British Railways used several standard types of wagon. The Conflat A, which could carry one type 'B', or two type 'A', containers, was the most common; while the Conflat L, which could carry three smaller containers for bulk powders, was also produced in large numbers.

'Conflat' is the telegraphic code within the Great Western Railway's coding of railway wagons for a container wagon. Unlike normal wagon loads, containers were only listed to carry furniture or goods (unless they were refrigerated containers, which carried frozen products kept cold by ice) which needed to be placed on a specialist flatbed wagon which had train braking capability due to the fragile nature of the products carried.

The wagons were removed from service steadily with the advent of more modern containers passing into use. The BR Conflat matches the rest of the BR catalogue well as a compliment to many other wagons, utility vehicles, and locomotives of the era.