docs/data-dictionary.md

Data dictionary

Version 1.0. Generated by build.py from dictionary.py — do not hand-edit.

Every column in both tables, with its type, unit and meaning. The machine-readable form of this file is data-dictionary.csv; the same definitions render the dataset card's field table and the Hub's dtype declarations, so the three cannot disagree.

containers → containers.csv

36 columns.

Column	Type	Unit	Description
id	string	—	Stable slug, e.g. euro-600x400x230, alc-600x400x310, vda-rklt-6429
type	string	—	euro_stacking_container · attached_lid_container · vda_klt_container
type_label	string	—	Human-readable form of type
common_names	string	—	Semicolon-separated search terms, ordered most standard to most colloquial, including regional ones (Eurobehälter, bac gerbable) and genericised vendor names (Hudson box). Search terms only — never discriminate families on them, see guidance/naming.md
external_length_cm	float64	cm	External length
external_width_cm	float64	cm	External width
external_height_cm	float64	cm	External height
external_length_in	float64	in	External length in inches. Always the derived side on this table — these nominal sizes are fixed in millimetres by the standards
external_width_in	float64	in	External width in inches, derived
external_height_in	float64	in	External height in inches, derived
external_volume_l	float64	L	L × W × H. Not what the box holds
external_volume_gal	float64	US gal	External volume in US liquid gallons
internal_length_cm	float64	cm	Typical internal length. Populated for every Euro row and for the two KLT sizes a vendor publishes; empty for ALCs, whose taper makes a single internal dimension meaningless
internal_width_cm	float64	cm	Typical internal width, same basis
internal_height_cm	float64	cm	Typical internal height, same basis
internal_length_in	float64	in	Typical internal length in inches, derived
internal_width_in	float64	in	Typical internal width in inches, derived
internal_height_in	float64	in	Typical internal height in inches, derived
internal_dims_basis	string	—	Where those internal figures came from: vendor_average_rule, vendor_published, not_published, not_published_tapered_walls
internal_dims_vendors	int64	—	How many vendors publish internal dimensions for this footprint. Vendors, not listings — one mould in five colours is one opinion
typical_capacity_l	float64	L	The usable number. Always populated
typical_capacity_gal	float64	US gal	Usable capacity in US liquid gallons
vendor_capacity_low_l	float64	L	Capacity implied by the least generous vendor's own published internal dimensions for this footprint. Empty where no vendor publishes any
vendor_capacity_high_l	float64	L	As above, most generous vendor. See guidance/internal-dimensions.md
usable_ratio	float64	—	typical_capacity_l / external_volume_l
capacity_basis	string	—	How the capacity was arrived at: derived_from_internal_dims, vendor_nominal, published, derived_from_klt_ratio
lidded	bool	—	True where a lid is integral to the product (ALCs)
lid_available_separately	bool	—	True where a lid exists but is a separate purchase
nestable_when_empty	bool	—	True for ALCs; straight-walled boxes stack but do not nest
typical_nesting_ratio	float64	—	Fraction of its own height a nested empty box saves. 0.75 for ALCs, 0 for everything else — that is a fact about a straight-walled box, not missing data
standard_conformant	bool	—	Whether the footprint conforms to a recognised module
standard	string	—	Which one, stated precisely
vda_4500_height	bool	—	Whether the external height is on the VDA KLT grid (147.5 / 213 / 280 mm)
eur1_pallet_per_layer	int64	—	Boxes per layer on a 1200 × 800 Euro pallet, no overhang. The one column that reaches past the box itself — see Scope
listings_observed	int64	—	How many rows in the listings table back this size — 0 means the row is a plausible interpolation, not something seen for sale
notes	string	—	Per-row caveats. Read these

listings → listings.csv

32 columns.

Column	Type	Unit	Description
listing_id	string	—	Stable slug, <vendor>-<sku or handle>
vendor	string	—	Salesbridges · Plastic Box Shop · Yosibox · Hudson Exchange
vendor_country	string	—	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 of the vendor's market
product_name	string	—	The vendor's own product title, verbatim
sku	string	—	Vendor SKU where published, else empty
url	string	—	The listing, as captured on captured_date
type	string	—	Family, assigned by this project — not the vendor's word
native_unit	string	—	metric or imperial: which unit the vendor's own catalogue publishes in, and therefore which dimension columns are the figure and which are the conversion. See guidance/units-and-us-vendors.md
external_length_cm	float64	cm	External length as listed or converted
external_width_cm	float64	cm	External width as listed or converted
external_height_cm	float64	cm	External height as listed or converted
external_length_in	float64	in	External length; the vendor's own figure where native_unit is imperial
external_width_in	float64	in	External width, same basis
external_height_in	float64	in	External height, same basis
internal_length_cm	float64	cm	Internal length as the vendor publishes it, empty where they do not. 95 of 121 rows carry these; vendors measure at different heights on a tapered box, which is why the typical table's figures are conservative
internal_width_cm	float64	cm	Internal width as published
internal_height_cm	float64	cm	Internal height as published
internal_length_in	float64	in	Internal length in inches
internal_width_in	float64	in	Internal width in inches
internal_height_in	float64	in	Internal height in inches
stated_capacity_l	float64	L	The vendor's own capacity claim. Not recomputed — the point of this table is what they say
stated_capacity_gal	float64	US gal	The same in US gallons; the vendor's own figure for Hudson Exchange
external_volume_l	float64	L	L × W × H, computed here
external_volume_gal	float64	US gal	The same in US gallons
usable_ratio	float64	—	stated_capacity_l / external_volume_l — what this vendor claims, not what the typical table concluded
price	float64	—	As captured, in currency. An observation with a date on it, not a price feed
currency	string	—	ISO 4217
price_includes_vat	bool	—	Whether the captured price is VAT-inclusive. Differs by market — UK and NL retail inclusive, US exclusive
pack_quantity	int64	—	Units in the pack the price refers to. Multipacks and pallet deals are common
unit_price	float64	—	price / pack_quantity
captured_date	string	—	ISO 8601 date the listing was read
notes	string	—	Per-row caveats, including non-conforming footprints