Should the load rating be read as static or dynamic?

Both, and neither replaces the other. Static rating covers a case standing under a stack, dynamic rating covers lifting and transport peaks. Check tier counts against the static one and fork work against the dynamic one.

How many tiers can a shipping case take?

Calculate rather than guess. Loaded weight times tiers minus one must sit under the top-face rating with one tier spare. Manual warehouses run two or three tiers, racked pallets four.

Do I need casters on the base?

Follow the route. Flat indoor floors reward casters, while full-pallet work is faster on a flat base, where casters block the fork. Never fit both.

Can forklift pockets and lifting points share one detail?

Not advised. Pockets take horizontal thrust and vertical lift, lifting points take an angled pull. Sharing the detail forces heavy local thickening. ---

Shipping Case Selection: Load, Stacking, Forklift and Lifting

Quick answer: Start a shipping case selection with total weight, not dimensions. Weight sets the base structure, tier count and lifting hardware, while dimensions only fill in what those limits allow. Add shell mass, equipment mass and liner, apply a dynamic factor, then check foot contact area, top-face rating, fork entry height and lifting capacity. If any of those checks fails, redistribute the load or change the base rather than ordering a larger case.

Shipping case selection: start with total weight, not dimensions
Base structure: feet and pallet fit
Stacking: top-face geometry and tier checks
Forklift apertures and lifting points
Dimensions and pallet modules
FAQ

1. Shipping case selection: start with total weight, not dimensions

A shipping case carries load through contact area, not through a datasheet figure. Forty kilos over half a square metre presses half as hard as the same mass over a quarter. Sizing by height alone yields a case that fits the space and dents at the base.

Close-up of a black case corner, foam pressed to the ribbed wall

Build total weight from shell, equipment and liner, then apply 1.5 for manual handling or 1.3 for pallet work. Foam, dividers, straps and casters all count, and a thick set can add fifteen kilos. Compare the result with foot contact area and the top-face rating before choosing a size.

2. Base structure: feet and pallet fit

The base decides which floors a shipping case can sit on and who moves it. A flat bottom suits pallet support, feet suit fork entry, casters suit indoor runs. Fitting two raises the centre of gravity and steals the clearance a fork needs.

Grey case opened empty, interior lined with a single flat foam sheet

Foot height must clear fork thickness plus ten millimetres and the entry tilt. Below a hundred millimetres, forks scrape the floor and shear the foot root. Put feet under corners and long-side midpoints, and keep the bottom flat enough to sit level on a pallet.

3. Stacking: top-face geometry and tier checks

Tier count follows the rated load on the top face, not the impression that a shipping case looks solid. Loaded weight times tiers minus one must stay under that rating. Keep one tier in reserve for ramps and off-centre loads.

Two grey cases stacked on a timber pallet, upper base bosses dropping into the lower lid recesses

Top-face geometry handles alignment and slip together. A recess mated to a boss stops movement but leaves only a ring of contact, while flat anti-slip ribs carry more area. Mixed stacks follow the smaller contact face, and the projected centre stays inside the middle third.

4. Forklift apertures and lifting points

Forklift apertures and lifting points are the only load paths built into a shipping case for machinery. Pockets run along the entry direction with the centreline over the projected centre of gravity. Offset pockets load one fork and tip the case in a turn.

A forklift fork entering the moulded pocket in the case base, a bolted lifting plate and castors below

Lifting points sit in a four-point pattern with the line between them above the centre of gravity. Dropping the sling angle from sixty to thirty degrees adds seventy per cent to each leg. Fit metal inserts, and keep entry depth at two thirds of fork length.

5. Dimensions and pallet modules

Dimensions are calculated, then aligned to a module. Add two cushion layers for internal size, twice the wall plus rib height for the envelope, then round to the pallet module and absorb the remainder in the liner. Always round up, never down.

Step	Basis	Error
Internal size	Equipment plus cushion	Cushion counted once
Envelope	Internal plus two walls	Ribs left out
Footprint	Outer length by width	Feet ignored
Module	1200 by 1000, 1200 by 800	Odd size wastes corners
Stack height	Tiers plus pallet	Pallet missed

Two formats dominate, 1200 by 1000 and 1200 by 800 mm. A case sized to an exact fraction of either fills the pallet without dead corners. Odd sizes look generous inside and cost at loading and at the rack.

Release checks:

Weight includes liner and fittings
Foot height exceeds fork thickness
Top rating exceeds the stack load
Pocket centreline passes the centre
Lifting points are symmetrical

Conclusion

Work in this order: total weight, base structure, tier check, fork and lifting detail, then pallet module. Weight runs through all five, so a failed check returns you to the load.

This article covers container-side specifications and design implications only.