cycles, whichever comes first. Past 60 Shore A the compression set passes 25% and adjusting latches only delays the leak.

Why rate the case at 250 kg rather than the full 300 kg?

Answer: 250 kg covers the 200–300 kg band while four handles at 300 kg keep a 20% margin. At 300 kg the bolts move to M10 and the empty weight breaks the two-person lift.

Does a UN mark mean the case meets UN 3373?

Answer: No. UN 3373 runs under IATA 650, which asks for a rigid outer passing a 1.2 m drop but no specification mark; a marked package is tested to Class 6.2 and belongs to Category A.

Can the stainless tray be dropped and the plastic interior used alone?

Answer: It can, at a cost in drainage. A 304 tray at 0.8 mm with a 3° fall and a φ25 mm drain empties in about 40 seconds; a moulded interior needs that slope in the tool. ---

Mortuary Transfer Case: Sealing and Rules

Quick answer: A mortuary transfer case seals only when three numbers agree: 25%–30% gasket compression, a 250 kg load rating and a shell rigid enough for a 1.2 m drop.

Two Sealing Barriers on a Mortuary Transfer Case
Load Rating and the Ergonomics of Lifting
Cleaning Chemistry and Surface Finish
What the Transport Rules Ask of the Shell
Dimensions, Casters and Loading Fit
FAQ

1. Two Sealing Barriers on a Mortuary Transfer Case

A seal is not one strip of rubber. A mortuary transfer case moves from a 4 °C cold room to a 35 °C apron, a 30 °C swing in pressure and humidity no single gasket absorbs alone.

The first barrier is the primary gasket, silicone or EPDM, 8 mm cord, compressed 25%–30% at closure. Below 20% it cannot spring back through a cold swing and opens a 0.2 mm gap; above 35% the 180 N closing force wears the latches first.

The second is a 3 mm labyrinth rib on the lid edge, offset against the body groove. Liquid clearing the gasket still travels an 18 mm folded path, and that path holds at a 30° tilt.

A 0.6 mm vent membrane between them opens at 15 kPa and closes below 3 kPa. Ground pressure at a high-altitude airport falls to about 65 kPa, and without the vent that difference lifts the gasket.

Leak testing runs 20 kPa for 3 minutes at 0.5 kPa drop, 0.8 kPa after a wash-down. Water on the sealing face freezes in 10 minutes at -20 °C and lifts the gasket 0.3 mm.

2. Load Rating and the Ergonomics of Lifting

Load is a structural limit and a human one. The rating is 250 kg, covering the common 200–300 kg band, with 6 ribs on the long underside, 12 mm tall and 8 mm wide.

Ribs running the full length and tightening to 4 within 150 mm of each end hold deflection to 3 mm after 24 hours at full load; short cross ribs reach 9 mm and open a gap under the tray.

Four corner handles are rated 75 kg each, 300 kg in total and a 20% margin, on a through-bolted steel core in a PP overmould with M8 bolts at 12 N·m. Clearance is 35 mm, enough for a full grip in 3 mm gloves.

Mortuary transfer case in blue, four units stacked on warehouse racking, one open on a pallet with grey foam and metal rings inside

3. Cleaning Chemistry and Surface Finish

Disinfectant is the main chemical load. Mortuary rooms wipe with sodium hypochlorite at 5000 ppm, 0.5% available chlorine, a 1:10 dilution of 5% bleach; some sites use 70% ethanol.

PP copolymer takes 500 wipes in hypochlorite with gloss loss but no cracking, while ABS cracks along the weld line at 200 cycles and at 0.2 mm deep that crack is a liquid path.

The tray in a mortuary transfer case is 304 stainless, 0.8 mm, flanged 15 mm to a 40 mm lip, with a 3° fall and a φ25 mm drain at the low point.

Material	5000 ppm hypochlorite	70% ethanol	2000 ppm peracetic acid	Where used
PP copolymer	500 cycles, no crack	300 cycles, gloss loss	200 cycles, bloom	Shell, tray frame
ABS	Cracks at 200	Bloom at 150	Cracking at 100	Not recommended
304 stainless	1000 cycles, no pitting	No visible effect	500 cycles, dulling	Tray, hinge pin
Silicone gasket	800 cycles, +5 Shore A	No visible effect	400 cycles, 3% swell	Primary seal

The exterior stays untextured at 0.05 mm grain with radii at R5.

4. What the Transport Rules Ask of the Shell

Transport rules address the package. UN 3373 covers Category B and UN 2814 Category A, a full grade apart: B runs under IATA Packing Instruction 650 and A under 620. Only the public framework is cited here, and no plant claim is implied.

Instruction 650 asks three things: a rigid outer surviving a 1.2 m free drop without leakage, a flat marking surface, and space for absorbent and cushioning.

The drop lands on corners, not faces: five positions, one drop each, and below 3 mm corner wall thickness the first failure is a split, which is why bumpers are separate parts.

A mortuary transfer case built for Category A needs UN specification packaging marked for Class 6.2, with a test report and mark sequence applied by a qualified packaging manufacturer; buyers should ask for the report, not a promise.

A 120×80 mm panel stays flat behind a 10 mm rib-free border so labels never bridge a rib, at Ra 1.6 μm. There is no window and no clear lid.

Mortuary transfer case in olive green, open on a steel bench, egg-crate foam in the lid, bags in the compartments, scuffed shell

Framework	Category	What it asks of the shell	Document to request
UN 3373 with IATA 650	Category B	Rigid outer, 1.2 m drop, panel	Drop test record
UN 2814 with IATA 620	Category A	Spec packaging, 6.2 mark	Report and mark sequence
General air freight	Non-dangerous	Size and stacking fit	Packing list, weight

5. Dimensions, Casters and Loading Fit

Size follows the loading unit. A 2100×700×620 mm envelope at 0.9 m³ will not enter an LD3 unit load device, internal width 1500 mm, so air freight uses a 3180×2440 mm PMC pallet, three cases across.

Casters are φ100 mm solid PU, two fixed and two swivel with brakes; below 75 mm they stall on a 20 mm threshold, above 125 mm the centre of gravity climbs.

Each wheel is rated 100 kg, 400 kg total, a 60% margin. The empty case stays under 32 kg; past 40 kg the two-person share breaks the 60 kg line.

Conclusion

The order for a mortuary transfer case is seal, load, compliance. Fix 8 mm cord at 25%–30% compression with the 3 mm rib and the 15 kPa vent, and the shell has a stable sealing baseline; arrange 6 ribs and four 75 kg handles for a 250 kg rating; align the structure with the 1.2 m drop of IATA 650, and the 120×80 mm panel survives inspection.

This article covers the container (case) side only: specifications and design meaning, with no instruction on handling, loading or use of contents.