A swap body, swop body, exchangeable container or interchangeable unit, is one of the types of standard freight

containers A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The ter ...

for road and rail transport. Based on and very similar to the more widespread shipping containers (ISO containers), swap bodies normally have the same external dimensions for the bottom corner fittings as ISO shipping containers so that they can be placed on the same kinds of

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

trailers Trailer may refer to: a Transportation * Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle ** Bicycle trailer, a wheeled frame for hitching to a bicycle to tow cargo or passengers ** Full-trailer ** Semi-trailer **Horse traile ...

and railroad cars designed for shipping containers. However, ISO containers inner dimensions (2.33 m wide) are just a few centimetres too short to accommodate European-pool

pallets A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundat ...

() without leaving much empty space. To optimise the carriage of pallets, wide bodies are often scaled to the maximum width allowed for standard road trucks and railroad cars and to a different length without leaving empty space. On the other hand, swap bodies do not have upper corner fittings, are not stackable and must be lifted by the bottom frame. Thus, they require special handling when transported by rail and are unsuitable for ship-based overseas transportation. Swap Body Carl Harz

Swap bodies take advantage of the large number of trailers used to carry standard ISO containers. The design of swap bodies and

roller container A roller container is a container type that can be carried by trucks to be pushed to ground level by help of a hook and level arm with the container possibly sliding on steel roller wheels. Its original usage was in the collection of bulk waste ...

s is optimized to minimize empty weight, saving on trucking fuel cost (less dead weight to be transported) and the cost of building reloading terminals. Due to security concerns, an increasing number of swap bodies have a hard surface instead of curtains and

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforce ...

s. Swap bodies are typically more expensive than equivalent payload ISO containers. This is because the ISO containers used in Europe are typically manufactured in China, whereas swap bodies are made in Europe (central Europe and the UK). This extra cost is offset by the lighter weight of the body and increased cargo capacity, resulting in fuel savings during transport. Many swap bodies are fitted with four up-folding legs under their frame. These legs make it possible to change, or ''swap'', their body from one carriage to another, or to leave the swap body at a destination, without using extra equipment such as a crane or

hoist Hoist may refer to: * Hoist (device), a machine for lifting loads * Hoist controller, a machine for raising and lowering goods or personnel by means of a cable * Hydraulic hooklift hoist, another machine * Hoist (mining), another machine * Hoist ( ...

. Special swap bodies may have more doors or sliding panels than ordinary hard boxes for trucks, railroad cars, or sea containers. This feature makes unloading and loading faster and easier. Many swap bodies are fitted with keyhole tracks. These secure a range of extras such as shoring bars and cargo nets to extend its uses in various applications. Recently a second flooring using folding shelves has been used to aid postal companies. Special steel frames or racks are available in certain

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...

s and container marshalling yards to hoist swap bodies from topside. All swap bodies are subject to extensive non-destructive (in most cases) testing, some in-house others not, regulated by certifying authorities. Basic standardization is set with

Euronorm Euronorm (also referred to as the European Standard) is an international technical standard for a wide variety of commercial and industrial activities that has been recognized as applicable in the European Union. It has been prepared by CEN membe ...

s EN 283, EN 284 and EN 452 for construction and design, as well as EN 13044 for marking and identification. The panel responsible for developing standards is CEN/TC 119. The outcome of this panel has not yet provided any contribution to automation, as handling the swap bodies is a traditional haulage business with truck drivers involved. Swap bodies in Europe are all manufactured to a DIN standard of DIN EN 283. In the United States there are no standard sizes. Demountable Concepts, Inc., however maintains compliance will all applicable cargo securement standards for its swap bodies.

Notes

Shipping containers

See also

Notes