BIC simplifies BoxTech uploads as wider platform upgrade begins

BIC has launched a completely redesigned upload experience for BoxTech, its free global container database – the first of several platform enhancements planned across 2026.

The new web interface lets container owners build a bespoke template with just the fields they want to upload and share with the supply chain, rather than a single large template containing every possible field. Alongside the required container markings, they can pick and choose individual fields from across the available data sets – such as CSC safety plate, tank container, smart container, and dimensions – then download a CSV matched precisely to those selections.

As a file is loaded, the platform validates it instantly in the browser, marking each row as valid or invalid and explaining any error before submission. A flawless file is no longer required to proceed: valid rows can be uploaded immediately, while rows containing errors can be downloaded, corrected, and resubmitted separately. A new Quick Generate option creates an entire serial range from a single set of shared specifications, easing the entry of newly built container batches.

Launched by BIC in 2016, BoxTech is the only centralized container equipment database of its kind in the world. Free, neutral, and non-profit, it holds the technical details of more than 15.3 million containers and is drawn on by more than 6,000 registered users. Once an owner publishes a fleet, trading partners – terminals, depots, shippers, forwarders, and carriers – can retrieve specifications on demand, including tare weights for SOLAS VGM compliance, maximum gross mass, ISO size types, CSC plate validity, smart container attributes, and status flags for units that have been sold, scrapped, lost, or stolen.

“This is the first of several upgrades we’re bringing to BoxTech in 2026 — the 10th anniversary year of the Global Container Database. BIC has continually evaluated BoxTech functionality and customer feedback with an aim to improve users’ experience of the service. The developments over 2026 are a reflection of this work and show BIC’s commitment to continuous improvement.”

— Douglas Owen, Secretary-General at BIC