If you have a container that you’re needing to load—be it for storage of your personal or business items or for shipping items to a different location—there are a few rules that you’re going to want to follow so that you stuff and unstuff the container correctly. Otherwise, it could be challenging to get to your items or they should shift when they’re in transit.
To help ensure that neither of these possibilities happen, here are three tips for correctly loading a container for storage or shipping.
Start With The Largest Items
When loading a storage or shipping container, it’s going to be best for you to start with the largest items first.
Not only do you want to make sure that you put the biggest things into the container first so that you can ensure that they will fit, but it will also be easier for you to fill the entire container when you have layered and walled up the largest items first. This way, you’ll be able to take the smaller items and fit them in where there is space for them in and around the larger and harder to place items.
Distribute Weight Evenly
As you’re loading up the largest items into your shipping and storage container, you’ll want to think about how you can best distribute the weight evenly throughout the container. If the container is unbalanced and you have plans for moving the container, it could easily tip over. And if this happens, not only could everything within the container shift or break, but you could hurt someone or cause damage to property when the container moves unexpectedly.
While you may not be able to weigh every item and get the container balanced exactly, you can know which items are heaviest. And once you know which items there are, make sure you place them strategically around the container so that each side and the front and back of the container are about even with their weight distribution.
Secure Items In Their Place
Once you have everything placed how you think it should be within your container, you’ll then want to make sure that you’ve properly secured everything so that they stay in their place.
Although this might not be necessary for storage containers that won’t be moving, for shipping containers, you’ll want to tie everything down so that it won’t shift while moving. But even for a stationery container, securing items can make it easier for you to get items out of the container without worrying about things falling or moving around while you’re in there.
If you need some guidance for loading your shipping or storage container correctly, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this.
