A twistlock and corner casting together form a standardized rotating connector for

securing shipping containers. The primary uses are for locking a container into place on a container
ship, semi-trailer truck or railway container train, and for lifting of the containers by container
cranes and sidelifters.

Contents

 1Description
 2Mechanism
 3Applications
 4References

Description[edit]
The twistlock was developed in Spokane, Washington in the 1950s by transport engineer Keith
Tantlinger.[1][2] The relative obscurity of this invention belies its importance to a more efficient world
trade and transport, as the Tantlinger lock made handling and stacking standard containers much
easier.
A major advantage of this approach to attachment is that containers, which may be stored or
transported without being inspected for months at a time, do not require any maintenance in order to
function effectively. Even with long term exposure to the weather the container remains as simple to
move as ever. Only when corrosion is very extensive (to the extent of being easily visible) does the
twistlock become dangerous to move the crate. The male part (which is more exposed and
susceptible to damage) is placed on vehicles and equipment that are inspected very frequently, and
will work with all standard containers.

Mechanism[edit]
This section needs
expansionwith: clearer
explanation of operation and
tools used, and variations of
designs. You can help by adding to
it. (July 2015)

The female part of the connector is the 7×7×4 1⁄2 in (180×180×110 mm) corner casting, which is fitted
to the container itself, and has no moving parts, only an oval hole in the bottom. The hole is an oval
4.9 in (124.5 mm) on the long axis with two flat sides 2.5 in (63.5 mm) apart. The male component is
the twistlock, which is fitted to cranes and transport bases. This can be inserted through the hole (it
is roughly 4.1 in or 104.1 mm long and 2.2 in or 55.9 mm wide), and then the top portion (normally
pointed to make insertion easier) is rotated 90° so that it cannot be withdrawn. The mechanism is
similar to that of a Kensington lock, but on a much larger scale. The maximum size and position of
the holes in the connector is defined in international standard ISO 1161:1984. The tensile strength of
a twistlock is rated at either 20 or 25 tonnes.[3]
Some twistlocks have built-in levers or mechanisms, while simpler versions require tools for
installation or removal. Some twistlocks are permanently installed (e.g. on the decks of container
ships or on the beds of tractor trailers), while others are temporarily installed and removed as
needed (e.g. to stack containers in storage yards).