Containers used by the Department of Energy (DOE) for the transport of radioactive material components, including components and special assemblies, are required to meet certain impact and thermal requirements that are demonstrated by performance or compliance testing, analytical procedures or a combination of both. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 49, Section 173.7(d) stipulates that, (prime)Packages (containers) made by or under direction of the US DOE may be used for the transportation of radioactive materials when evaluated, approved, and certified by the DOE against packaging standards equivalent to those specified in 10 CFR Part 71. This paper describes the details of the design, analysis and testing efforts undertaken to improve the overall structural and thermal integrity of the DC-19 shipping container.