Flat-Rack Container
A Flat-Rack is a container consisting of a strong base with two end walls (often collapsible) and no sides or roof. It is designed for heavy, oversized and out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo that will not fit inside a standard box — machinery, vehicles, boats, pipes, transformers, industrial equipment — loaded and secured from the top or the sides.
Flat-racks carry cargo that overhangs in width or height, lashed directly to the base, and are built to take concentrated heavy loads. Because the cargo is out-of-gauge, shipments usually require careful stowage planning, lashing and often extra slots on the vessel, and attract out-of-gauge surcharges. Flat-racks are how containerised shipping reaches project and heavy-lift cargo without going fully break-bulk.
Flat-racks bridge containerised and heavy-lift shipping: a transformer or a boat can move on a flat-rack through the container system rather than as break-bulk. But out-of-gauge cargo needs proper lashing, stowage planning and often blocked adjacent slots — so knowing when a load needs a flat-rack, and what that entails, is essential to costing and moving project cargo.
What is a flat-rack used for?
Heavy, oversized and out-of-gauge cargo — machinery, vehicles, boats, pipes and industrial equipment — that will not fit inside a standard container.
What is out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo?
Cargo that exceeds the dimensions of a standard container, overhanging in height or width, requiring special stowage, lashing and surcharges.