ConPDS · Container Documentation Glossary
Container documentation glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms that recur across container inspection, gate operations, OCR, depot management, and the documentation workflows that connect them. Use the section links below to jump to a category, or start from the free inspection tools if you need to validate a container number or prep photos.
Container identification
ISO 6346
International standard that defines the unique 11-character container number printed on every shipping container — a three-letter owner code, a one-letter equipment category identifier, a six-digit serial number, and a single check digit. The same standard governs the size and type code (e.g. 22G1) and the country, height, and operational markings on the container's exterior. Every ConPDS capture is linked to a validated ISO 6346 container number. Validate or calculate a check digit with the free ISO 6346 tool. Container numbers in email subjects can also be auto-parsed at Email Dropbox intake so external contractor attachments file under the correct record.
Container number
The full 11-character ISO 6346 freight-container identifier (e.g. MSCU 123456 7): owner code, equipment category identifier, serial number, and check digit. In ConPDS marketing and product copy this is always called a container number — not a “container code” — so it is not confused with the owner code, BIC code, or size and type code. Checker, Tracker, and Autogate all read the same container number.
BIC code
Synonym for owner code: the three-letter container owner prefix registered by the Bureau International des Containers in Paris. On the box it appears with the equipment category letter (e.g. MSCU for MSC, MAEU for Maersk, HLCU for Hapag-Lloyd). A BIC code is not the full 11-character container number. The single letter after the owner code (U, J, Z, or R for reefers) is the equipment category identifier.
Owner code
The three-letter prefix of an ISO 6346 container number identifying the container owner or operator. Synonym of BIC code. Distinct from the full container number and from the size and type code.
Check digit
The single digit at the end of every ISO 6346 container number, computed by a modulo-11 algorithm over the preceding 10 characters. Software validates the check digit at capture to catch transcription or recognition errors before they propagate into gate logs, repair claims, or DMS records. A failed check-digit validation usually means the number needs a retake or correction. Use the free check digit calculator to compute or verify a number manually.
Size and type code
The four-character ISO 6346 code (e.g. 22G1, 45R1, 22T1) that describes a container's external dimensions and structural type — length, height, and category such as general-purpose, refrigerated, tank, or flat rack. Used for capacity planning, stowage, and equipment matching at depots and terminals.
Inspection types & events
PTI — Pre-Trip Inspection
The pre-trip inspection performed on a refrigerated container before it is dispatched on a journey. PTI verifies the reefer machinery, sets a reference temperature, runs cooling and defrost cycles, and produces a printed or digital report. Reefer service facilities document each step photographically to satisfy carrier and shipper requirements — see reefer PTI photo documentation.
EIR — Equipment Interchange Receipt
The handover document recording the condition of a container at the moment it changes custody — typically at gate-in or gate-out of a depot or terminal. The EIR establishes which party is responsible for any subsequent damage and is the primary reference document for repair claims and lease return disputes.
Off-hire
The return of leased container equipment to the lessor at the end of a hire period. Off-hire inspections establish the container's condition at redelivery; damage charges raised weeks later depend on photographic evidence of condition at pickup versus return.
DPP — Damage Protection Plan
A commercial arrangement where a lessee or user pays a fee to limit financial exposure for container damage beyond normal wear and tear. DPP caps liability per incident but does not replace condition evidence when a charge is disputed at invoice time — see how to avoid container repair charges for what evidence still matters.
Lease return inspection
The condition inspection performed when a leased container is returned to the lessor at the end of its lease term. Damage found during a lease return is billed back to the lessee unless documented as pre-existing — making structured photo evidence the central determinant of who pays for what. ConPDS Checker is used at depots that document lease return inspections under IICL-6 criteria.
Gate-in / Gate-out
The two transactions that bracket a container's stay at a depot or terminal. Gate-in records the truck, container, condition, and seal as the unit enters the facility; gate-out records the same on departure. More depots are tying both events to photographic and OCR evidence so before-and-after condition is available when disputes arise — see ConPDS Autogate for automated gate capture with DepotMaster.
Stuffing / Devanning
Stuffing is the loading of cargo into a container; devanning (also unstuffing) is the unloading. Both are evidence-critical events: cargo damage claims hinge on documenting the container interior, the cargo state, and the seal number before and after each operation. ConPDS Checker links stuffing and devanning photos to the container number (and optional seal barcode scan to the photo or case); photo sequences are guided, not enforced.
Compliance & criteria
CSC — International Convention for Safe Containers
The 1972 IMO convention that sets structural safety standards for containers used in international transport. Every CSC-compliant container carries a CSC plate certifying its inspection status and load ratings. CSC compliance is checked at depots, terminals, and during stowage planning.
CSC plate
The metal certification plate attached to every CSC-compliant container, showing the date of manufacture, owner, maximum gross weight, allowable stacking weight, and the date of next inspection. Depots often photograph the CSC plate so the next examination date is retrievable from inspection records. ConPDS provides a photo evidence layer; it does not certify CSC compliance.
ACEP — Approved Continuous Examination Programme
An alternative to the CSC fixed re-examination interval. Under an ACEP, the container owner runs a continuous examination programme approved by a national authority, examining each container at least every 30 months without needing to re-stamp the CSC plate after each inspection. ACEP programmes typically need retrievable, dated inspection evidence; ConPDS Checker can supply the photo evidence layer for those records.
IICL-6 — Institute of International Container Lessors damage criteria
The Institute of International Container Lessors' sixth edition of standard damage and repair criteria for dry containers. IICL-6 is the lingua franca of lease return inspections — defining what counts as repairable wear, billable damage, or condemnation across leasing companies. See container inspection criteria reference for full coverage.
UCIRC — Unified Container Inspection & Repair Criteria
The unified in-service inspection and repair criteria for steel general purpose containers, jointly prepared by BIC, ICS, and WSC and used by major shipping lines at container interchange points. Revision 3 (July 2023) added inspection for visible pest contamination. UCIRC complements IICL-6 in many depot operations and is referenced in carrier-specific repair manuals.
CIC — Common Interchange Criteria
Interchange inspection criteria launched in 2007 by a group of major container leasing companies and endorsed by the Container Owners Association, as an alternative to the IICL criteria for on-hire and off-hire inspections of dry freight containers. CIC was harmonised with IICL-6 with effect from 1 August 2016 and now follows IICL inspection criteria updates.
ACC — Acceptable Container Condition
The in-service inspection guideline for tank containers published by the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO). ACC defines the acceptable condition of a tank at interchange — including cleanliness, structural condition, and fittings — and is the benchmark referenced in tank depot cleaning and inspection audits. ConPDS Checker can provide a photo evidence layer for ACC-related audit requests; it does not make tanks ACC-compliant.
Cargo-worthy / Trade-worthy
Condition standards describing whether a container is suitable for international cargo (cargo-worthy / CW) or restricted to domestic / one-trip use (trade-worthy). The classification follows IICL or carrier-specific criteria and is the primary output of every gate-out and lease return inspection.
M&R — Maintenance & Repair
The umbrella discipline covering all container maintenance and repair activity at a depot — from minor patch repairs to major structural reconstruction. M&R photo documentation is the basis for repair authorisation, billing, and claim defence. ConPDS Checker is the photo-evidence layer for M&R operations across 100+ depots and service facilities.
Container equipment types
Reefer
A refrigerated container with an integrated cooling unit, used for perishable cargo. Reefer operations require pre-trip inspections, set-point and temperature-trace records, and photographic documentation of the machinery, vents, and seal — far more evidence per move than a dry box.
Dry box
The standard general-purpose shipping container — closed, watertight, and used for non-refrigerated cargo. Most depot inventory is dry-box equipment; gate-in / gate-out and EIR documentation processes are typically modelled around the dry-box workflow first, then extended to specialty equipment types.
ISO tank
A tank container built to ISO standards for the carriage of bulk liquids, gases, and powders. ISO tanks have specific cleaning, inspection, and certification requirements — including documented cleaning evidence between cargoes — that go beyond the dry-box workflow.
Flat rack
A container with a flat base and collapsible end-walls but no side walls or roof, used for over-dimensional cargo such as machinery and project loads. Flat-rack inspections focus on the structural integrity of the base, the locking mechanisms of the end-walls, and the lashing points.
Open top
A container with a removable tarpaulin or hard roof, used for cargo that must be top-loaded or exceeds standard interior height. Open-top inspections include verifying the tarp's condition, the bow set, and the corner-fitting weather seals.
High cube (HC)
A container that is one foot taller than the standard 8'6" — typically 9'6" external height — providing approximately 13% more interior volume. High-cube containers are now the dominant equipment type for 40' moves but require height-clearance awareness in road and rail transit.
TEU / FEU
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit and Forty-foot Equivalent Unit — the standard capacity units used to count container volumes at depots, terminals, and aboard vessels. One 40' container equals two TEU or one FEU. Most depot statistics and carrier capacity figures are reported in TEU regardless of the actual size mix.
Depot & carrier systems
DMS — Depot Management System
The software system a container depot uses to manage inventory, gate transactions, M&R orders, billing, and reporting. ConPDS Checker, Tracker, and Autogate integrate with DMS platforms including DepotMaster and EOS so photo evidence and gate events feed the depot's existing records of truth.
AEMS — Asset Event Management System
Maersk's reefer asset event management system, used to coordinate reefer container condition, inspection, and repair workflows across the Maersk fleet and its depot partners. ConPDS Checker can submit PTI and reefer M&R photo documentation into AEMS under configured distribution rules — see AEMS documentation integration.
IMARS
A reefer maintenance and repair management system used by several major carriers and reefer service facilities. ConPDS Checker integrates with IMARS so reefer photo evidence can land in the carrier's M&R record under configured distribution rules, linked to the validated container number.
DepotMaster
A widely deployed depot management system used by container depots in Europe and beyond. ConPDS Autogate uses DepotMaster's REST APIs to look up reservations, validate gate-in eligibility, and feed gate-event evidence back to the depot's records.
