The comparison credits tea chests with the first worldwide standardisation of a transport box, made on a mass scale to carry goods. Wool had already used a degree of standardisation through wrapping, so the distinction concerns the use of a box. The parallel with modern intermodal containers concerns standardised packaging; the brief comparison does not trace a direct line of development between them. Tea clippers combined the transport of these goods with an emphasis on speed.
Notable Point · 0:37-1:19
Tea chests and standardised cargo
The tea-chest discussion links worldwide cargo standardisation to clipper speed and compares boxes with wool wrapping and modern intermodal containers.