Explain Container marking.

A shipping container (also container, freight container) is a standardized reusable steel box used for
the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global
containerized intermodal freight transport system.
Lengths of containers, which each have a unique ISO 6346 reporting mark, vary from 8 to 56 feet
(2.438 to 17.069 m) and heights from 8 feet (2.438 m) to 9 feet 6 inches (2.896 m).
Aggregate container capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) which is a unit
of capacity equal to one standard 20 ft × 8 ft (6.10 m × 2.44 m) (length × width) container.

When we track the container, we have to know the container number. Container number consists of
four-letters owner code (prefix), six-digits serial number and a check digit.
Where category identifier can be: J: detachable freight container related equipment
R: reefer (refrigerated) containers
U: freight containers
Z: trailers and chassis
Container Identification Number:
Container identification numbers are assigned by The Bureau International des Containers, which was
founded in 1933 as a neutral, non-profit, international organization whose mission is to promote the
safe, secure and sustainable expansion of containerization and intermodal transportation.
The identification system provides uniform international identification of containers, in
documentation and in communication associated with the movement of containers from door to door.
In 1995 there was an ISO agreement concerning container marking codes to depict the length, height
and type of container in an easy to read sequence.
This sequence is composed of four letters or digits that commonly appear right under the container
identification sequence.
ISO 6346 is an international standard which describes the identification of a shipping container.
The ISO code is viewable on the top right hand side of all the external panels of a container.
On the 20ft container pictured you can see the container number at the top (4 letters followed by 7
numbers) and underneath is the 4 digit ISO code.
ISO Code 22G1 dry box containers.
Dimensions: Length 6,058 millimeters (20 feet), Height 2,591 millimeters (8 feet 6 inches), Width
2,438 millimeters (8 feet).
The owner prefix (BIC code): three capital letters of the Latin alphabet to indicate the owner or
principal operator of the container,
The equipment category identifier: one capital letter as follows:
U for all freight containers,
J for detachable freight container-related equipment,
Z for trailers and chassis,
The serial number: six Arabic numerals, left at owner‘s or operator‘s option,
The check digit: one Arabic numeral providing a means of validating the recording and transmission
accuracies of the owner code and serial number.
Why is check digit used?
A check digit, also known as a checksum character, is the number located on the far right side of a bar
code.
The purpose of a check digit is to verify that the information on the barcode has been entered
correctly.

BIC CODES
The international register of container owner codes
The international register of identification codes for container owners was originated by the Bureau
International des Containers (BIC) and has been published continually since 1970.
It was subsequently adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1972,
forming an essential part of the ISO 6346 standard : « Freight Containers – Coding, Identification
and Marking
». This standard also describes technical markings such as size and type code, country code and
various operational marks.
Only ISO Alpha-codes (a.k.a. container prefixes) for identification of container owners registered
with the BIC may be used as unique identity marking of containers in all international transport and
customs declaration documents.
IT COMPRISES
An owner/operator code of 3 letters;
A fourth letter used as equipment identifier (1);
A serial number of 6 Arabic numerals (2);
A seventh digit (check digit) providing a means of validating the recording and/or transmission
accuracy of the data.
Example (theoretical- for a container): BICU 123456 5
It guarantees that the identification of the container is unique.
IT PERMITS
The identification of the owner or principal operator;
The identification of the unit by its owner or operator as reference number for its data base
(dimensions, type, year of putting into operation, date of control, of maintenance, etc..).
– Owner prefix first three capital letters, in this case, CBC = Container Brokerage Company or for
example MAE for Maersk) which must be unique and registered with the Bureau International des
Containers et du Transport Intermodal (BIC) to avoid duplicates.
You can always do a BIC search to identify the owner of a container here. But beware, the owner of
the container must not necessarily operate it as they could have leased to container to another shipping
line or operator.
– Equipment category identifier which is “U” for this container and stands for freight containers.
Other categories are J – detachable freight containers related equipment and Z – trailers and chassis.
Together with the owner code, the category can be grouped under one term, known as an alpha prefix.
– The serial number or registration number (200031) consists of six digits and is left to the owner to
decide on.
(2) The last number of the container number is placed out of the rest of the numbers on the right side
and is called check digit.
Although it seems insignificant, it is of vital importance as it determines whether the entire ID is valid
or not.
When the unique BIC code and the 6-digit serial number is types into the BIC Check Digit
Calculator it displays the Check digit which validates the container.
(3) Each container is given a unique ISO code by the BIC in order to avoid problems in naming the
container.
Why? Because a 20ft. standard container for example is called dry van, general purpose or dry
container in different countries.
In our case, 22G1 means it is a 20’ container 8’6’’ high with a tare weight of 2250 kilograms.
The first character represents the length, the second character represents width and height and the
third character is an identifier for container type and other characteristics.
The 4th position is a new type of container code that indicates a container of reduced strength.
All shipping containers used for rail & sea including specialised equipment must have a unique
identification number.
This number is calculated from:
The four letter prefix: The first three letters designate the owner, the fourth is always "U"
identifying the unit as a container. e.g. SCFU - SCF Containers unit
The next 6 numbers: These numbers are decided by the owner according to their own numbering
system. e.g. 205122
The last digit: Is called the check digit, this digit is usually outlined with a box.

Containers used in international transportation must carry standard markings in order to:
 Easy container and cargo tracking
 Increase border protection measures and prevent illegal cargo traffic
 Increase efficiency at port operations etc.
45G1: 40′ High Cube Dry Container
22G1: 20′ Dry Container
42G1: 40′ Dry Container
22R1: 20′ Reefer Container
42R1: 40′ Reefer Container
45R1: 40′ Reefer High Cube Container
WHAT IS A CONTAINER CHECK DIGIT?
The container check digit provides a means of validating the transmission accuracy of the
owner/operator code and serial number. This allows operators, terminals, depots and other parties in
the supply chain to automatically validate container numbers and easily identify incorrect container
numbers introduced through a data-entry error or an erroneous OCR (optical character recognition)
reading.
HOW IS A CHECK DIGIT CALCULATED?
As the check digit is calculated using an algorithm that takes into account both the BIC code and
serial number, it is imperative that the check digit be modified when containers are re-marked with a
different BIC code.
How is the check digit of a container calculated?
The owner code consists of three capital letters of the Latin alphabet to indicate the owner or
principal operator of the container.
Such code needs to be registered at the Bureau International des Conteneurs in Paris to ensure
uniqueness worldwide (per ISO 6346).
The equipment category identifier consists of one of the following three capital letters of the Latin
alphabet
U for all freight containers
J for detachable freight container-related equipment
Z for trailers and chassis
The serial number consists of 6 numeric digits, assigned by the owner or operator, uniquely
identifying the container within that owner/operator’s fleet.
The check digit consists of one numeric digit providing a means of validating the recording and
transmission accuracies of the owner code and serial number.
An equivalent numerical value is assigned to each letter of the alphabet, beginning with 10 for the
letter A (11 and multiples thereof are omitted):
The individual digits of the serial number keep their numeric value.

Calculation Step 2
Each of the numbers calculated in step 1 is multiplied by 2position, where position is the exponent to
basis 2. Position starts at 0, from left to right.
The following table shows the multiplication factors:
Calculation Step 3
a) Sum up all results of step 2
b) Divide them by 11
c) Erase all decimal digits of the division (i. e. make the result an integer value)
d) Multiply the integer value by 11
e) Subtract result of d) from result of a): This is the check digit!
If the final difference is 10, then the check digit becomes 0.
Steps b) to e) is a calculation of the remainder found after division of a) by 11. 11 is used as divisor
because a container number has 11 letters and digits in total. In step 1 the numbers 11, 22 and 33 are
left out as they are multiples of the divisor.
Example

Owner’s Logo: Shows the owner of the container.

Repair Recommendation: A container has to be operated either under an ACEP or a PES (Periodic
Examination Scheme) from day 1.
The first inspections isn’t required until 5 years, but it must have a scheme in place in order to be
operated. Without a valid ACEP sticker or Next Examination Date (under the PES), the container
should not be loaded on board a ship.