Barrel, Box or Container — Which One Fits Your Shipment?

Three shapes carry almost everything to the Caribbean. Pick by what you are sending, not by habit.

The barrel (55 or 77 gallons)

The family standard: food, clothes, toiletries, household goods. Cheap per pound, tough, stackable, and every company takes them. Weakness: round — furniture and anything fragile and square wastes space.

The box

Best for lighter, smaller sends and air cargo. Cardboard dies in a damp container hold; for sea, companies often ask you to put boxes inside a barrel or a crate. Boxes win on closeness — send exactly what fits, pay for exactly that.

The container (20 or 40 feet, shared or yours)

A whole household, a car plus goods, or stock for a shop: the container wins on volume and on control — one seal, one lock, your goods alone. Shared (consolidated) space sells the same container by the cubic foot when you do not need it all.