Container Home Terms Explained: 40 Words Worth Knowing

Buying a container home involves two vocabularies that most buyers have never had to learn: shipping and prefabrication. Suppliers use the terms constantly and rarely explain them. This glossary covers the forty words that actually come up in quotes, contracts and conversations, in plain language.

Shipping and delivery terms

FOB (Free On Board). The supplier's responsibility ends when the unit is loaded onto the vessel at the port of departure. You pay freight and everything after.
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight). The supplier pays to get the unit to your named destination port, including marine insurance. Your responsibility starts at the destination port.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). The supplier handles everything to a named address, including duty. The most inclusive term and the one that gives you least visibility on cost components.
Port of loading / port of discharge. Where the unit gets on the ship, and where it gets off. Both need naming for a quote to be a quote.
TEU and FEU. Twenty-foot and forty-foot equivalent unit. The two standard container sizes, used as the measure for vessel capacity and freight rates.
Demurrage. A charge for leaving a container at the port beyond the free period. Avoidable with early customs clearance.
Detention. Similar to demurrage but applies to the equipment rather than the terminal space, typically when a container is kept outside the port longer than agreed.
Bill of lading. The transport document that acts as the receipt and the title to the goods. Nothing moves without it.

Container specification terms

CSC plate. The safety approval plate certifying a container meets the international convention for safe containers. A unit without one has not been certified for transport.
Corner casting. The heavy steel block at each corner. It carries the load and is what the crane and twistlocks grip.
Twistlock. The locking fitting that secures containers to each other or to a trailer.
Corner post. The vertical structural member at each corner, connecting top and bottom castings. Primary structure; not cut without engineering.
Top and bottom rails. The horizontal members along the edges of each face. The top rail is where openings should stay clear of.
Corten steel. The weathering steel most containers are built from. It forms a stable surface layer rather than continuing to corrode.
ISO dimensions. The standard length, width and height set. Deviating from them affects transport and handling cost.
Tare weight. The empty weight of the container, before conversion or contents.

Conversion and build terms

Shell. The container before any interior fit-out. A shell-only purchase leaves the interior work to you.
Turnkey. Fully finished and ready to occupy, including interior fit-out.
Expander. A unit that deploys on site to increase floor area, usually roughly doubling it.
Fold-out / slide-out. A unit with a section that extends, adding less area than a full expander.
Modular. Built from multiple units designed to be joined together.
Thermal break. A layer interrupting the conductive path between steel and interior lining. The single most important detail in container insulation.
Thermal bridging. The conduction of heat through the continuous steel frame, bypassing the insulation.
Vapour control layer. A membrane on the warm side of the insulation that limits moisture moving into the wall.
Furring / batten. The framing fixed inside the container walls to carry the interior lining and create a service cavity.
Service cavity. The gap behind the lining where cables and pipes run.

Site and installation terms

Foundation pad. A concrete base under each corner casting.
Ground screw. A steel pile screwed into the ground, used as an alternative to pads on sloping or sensitive sites.
Plinth. A continuous raised base the unit sits on, creating an accessible void underneath.
Raft / slab. A continuous concrete base under the whole footprint.
Hiab. A truck-mounted crane, commonly used to lift a single container into position.
Spreader bar. A lifting frame that keeps the slings vertical, preventing lateral load on the container top rail.
Levelling. Adjusting the supports so the unit sits true. A container will not accommodate an uneven base.
Commissioning. Testing the installed services before handover.

Regulatory and commercial terms

Planning permission. The authorisation to build or change the use of land. Distinct from building regulations.
Building regulations / code. The technical standards a structure has to meet, separate from planning.
Permanent vs temporary structure. The classification that determines which approvals apply. Set by the local authority.
Percolation test. A ground test that establishes whether a drainage field for a septic system is viable.
Deposit. The payment at order that commits the specification.
Balance on shipping. The payment due when the unit is ready to load.
Landed cost. The total to get the unit onto your site, including freight, port charges, duty and inland transport.
Specification freeze. The point after which changes to the order cost schedule.

Frequently asked questions

What does FOB mean on a container home quote?

FOB means Free On Board. The supplier's responsibility ends and yours begins when the unit is loaded at the port of departure. You pay the freight and everything after it, which is why FOB quotes look cheaper than they end up being.

What is the difference between CIF and DDP?

CIF gets the unit to your named destination port with insurance included, and your responsibility starts there. DDP delivers all the way to a named address with duty paid. DDP is the most inclusive and the least transparent on cost breakdown.

What is a CSC plate and why does it matter?

It is the safety approval plate certifying a container meets the international convention for safe containers. Without it the unit is not certified for transport, so it matters both for shipping and for the legitimacy of the supplier.

What is thermal bridging in a container?

It is heat travelling through the continuous steel frame, bypassing the insulation. It is why container walls can underperform their insulation value and why a thermal break between the steel and the lining matters more than adding extra thickness.