How to Use the Adjustable Angle Bracket

The adjustable angle bracket is one of the most versatile components in the Domino Clamps shipping container brackets range. It is designed to create strong, load bearing horizontal supports from a container’s corner castings, allowing timber or steel structures to be securely mounted without loading the roof or wall panels.

In this guide, we explain how the angle bracket works, how it is attached using a Domino Clamp, and the different ways it can be installed depending on orientation, position, and application.

 

One example of this in use is Clinic in a Can, which used Domino Clamps and angle brackets to fix Unistrut rails to the container

Clinic in a Can used Domino Clamps and angle brackets to fix Unistrut rails to the container, providing a strong base for mounting solar panels on the roof of their containerised medical facilities. 

 

What can the angle bracket be used for?

When bolted to a Domino Clamp fixed into the container’s corner casting, the bracket creates a horizontal, rigid, load bearing shelf. Loads are transferred into the container’s structural frame rather than into the corrugated walls or roof panels.

 

Supporting medium to heavy-duty structures

This makes the method suitable for medium to heavy-duty and elevated applications, such as:

• Roofs and roof-mounted structures
• Solar panel arrays
• Roof decks & platforms
• Raised roof beams
• Overhanging platforms
• Heavy beams requiring underside support

The bracket’s different mounting and usage options are shown in our video below and explained further on in this article.

 

How to install and use the angle bracket?

The adjustable angle bracket can be mounted in several different ways onto a Domino Clamp by changing its orientation and which of its four circular or four slotted holes are used to bolt it to the Domino Clamp.

When the bracket is bolted to the shipping container using the slotted holes, its height can be adjusted so that the top of the shelf is flush with the top of the corner casting. 

It can be installed in any of the top or bottom corner castings of a shipping container, and can be used with both the stadium hole and the shield hole.

 

3 Orientations of the angle bracket

The angle bracket can be installed in a shelf down (left image), shelf up (middle), or inverted position (right), depending on the application.

Shelf down and shelf up positions

Once attached, the angle bracket can be used in either a shelf down or shelf up position. Both configurations can be installed in the top or bottom corner castings of a shipping container.

• In the shelf up position, the top of the shelf lines up approximately with the top of the corner casting.
• Final alignment can vary depending on the tolerances of the corner casting and whether the stadium hole or shield hole is used.
• Slotted holes on the opposite face of the bracket allow the vertical position to be adjusted up or down, making it possible to fine-tune the shelf height to suit the application.

 

Inverted position

If an attachment point is needed on top of a shipping container, the angle bracket can be flipped and installed in an inverted position.

• In this configuration, the bracket is bolted to the Domino Clamp using the top two holes, with the shelf overhanging the container.
• There is still sufficient access underneath the bracket to tighten fixings and attach materials.
• This setup can be used, for example, to attach roof structures and frames for solar panels.

The diagrams below show examples of how the angle bracket can be oriented in two different positions when supporting wooden beams on top of a container

Combining the Angle Bracket with Other Accessories

Because the holes on both sides of the angle bracket match those on the Domino Clamp, it can be used alongside almost all other accessories in our range. This allows the angle bracket to be combined with components such as tube clamps and adapters to create additional fixing points and structural connections.

Possible attachments are, for example:

• Attaching a vertical tube on top of a shipping container (See image below; left)
• Attaching a horizontal tube using a horizontal parallel tube clamp adapter, allowing a tube to run along the length of the container roof (See image below; right)

Using the angle bracket in your build

The adjustable angle bracket is a versatile structural component designed to transfer loads directly into a shipping container’s corner castings and frame, rather than into the roof or wall panels. Its ability to be mounted in multiple orientations and height adjusted makes it suitable for a wide range of container builds, from simple roof beams to more complex elevated structures.

You can view full technical specifications and ordering details on the angle bracket product page.

For a full visual demonstration of all configurations, including height adjustment, and installation options watch our angle bracket video.

Further Helpful Links:

• You can take a look how the angle bracket compares with other options in our article introducing our range of shipping container brackets.
  
• For a more detailed explanation of supporting wood with angle brackets, see our article on how to attach wood to a shipping container, where the angle bracket is shown as method 3.