Containers are commonly stowed below deck and sometimes on deck within fixed vertical cell guides. A typical cell guide angle is 150 x 150 mm with a thickness of 15 mm. The size and thickness of the angles may vary by design and with the spacing of the horizontal support structure. The angles and support structure should be designed for the transverse and longitudinal loads associated with the ship's motions, as well as the impact loads experienced during cargo loading. The former may be estimated from the classification society guidelines for calculating design accelerations. The latter may be approximated from the crane lowering speeds and the geometry of the entry guide. Cell angle thickness should also reflect some margin for the anticipated corrosion and wear experienced in service as the containers ride up and down within the bosom of the cell angle.

Container cell guide systems may include features to provide flexibility for stowing different size containers. Moveable cell guide structures may be installed to enable alternate length stowage. Holds may be fitted with guides and cones to permit the stowage of paired 20ft containers within fixed 40ft cell guides. Designs may include features to facilitate future conversions should changes in service or cargo warrant. For example, slim 20ft container cell guides may be installed within fixed 40ft cell guides to provide initial 20ft slot capacity that may be readily converted should the additional 40ft container capacity be needed.

Horizontal spacing of the four vertical cell angles in one stack includes a margin over the dimensions of the container. The typical margin is 38mm longitudinally and 25mm transversely.

Horizontal support structure for the vertical cell guids is often provided at a vertical spacing of 1.3 to 1.45 meters or roughly one half of the container height. In some designs, horizontal support spacing equal to the container height has been successfully used in conjunction with heavier cell angles (19mm) and with intermediate chocks to functionally stiffen the cell angle by marrying it to the adjacent one. In this scheme the horizontal support points are located between each tier in way of the container corner castings, which contact the cell angles.

Out-of-true, excessive or insufficient clearances and excessive flexibility in container cell supports can lead to containers jamming in the cells during loading or discharging.