Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
💻

Container

technology Maturity 5-7

A container holds things inside.

Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
It can be a box or a bag. It keeps your things safe. You can use them to carry food.
MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG
They help us move things. Do you have a favorite box?

42 words

A container holds things inside.

Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
It can be a box or a bag. It keeps your things safe. It can also protect them from animals.

People have used containers for a very long time. They might have used them for millions of years. Early people used hollow gourds to store food.

Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg

Later, people made baskets by weaving. They also made things from wood and clay. Some people made glass bottles. These were used to hold perfume.

Today, we use many kinds of containers. We use metal cans for food.

MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG
We also use big steel boxes on ships. These help move goods across the world.

Containers make it easy to carry and store things.

135 words

A container is a thing that holds other items.

Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
It makes a space to store or move things. Being inside a container keeps items safe. They are protected on many sides.
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg

Humans have used containers for a very long time. Some say for millions of years. Early people used hollow gourds from nature. They also made woven baskets. Later, they made things from wood and clay. The Phoenicians made glass bottles. These small bottles held perfume.

In the 1800s, people found new ways to keep food. They used tin cans. This helped food stay good for longer.

MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG
Later, people needed better ways to move big loads. Old wooden boxes could leak or break. In the 1950s, workers made steel shipping containers.
Railroad car with container loads.jpg
Railroad car with container loads.jpg
These big boxes are used everywhere today. They help move goods on ships and trains. Now, computers help us design special shapes. We can even make labels that fit any container.

179 words

A container is any object that holds something inside it.

Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
It creates a space that is partly or fully enclosed. This enclosure protects the items on several sides. We use containers for three main jobs: storage, packaging, and transportation. Many containers are made of tough, rigid materials. This helps them stay strong while they work.
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg

Containers work by keeping items inside a safe structure. This helps people store food for a longer time. It also makes it easier to carry things from place to place. Being inside a container can protect items from other animals. Modern design makes this even better. Designers use computers to make special shapes. They can even make labels that fit around unusual shapes.

MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG

Humans have used containers for at least 100,000 years. Some say we may have used them for millions of years. Early people likely used hollow gourds found in nature. Cultures like the Tharu people and native Hawaiians used these. Later, people made woven baskets and carved wood. They also made pottery to hold things. These tools were very important for growing human populations.

History shows many clever inventions for containers. The Phoenicians made small glass bottles in the first millennium BC. These bottles were three to six inches long. People likely used them to hold perfume. In 1810, Philippe de Girard had an idea for tin cans. He worked with a man named Peter Durand in London. In 1812, Bryan Donkin and John Hall started the first canning factory. By 1813, they made canned goods for the Royal Navy.

Today, containers come in many different sizes and shapes.

Railroad car with container loads.jpg
Railroad car with container loads.jpg
We use small glass jars and metal cans for food. We use large wooden barrels and metal drums for liquids. For big jobs, we use steel shipping containers. These became common in the 1950s to move goods globally.
8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
You might see a corrugated box or a large intermodal container. These help move huge amounts of goods across the world.

355 words

A container is any receptacle or enclosure used to hold an item. It creates a partially or fully enclosed space. This structure protects the contents on several sides. Humans use these devices for storage, packaging, and transportation. This includes the shipping of goods across the world. Most containers are made from durable and rigid materials.

MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG
This rigidity helps them maintain their shape while holding weight.

The mechanism of a container is quite simple but very effective. It works by surrounding an object with a physical barrier. This barrier acts as a shield for the contents. Being inside a structure allows people to carry items more easily. It also allows for the preservation of food for longer periods. In nature, containers can protect food from being eaten by other animals.

Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
By controlling the environment inside, containers manage how items are moved or kept.

Containers come in many distinct types based on their shape and material. Ceramic vessels include cylindrical shapes like amphoras or pithos. Glass containers are often symmetrical and include bottles, jars, and jugs. Some vessels are designed for liquids, such as wooden barrels or metal drums.

8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
Other types are rectilinear, meaning they have straight sides like boxes or crates. We also use flexible containers. These include bags, luggage, and even gunny sacks. Even corrugated boxes are considered a type of flexible container.

History shows that humans have used containers for at least 100,000 years. Some evidence suggests we may have used them for millions of years. The very first containers were likely objects found in nature. For example, hollow gourds were used by the Tharu people and native Hawaiians. Later, humans developed woven baskets, carved wood, and pottery. These advancements were essential for the growth of human populations.

Technological progress led to many specialized inventions over time. The Phoenicians produced glass bottles during the first millennium BC. These bottles were typically three to six inches in length. They were likely used to hold perfume. In 1810, Philippe de Girard patented a process for making tin cans. This idea was based on earlier work with glass by Nicholas Appert. In 1812, Bryan Donkin and John Hall opened the first commercial canning factory in London. By 1813, they were providing canned goods to the Royal Navy.

Large-scale transportation required new types of standardization. For a long time, wooden containers were the main choice for moving goods. However, wooden containers often leaked or broke during use. This made it difficult for customs officials to inspect imports. In the 1950s, the standardized steel shipping container was developed.

Railroad car with container loads.jpg
Railroad car with container loads.jpg
This invention became ubiquitous for global commerce. It allowed for much more efficient movement of goods across oceans.

Modern container design uses advanced technology to solve complex problems. At the end of the twentieth century, computer-aided design became available. This allowed designers to create highly specialized containers. They can now design containers with very unusual shapes. They can also create shrink sleeves, which are form-fitting labels. These labels can decorate containers that were previously considered impossible to decorate. This connects the field of packaging to the broader world of digital engineering and industrial design.

548 words
🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
Pots for sale in Kenya.jpg
File:Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main exhibition hall - Woven basket - Maya people in Mexico.jpg
Little world, Aichi prefecture - Main...
File:MOVINGBOX.JPG
MOVINGBOX.JPG
File:Railroad car with container loads.jpg
Railroad car with container loads.jpg
File:8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
8205Plastic containers 03.jpg
Up Next
💻
Box
Technology
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.