Container data centre: the steel half

What we supply, and what we do not

Let us be precise, because this segment blurs terms. We supply the steel shell and its structural preparation. We do not supply IT hardware, UPS, cooling plant or integration.

That means: frame, envelope, insulation, penetrations for cabling and services, anchor points, floor loading under the rack, doors and service openings, surface protection and livery.

The integrator or operator supplies and fits the technology. The split is deliberate. We do steel, and we do it with documentation.

Why the steel half is harder than it looks

A modular data centre puts demands on a shell that an ordinary container never sees:

• Floor loading. A populated rack is a concentrated load on a small footprint, not a distributed one. Floor loading is published in the catalogue in kg/m² and it is a structural figure, not an estimate.
• Penetrations. Every penetration for cabling, refrigerant or air is a hole in both the load path and the sealed envelope. Their positions have to be known before welding, not after.
• Roof loading. If a cooling unit sits on the roof, it adds to the snow load. Units for year-round standing in Central Europe are designed for 1.6 kN/m² of snow, and plant loading is added to that in engineering.
• Stacking and handling. ISO 1CC corner castings allow handling with standard equipment. The number of stacking levels is a structural parameter.
• Sealing and finish. Blasting to Sa 2.5 per ISO 8501 and a two-coat system. For permanent outdoor standing, hot-dip galvanising of the undercarriage is recommended.

Structure and norms

The load-bearing structure is classified to EXC2 under EN 1090-1, welded under EN ISO 3834-2 qualification, by welders qualified to EN ISO 9606. Quality system ISO 9001, environment ISO 14001.

Finished geometry is measured on a FARO Arm Prime 10. On a module that will receive racks and pipework, geometry is what decides whether everything else fits.

Lead times

A data centre module is nearly always a custom build, because penetrations and loadings are project specific:

• Custom build: 10 to 16 weeks
• Catalogue base with modifications: 6 to 10 weeks if little changes

Detail in the note on lead times.

What we need from you at the start

So that a quotation is real rather than indicative:

1. A floor plan with rack positions and their weights.
2. A schedule of penetrations with diameters and positions.
3. Whether plant sits on the roof, and at what weight.
4. The site, for snow and wind loading.
5. Whether the module will be stacked, or moved with the technology inside.

Related

• Data centre containers, the product family
• AI data centre power
• Generator and distribution containers
• Custom fabrication
• Request a quote

FAQ

Do you supply a finished data centre including the technology? No. We supply the steel shell and its structural preparation. The technology is supplied and integrated by your own vendor or integrator.

What floor loading can you achieve? It depends on the structure. Catalogue products publish floor loading in kg/m². On a custom module it is designed around the actual rack layout, which we need to know up front.

Will the roof take a cooling unit? If it is in the brief, yes. Plant loading is added to the snow load, which for year-round standing in Central Europe we take as 1.6 kN/m².

Can the module be transported with the technology installed? It is structurally solvable, but it has to be specified before manufacture because it changes the calculation and the anchoring. It cannot be added as an afterthought.

Do you also build generator and switchgear modules? Yes, that is a separate product family and it is frequently ordered alongside a data centre project.