FROM THEORY

SAFELY LIFTING A CONTAINER

Hundreds of thousands of containers are lifted every day. Lifting a container is however not without risks. For different reasons (limited lifting
height, limited crane capacity,…) it is often asked if a spreader is really necessary to lift a container. The answer is – in most cases – yes.

฀ WHY LIFTING A CONTAINER BY ITS TOP CORNERS,

USING ONLY A 4-LEGGED SLING, IS NOT PERMIT-
TED
A typical 4-leg sling, attached to the four top corners of the container induces com-
pression loads in the roof plane of the container, especially in the length direction.
Containers are not designed to take this compression load at the roof plane in length
direction. The actual strength of the roof varies from container to container, depending
on the manufacturer, age, size,… Therefore it is possible that several lifts are made
with only a 4-legged sling, and no particular problem is noticed. The operator is lured
into believing that this is a safe way of handling the containers. However due to this
practice, unseen damage is done to the container and every lift can lead to the instant
breaking of the container.

฀ WHY A SPREADER SHOULD BE USED BETWEEN THE

4-LEGGED SLING AND THE CONTAINER
When using a spreader like the MK-20 or MK-40, the compression load is no longer in-
duced on the roof of the container, but directly on the spreader (which is designed for
this load). The top frame of the container is thus free of compression loads.
The container is now lifted vertically, which is the only configuration for top lifting, al-
lowed by the international standard (ISO 1496).
The use of a (semi-automatic) spreader has also several other advantages, such as
quicker handling of the containers and less required operators.

฀ WHAT TO DO IF NO SPREADER IS AVAILABLE

There is still a possibility to lift a container without a spreader, using bottom lifting parts such as MK-5A or MK-5B. These parts fit the side
holes of the bottom corners of the container.
In this case, the compression load in length direction is taken by the floor frame of the container, which is a lot stronger than the roof plane.
The transverse compression load is absorbed by the crossbar. This method of lifting is also mentioned in the ISO 1496 standard.
Another advantage of this system is that the required lifting height is in most cases less than when using a spreader.

84 CONTAINER TECHNICS N.V.