Insulated shipping containers are a popular type of storage device employed to ship extreme temperature sensitive products like foods, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. They are put to use as part of a comprehensive cold chain to help maintain a perishable product’s freshness.

Some of their features that make them are ideal for storage of products sensitive to temperature extremes or condensation are:

•    An insulated shipping container might contain fabricated thermal blankets or liners; molded or expanded polystyrene foam similar to any cooler, to ensure optimum cooling.
•    These shipping containers are insulated with about 4″ of polyurethane foam.
•    They are lined internally mostly with stainless, and are dispatched in a clean, weatherproof condition.
•    The doors are lockable.
•    For increased security an optional steel lock protection box is fitted to the doors.

Insulated shipping containers effectively control and document the temperature of a precious product throughout its whole distribution cycle. These containers may be used with a coolant or refrigerant, such as water, ice, dry ice, gel packs (mostly formulated for certain temperature ranges), etc.

A temperature data logger is usually enclosed to monitor the precise temperature inside the insulated container for its entire shipment.

Insulated Containers have many functions within the commercial world, and as a result there are a multitude of different designs to accommodate this.

Their designs are fundamentally based around two areas – the goods which will be stored within them, and also the amount of time which the goods will be present in the container.

In this blog we will explore insulated shipping containers and their characteristics.

Some insulated shipping containers are designed purely for single use, whilst others are built in a way which allows them to be used time and time again.

Although each container must be designed around the exact specifications of the job in hand, there are some common similarities between them –

1. They employ vacuum flasks

2. Reflective materials are used to aid the conservation of heat

3. Layers of foamed plastic are added to the sides of the containers

4. In many cases other foams which have been shaped to exact specifications are also used – these include polyethylene and polyurethane.

5. Small amounts of polystyrene are also commonly found within insulated containers of this sort as they act as a coolant.

Finally, some insulated containers which are used for shipping are permanent structures whilst the more user-friendly versions can be disassembled which makes the return shipment process much easier.

Insulated Containers and Refrigerated Containers are perfect for transporting a high volume of food from one location to another. They help to ensure that your food is kept at the optimum temperature levels required to make them look and taste as if they had just been made.

One of the most common questions relating to these type of containers relates to how the food maintains the desired temperature. Obviously this is a very broad question to answer and is dependent on the type of food involved and also to a lesser extent, the time of year it is.

There are however some tips we can give you in terms of maximising the temperature retention in insulated and refrigerated containers –

First of all, try to make sure that there are no large areas of open space within the container. The food should ideally be packed relatively tightly and you should aim to use the smallest container possible in storing the food.

Secondly, try to make sure that you organise your food so that items which tend to lose heat fairly quickly (e.g. oatcakes) are packed with items which conserve their heat for longer (e.g. gravy or soup). What will then happen is that the heat from the thicker, fattier foods will keep the less dense foods such as oatcakes warm.

Finally, if there are spaces within the container which are unfilled then it is a good idea to employ something along the lines of ice packs for refrigerated containers and hot energy cells for insulated containers – this also helps to preserve your food at the desired temperature levels.