Most container loading problems I get asked about are not equipment problems. They are measurement problems. A buyer calls because a 40 ft container has arrived in the yard, or is sitting on a chassis with the driver waiting, and the forklift cannot reach the floor. Before anyone quotes you a ramp, three numbers decide the entire job: the height of the container floor, the laden weight of the forklift, and the horizontal run you actually have. Get one of those wrong and you buy the wrong ramp twice.
This is a working guide from the factory floor: what to measure, which method fits which yard, and how to write an RFQ that does not come back with equipment you cannot use.
Step One: Measure the Real Gap, Not the Nominal One
Container floors are not at a standard height, because the height in service depends on what the container is standing on. A container dropped on the ground puts its floor about 150 mm (5.9 in) up. The same container on a chassis puts the floor roughly 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 in) up. Those two numbers need completely different equipment, and they are the two most common configurations you will be asked to load.
| Configuration | Floor height above ground | Typical answer |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ft / 40 ft dry container standing on the ground | ≈150 mm / 5.9 in | Dock board or short container ramp |
| Refrigerated container on the ground (T-bar floor) | ≈200 mm / 7.9 in | Dock board with a longer lead-in |
| 40 ft container on a standard chassis | ≈1,200 mm / 3 ft 11 in | Mobile yard ramp or container ramp |
| Skeleton container trailer floor | 1,300–1,500 mm / 4 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in | Mobile yard ramp with hydraulics |
| Curtain-side or flatbed semi-trailer floor | 1,100–1,200 mm / 3 ft 7 in – 3 ft 11 in | Mobile yard ramp or dock plate |
| Refrigerated trailer floor | 1,200–1,300 mm / 3 ft 11 in – 4 ft 3 in | Mobile yard ramp with insulated deck option |
| Nominal loading dock (US reference) | 1,220 mm / 48 in (44–52 in common) | Fixed dock leveler |
Measure it anyway. Container floors vary with the thickness of the floor structure above the bottom rails, chassis ride height changes with tyre pressure and suspension load, and an empty container sits higher than a loaded one. Take the tape to the actual container, on the actual chassis, with the actual load — a 40 mm difference can turn a comfortable 1:8 ramp into a 1:6 ramp.
While you have the tape out, record four more things: the widest forklift including backrest, the container door opening (typically 2,340 mm / 7 ft 8 in wide and 2,280 mm / 7 ft 6 in high on a standard box), the gate width the ramp must pass through, and any overhead obstruction. A ramp that fits the job but not the gate is still the wrong ramp.
Four Ways to Load a Container Without a Dock
There are only four methods worth considering. Pick by rise and by how many containers per week you handle, not by price alone.
| Method | Best when | Working rise | Typical rated capacity | Indicative EXW price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile yard ramp (hydraulic or mechanical) | Repeated container and trailer loading, variable floor heights, no pit available | 1,200–1,800 mm / 3 ft 11 in – 5 ft 11 in | 6–20 t (13,200–44,000 lb) | $4,800–16,000 |
| Container ramp (ground-to-container bridge) | Container standing on the ground, ground-level destuffing | 150–400 mm / 5.9–15.7 in | 6–10 t (13,200–22,000 lb) | $1,200–3,200 |
| Dock board / container loading board | Occasional loads, pallet trucks, containers already at trailer height | Up to about 200 mm / 7.9 in | 2–10 t (4,400–22,000 lb) | $400–2,000 |
| Tail lift plus manual handling | Rented container, no forklift on site, one-off household or site move | Not applicable | Limited by the lift gate | Rental cost only |
Mobile yard ramps are the general-purpose answer. Our 10 t hydraulic unit runs 10,300 × 2,200 mm (33 ft 10 in × 7 ft 3 in) overall, with a 7,570 mm ramp section and a 2,630 mm level platform, and lifts from 1,200 mm to 1,680 mm (3 ft 11 in to 5 ft 6 in). It is moved by forklift or towing bar, needs no pit, and leaves nothing behind if you lease the yard. For a container on a chassis you drive up the ramp and straight through the container doors without repositioning anything.
Container ramps solve the specific case of a container already on the ground. The HRCN-A style ramp is a short, full-width checkered steel bridge with an angled lip that seats on the container threshold and forklift pockets at the approach end, so the same forklift doing the loading can move the ramp. Capacity is typically 6 t and length is built to your container’s actual floor height. It is not a yard ramp substitute: with only 150–400 mm of rise, it does ground-level destuffing and nothing more.
Dock boards and loading boards are the cheap, light option for the narrow window where the container is already level with the loading surface — a trailer-mounted container at dock height, or a container on the ground receiving a hand pallet truck. Understand what they are: a plate, not a ramp. Once you need to cross more than about 200 mm of height difference, or run a forklift up and down all day, you have outgrown them.
Tail lifts and manual handling are the fallback when there is no forklift on site at all — slow and labour-heavy. Above about two containers a month, it costs more in labour within a year than the equipment does.
The Ramp Length Math — and Why 1:5 Is Not Enough
Slope is where most buyers go wrong, because they size the ramp for the vehicle that fits on it and not for the forklift that has to climb it. Three rules govern ground-to-container ramps:
- Rated gradient: most counterbalance forklift data plates allow laden travel on gradients up to roughly 15%, with derated capacity above that. If you are loading a container, you are travelling laden in both directions — up loaded, down empty — so the ramp matters on both legs.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(7)(i): on grades over 10%, a loaded forklift must travel with the load uphill, forks pointing up the grade. On a ground-to-container ramp that means the operator drives up facing the container and reverses down. This is a rule about stability, and it applies to a mobile ramp exactly as it applies to a yard slope.
- Practical working slope: 1:8 (12.5%) is the comfortable maximum for repeated laden container work. 1:6 (16.7%) is acceptable for light, occasional loading or short rises. 1:5 (20%) belongs to hand pallet trucks and low-mass loads only, no matter what the ramp’s rating says.
| Rise you must bridge | At 1:10 (10%) | At 1:8 (12.5%) | At 1:6 (16.7%) | At 1:5 (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 mm / 5.9 in | 1,500 mm / 4 ft 11 in | 1,200 mm / 3 ft 11 in | 900 mm / 2 ft 11 in | 750 mm / 2 ft 6 in |
| 600 mm / 1 ft 11.6 in | 6,000 mm / 19 ft 8 in | 4,800 mm / 15 ft 9 in | 3,600 mm / 11 ft 10 in | 3,000 mm / 9 ft 10 in |
| 1,200 mm / 3 ft 11 in | 12,000 mm / 39 ft 4 in | 9,600 mm / 31 ft 6 in | 7,200 mm / 23 ft 7 in | 6,000 mm / 19 ft 8 in |
| 1,500 mm / 4 ft 11 in | 15,000 mm / 49 ft 3 in | 12,000 mm / 39 ft 4 in | 9,000 mm / 29 ft 6 in | 7,500 mm / 24 ft 7 in |
Read the table with the container on a chassis as your reference: a 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 in) rise needs about 9,600 mm (31 ft 6 in) of run to stay at 1:8. That is why a full-size 10 t yard ramp is built 10,300 mm long and not 6,000 mm — the length is a safety feature, not an upsell. It is also why buying the shortest ramp that reaches the container floor is the most expensive way to save money on a loading project.
One honest caveat about our own numbers: at the top of its hydraulic travel our 10 t ramp works at a slightly steeper effective slope than at 1,200 mm. Set the ramp to the height you need for the container in front of you, work the load over the level platform, and do not treat maximum lift as the normal working position.
Capacity: Size the Ramp for the Forklift, Not the Cargo
Capacity buyers under-specify most often is not the weight on the pallet. It is the laden forklift — truck, battery or fuel, operator, attachment and load, all at once.
| Forklift | Load | Laden weight to support | Right ramp rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 kg / 4,400 lb counterbalance, electric | 1,000 kg / 2,200 lb | ≈3,700 kg / 8,160 lb | 6 t (13,200 lb) |
| 2,500 kg / 5,500 lb counterbalance, diesel | 1,500 kg / 3,300 lb | ≈4,900 kg / 10,800 lb | 6–8 t (13,200–17,600 lb) |
| 3,000 kg / 6,600 lb counterbalance | 2,000 kg / 4,400 lb | ≈5,900 kg / 13,000 lb | 8–10 t (17,600–22,000 lb) |
| 3,500 kg / 7,700 lb counterbalance | 2,500 kg / 5,500 lb | ≈6,900 kg / 15,200 lb | 10–15 t (22,000–33,000 lb) |
| 5,000 kg / 11,000 lb counterbalance | 3,000 kg / 6,600 lb | ≈9,000 kg / 19,800 lb | 15–20 t (33,000–44,000 lb) |
Two details on top of the arithmetic. First, the rating on a ramp is a dynamic rating, because the load arrives with motion and impact at the lip; a static figure is not the number to compare. Second, if the same ramp runs three shifts of container work a day, step one size up rather than running at 95% of rating — fatigue accumulates at the lip transition and the hinge, and that is where ramps eventually fail.
Securing the Ramp and the Container Before You Drive
Ground-to-container loading fails in one of two ways: the ramp lip walks off the container threshold, or the container itself moves. Both are preventable in under five minutes per container.
- Seat the lip fully. The angled lip must land with full bearing on the container threshold — aim for at least 100 mm (4 in) of engagement. If the lip rests on the door sill trim rather than the floor, stop and reposition.
- Follow the dockboard discipline. OSHA’s portable dockboard rule (29 CFR 1910.26) requires boards to be secured against movement and the vehicle to be prevented from moving, with wheel chocks or sand shoes. Apply the same logic here: chock the chassis or tractor wheels, and if the container is on the ground, confirm the corner castings cannot shift on the surface beneath them.
- Never exceed the rated capacity — 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(11) requires dockboards and bridgeplates to be properly secured before being driven over and never loaded beyond rating.
- Check the ground bearing. Concrete at least 150 mm (6 in) thick and reinforced is the safe assumption. On asphalt in summer, a loaded forklift at the ramp’s foot can punch the corner legs in; on gravel, use steel plates or timber pads under the support legs and re-check them every shift.
- Never set up on a cross-slope. The ramp works level side-to-side; if the yard falls away, level the approach first.
What to Put in the RFQ
Send these items and you will get a usable quotation on the first pass, from us or from anyone else:
- Container or vehicle floor height above ground, measured (mm and inches).
- Laden forklift weight, plus the heaviest single load (t and lb).
- Container position: on the ground, on a chassis, or at dock height.
- Available run: how many metres of clear, level approach you actually have.
- Deck preference: checkered steel plate is standard; galvanised or stainless for washdown and coastal yards.
- Surface finish and colour, plus any certification requirements (CE, ISO 9001).
- Utilities available: manual pump, 380 V / 415 V / 220 V supply, or nothing at all.
Indicative EXW ranges to plan against, not to procure from: a 6 t container ramp around $1,200–$2,400; a 10 t container loading board with side pockets $1,800–$3,200; a 10 t hydraulic mobile yard ramp $4,800–$7,800; 15 t $7,500–$11,500; a 20 t electro-hydraulic unit $11,000–$16,000. Options, finish and freight move these considerably, and every unit is built to order. Standard lead time is 15–25 working days, extending to 30–40 days for custom voltages, galvanised decks or non-standard widths. On shipping, note the footprint: a 10,300 mm (33 ft 10 in) yard ramp ships as one unit per 40 ft container, while short ground-level container ramps are compact enough that several load together, which cuts per-unit freight sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a forklift drive straight into a container standing on the ground?
No. The container floor sits about 150 mm (5.9 in) above grade, which is a step, not a slope. You need a dock board, a container loading plate or a short container ramp to create a lead-in — and if the load is on a pallet truck, the steeper the lead-in the harder it is to control.
How long does the ramp need to be for a container on a chassis?
For a 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 in) rise, budget about 9,600 mm (31 ft 6 in) of run to hold a 1:8 (12.5%) slope, which is the comfortable working maximum for repeated laden container work. At 1:6 the same rise needs only 7,200 mm, but that slope should be reserved for occasional loading or light loads.
What capacity ramp do I need for a 5,000 lb forklift?
Add the truck, battery, operator and heaviest load together rather than reading the nameplate. A 5,000 lb capacity forklift carrying the rated 5,000 lb is about 11,000–11,500 lb laden, so a 10 t (22,000 lb) ramp is appropriate — not a 5 t unit sized from the pallet weight alone.
Can I use a container ramp on gravel or grass?
Only with proper bearing under the support legs. Gravel and grass compress unevenly, the ramp tilts side-to-side, and the lip can slide off the container threshold. Use steel plates or timber pads under the legs and never set a ramp on a cross-slope.
Send us the three numbers and we will size the ramp for you. Container floor height, laden forklift weight, and available run length — with those we can confirm the model, the deck and the finish, and come back with an indicative EXW price and a drawing. See the mobile yard ramp range for chassis-mounted containers, the 6 t ground-level container ramp and the side-pocket container loading board for containers already on the ground, and the ground-to-dock ramp series if you are bridging to a low dock. Then contact our engineering team with your measurements.
