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Will this frame fit a container?

The freight cost cliffs in heavy fabrication are geometric and steep. A frame 2,300 mm wide travels in a standard box; at 2,450 mm it goes on a flat rack and the bill can double. Check before the design is frozen, not after.

Internal dimensions vary a little by owner and build year. Treat the result as a design check, then confirm the exact box with your forwarder before committing.

Cheapest option that fits

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The cost cliffs, in order

Standard 40 ft is the cheapest way to move a frame by a wide margin.High cube gives you 300 mm more height for almost nothing — use it.Open top costs a modest premium and lets the part be craned in from above rather than pushed in, which matters for anything that cannot sit on a forklift.

Flat rack is the first real step up in cost, and the part is exposed to weather and salt for the whole voyage — which makes the coating and masking specification a great deal more important. Breakbulk is a multiple of container freight with less frequent sailings and specialist handling at both ports.

When a part sits just over a limit, a bolted split into two sub-assemblies that each fit a standard box frequently costs less to ship than one piece costs to move at all. The joint design that keeps the stiffness is inbolted or welded machine frame construction, and the full freight picture is inshipping a ten-tonne machine frame.

One thing this tool cannot check: the road leg at your end. Container road weight limits are usually well below what the box itself can carry, and a permit, a route survey or an escort is discovered late far more often than it is planned.

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Free to quote, reference or link with attribution. The calculation method is stated above so it can be checked rather than taken on trust.