40ft Insulated Container | Insulated Reefer Body | ACE

Created on 10.15

A 40ft insulated container is a high cube box that is built to hold temperature, not just carry freight. The unit in this walkthrough is a 40ft insulated reefer container body: 67.9 cbm of usable volume, polyurethane insulation foamed in place, a stainless steel liner, an aluminium floor, and an operating range of -30°C to +30°C. Watch the video, then send us your cargo profile and we will quote the body, the refrigeration unit and the shipping in one reply.

What the Video Shows: A 40ft Insulated Container From Every Angle

The walkthrough is filmed as an inspection rather than a brochure. The camera starts outside at the unit end, where the refrigeration machine, the CEE-17 power plug and the door hardware sit, then moves along the full 12,192 mm length of the box so the roof line, the side panels and the corner castings stay in frame the whole way. At the rear doors the shot slows down and goes inside: the stainless steel liner, the aluminium floor, the roof lining and the door gaskets are all shown at close range, and the final minute is shot with the doors closed to show how the gaskets seat against the frame.

Inside the Box: Insulation, Liner and Floor

The insulated container body uses polyurethane insulation applied as integrated foaming between the outer skin and the inner liner, so there is no joint for cold air to track through. Inside, the cargo space is protected by a stainless steel lining on the side walls and doors, an aluminium roof lining, and an aluminium floor with a T-section profile that lets air move under the load instead of only around it. MGSS steel is used for the roof and side panels, and the frame and floor rails are Corten A and aluminium. That combination of materials is what keeps the box working at both ends of the range, from chilled fresh produce down to deep-frozen cargo.

What a Walkthrough Shows That a Spec Sheet Cannot

Numbers on a datasheet say a container is rated from -30°C to +30°C. A camera can show whether the gaskets actually compress evenly along the door frame, whether the liner seams are continuous, whether the floor is flat across its whole length, and whether the insulation is carried right through the door surround instead of stopping at the threshold. These are the details that decide real temperature stability during a voyage, and they are exactly the things a buyer cannot see in a photo gallery. Watch for the close-ups of the door frame and the floor runs; if you want the same shots taken on a specific unit before it ships, our team will record them for you.

40ft Insulated Container Specifications at a Glance

Item	Specification
Product	40ft insulated reefer container body (40RH/FC)
External envelope	40ft high cube: 12,192 × 2,438 × 2,896 mm (ISO 668 footprint)
Usable volume	67.9 cbm
Insulation	Polyurethane, integrated foaming, no cold-bridge joints
Roof and side panels	MGSS
Frame and floor rail	Corten A, aluminium floor rail
Interior lining	Stainless steel side and door lining, aluminium roof lining
Floor	Aluminium, T-section profile
Refrigerant	R404a
Power connection	CEE-17 standard plug
Working range	-30°C to +30°C
Refrigeration units	Thermo King, Carrier or Daikin
Tare and payload	Confirmed on the final specification sheet; both change with unit brand, floor type and options
Minimum order quantity	1 unit
Shipping	Ocean freight
Customisation	Color, logo, LED lighting, PVC curtain, side door, flat floor

How to Read This Table

Read the table from the outside in. The external envelope tells you what fits on a vessel, on a truck chassis and in a yard, and it is fixed by ISO 668 — a 40ft high cube box of 12,192 × 2,438 × 2,896 mm does not change because of options. What does change with options is everything inside the frame: the 67.9 cbm of usable volume is measured with the liner and floor in place, and the tare figure moves the moment you add a side door, a different floor profile or a larger refrigeration unit. For that reason we quote payload after the unit brand and floor type are fixed, so the number on your spec sheet matches the number on the weighbridge. The working range of -30°C to +30°C is the figure to design a cargo plan around.

Insulated Container vs Reefer Container: Which One Fits Your Cargo?

The two terms overlap in everyday use, and the difference matters when you write the purchase order. A reefer container is a complete temperature-controlled unit: insulated body plus a refrigeration machine that pulls the box down to set point on its own. An insulated container body is the box without that machine, or with a machine chosen separately. Both are built from the same insulated panels and liners described above; what separates them is who supplies the cooling, and how hard the cargo needs it pushed.

When an Insulated Body Is Enough

An insulated body is the sensible choice when the cargo already arrives cold and mostly needs to stay that way. Pre-chilled fresh produce, chilled beverages, dairy moving between cold stores, and short sea or road legs of a few days sit comfortably in an insulated body that is run by a small machine, or in some cases by a temperature buffer alone. The insulation package in this 40ft box is the same one used on our powered reefers, so the holding performance is identical — you are only leaving out the cost of machinery you may not need.

When You Need a Powered Reefer Unit

Choose a fully powered reefer when the cargo has to be pulled down from ambient, when the set point sits at the cold end of the range near -30°C, when the transit is long or crosses climate zones, or when the consignment is high value enough that a temperature excursion is not a cost you are willing to model. For those jobs the same 40ft insulated container body is fitted with a Thermo King, Carrier or Daikin machine and tested as a working unit before it leaves the yard.

Where a 40ft Insulated Container Earns Its Money

A 40ft box with 67.9 cbm of insulated volume and a dual-direction temperature range is a flexible asset, and the projects it suits best are the ones where a fixed cold room cannot go and a standard dry box cannot hold the temperature.

Chilled Food, Beverage and Fresh Produce

Fresh produce, chilled meat, dairy, seafood on short legs and beverage concentrates all move well in a 40ft insulated container run at the warmer end of the range. The T-section aluminium floor is the detail that matters here: cold air circulates underneath the pallets as well as between them, so the pallet at the door reads the same temperature as the pallet at the unit end. For these loads the container is usually ordered with a PVC curtain and LED lighting so the crew can work the load without flooding the box with warm air.

Pharma, Chemicals and Industrial Temperature-Sensitive Cargo

Pharmaceutical intermediates, laboratory reagents, adhesives, resins and other temperature-sensitive industrial products need a documented, repeatable environment rather than just a cold box. The stainless steel liner makes the cargo space easy to clean and validate, the aluminium floor takes pallet traffic without marking, and the unit can hold a tight set point across a long ocean leg. If your product has a temperature range written into its own handling specification, send it to us and we will confirm the container configuration against it before quoting.

Mobile Cold Storage and Off-Grid Projects

A 40ft insulated container also works as movable cold storage: at a port, on a construction or mining site, at a food processing plant during a line rebuild, or as buffer capacity during a harvest peak. Because the box is a standard ISO footprint it lifts, stacks and moves like any other container, and the CEE-17 plug lets it connect to ordinary site power. Where mains power is not available, the same body can be run from a generator set or, on some configurations, a rooftop solar package. The advantage over a built cold room is time: the unit arrives complete and starts working the day it lands.

Options, Customization and What to Put in Your RFQ

Two containers with the same 40ft insulated body can behave very differently depending on what is bolted to it. Specifying the following three groups up front is what keeps a quotation accurate and a delivery date realistic.

Refrigeration Unit, Power Supply and Controls

Choose the unit brand — Thermo King, Carrier or Daikin — and tell us the power available where the box will stand: voltage, frequency and phase for site power, or genset output for off-grid work. If the container has to log temperatures for the consignee, say so at quotation stage, because data logging and remote monitoring are configured with the unit and not added later at the port. For dual-temperature work, a two-compartment configuration is available on request.

Interior Finish, Lighting and Access

Interior finish follows the cargo: stainless steel lining for food, pharma and anything that has to be washed down, aluminium lining where weight matters more than cleanability. LED lighting, PVC strip curtains, ramps, shelving, load rails and lashing points are all added at build stage. If your operation loads from the side, ask for a side door opening instead of working around the rear doors; if you handle pallets on wheels, request a flat floor rather than the standard T-section. Colour and logo are painted or applied to your artwork.

The RFQ Checklist

For a fast and firm quotation, send us: the cargo type and its temperature range; the required set point; transit time and route; the power supply at origin and destination; whether the unit must be dual temperature; the interior finish and floor type you need; any access requirements such as side doors or ramps; and the delivery port or site. With those seven answers we can confirm the body, the unit, the options and the freight in a single reply, and give you a realistic lead time rather than a range.

Quality Control, Certification and Warranty

A temperature-controlled container is only useful if the paperwork and the structure both survive an inspection, so this is the part of the order we treat as non-negotiable.

Approvals, Plates and Documentation

Every container we supply is built to ISO standards and is available with classification society approval, including CCS, BV, LR and DNVGL certificates on request. CSC plates and the documentation that goes with them are issued with the box so it can be presented for carriage without a second visit. Our own quality system is certified to ISO 9001 and audited by SGS. If your consignee or your insurer asks for a specific certificate, name it at quotation stage and we will confirm it before the order is placed rather than after the box has been built.

Warranty, Spare Parts and After-Sales

The container body carries a one-year warranty, and the refrigeration unit carries a global warranty through its manufacturer, which is the cover that matters when the box is running thousands of kilometres from where it was built. Spare parts for the unit — filters, controllers, seals and fans — are stocked and shipped express, so a service event does not turn into a stranded consignment. Before dispatch, every unit is run and checked, and we record the walkthrough footage you see in the video above on request.

Frequently Asked Questions About the 40ft Insulated Container

Is the container new? Yes. We supply a brand new refrigerated container body with a brand new refrigeration unit; we do not ship refurbished boxes as new stock.

How is the insulation performance? The body uses integrated polyurethane foaming between the outer skin and the liner, and the air leakage and heat leakage rates are industry-leading for a container of this class. The T-section floor and continuous door gaskets are what keep those rates stable in service.

Which refrigeration units can you supply? Three brands: Thermo King, Carrier and Daikin. We recommend the unit against your set point, your power supply and the climate the container will work in.

What is the internal temperature range? The insulated container body is rated from -30°C to +30°C, which covers deep-frozen, chilled and ambient-protected cargo in the same box.

What is the minimum order quantity and how does it ship? One unit is acceptable as a minimum order. It ships as a standard 40ft high cube container by ocean freight, so it moves on normal container rates and normal handling equipment.

Can you customise colour, logo, lighting and doors? Yes — colour and logo are applied to your artwork, and LED lighting, PVC curtains, side doors, ramps and flat floors are all configured at build stage.

What about warranty and spare parts? The container carries a one-year warranty, the refrigeration unit carries its manufacturer's global warranty, and spare parts are available for express delivery.

How to Get a Quote on This 40ft Insulated Container

Send the seven RFQ answers listed above to sales@acecontainerparts.com or call +86-22-65556861, and we will come back with the body, the refrigeration unit, the options and the ocean freight as one quotation. If you are still deciding between an insulated body and a powered reefer, tell us the cargo and the route and we will recommend the configuration that does the job without overspending on machinery.

You can continue on this site with the full reefer container range, compare the 40ft refrigerated container with Thermo King units, look at the 40ft high cube insulated reefer container with a side door opening, step down a size with the 20ft insulated reefer container body, or see the offshore version in the DNV 2.7-1 offshore reefer container range. When you are ready to specify, contact our sales team and we will answer within one working day.

ACE Container and Parts Co., Limited is a professional supplier of shipping containers and container parts. We were founded in 2011 and located in Tianjin, China. There is Xingang Port, the largest port in North of China. About 60km far from Beijing International Airport.

We are the No.1 shipping container supplier. We can provide One-Stop shipping container solution for customers. We have obtained ISO9001 and SGS certificate. We can provide shipping containers with CCS, BV, LR, DNVGL Certificate.