A reefer container is a sea container with its own refrigeration unit; the unit plugs into power at the depot, terminal and on board, or into a generator set on the road, and standard types are set between +25 and -25 °C. An insulated container has no unit: its insulated body carries the cold of pre-frozen eutectic plates or dry ice.
| Subject | Reefer container | Insulated container |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Socket or generator set | None on the road; plates are frozen at the depot |
| Duration | As long as power lasts | Until the cold source is spent; up to 24 hours with GEBHARDT Isotec |
| Scale | 20 and 40 ft container | Pallet and roll-cage scale, 410-1500 litres for TBX |
| Product loaded warm | Cools it only very slowly | Does not cool it |
The two work different legs of the same chain: product is collected in containers at the plant, loaded into a reefer at the port and distributed in containers again on arrival. The reefer's weak moment is waiting without power, because once the unit stops only the polyurethane insulation protects the load, and ageing insulation warms faster. The insulated container is limited by trip length; plates are not renewed on the way, so a sea leg lasting weeks is not its job.
