Working out how to buy a shipping container mostly means making seven decisions in order: the job, the size, the grade, the doors, the spot, the delivery and the price. Start at the other end, with the lowest-priced listing you can find, and you tend to end up with a box that doesn't suit the spot, the job or the truck.
This guide takes the seven in order, with the questions to put to any seller at each step. Our own process is set out in how our quote process works, five steps in all, and the pricing page explains what moves a delivered price.
Start with the job, not the box
Before you look at a single listing, write down what goes in it, how often you'll open it and how many years it needs to last. Those answers settle most of what follows.
- Furniture and boxes during a renovation, opened a few times over a year or two: any grade, a 20ft, standard doors.
- Farm supplies, feed and tools, opened weekly and kept out of sight indefinitely: a used grade, often a 40ft, maybe a lock box.
- A workshop or office you'll stand in daily, insulated and wired, next to the house: a new high cube with a personnel door and windows.
- Jobsite storage that gets lifted and trucked between jobs: cargo-worthy at minimum.
Pick a size: 10ft, 20ft, 40ft or high cube
Four sizes matter. All are 8 ft wide outside and about 7 ft 8 in inside, so the choices are length and height.
| Size | Outside (L x W x H) | Inside, about |
|---|---|---|
| 10ft | 10' x 8' x 8'6" | 9'3" x 7'8" x 7'10", 70 sq ft |
| 20ft standard | 20' x 8' x 8'6" | 19'4" x 7'8" x 7'10", 150 sq ft |
| 40ft standard | 40' x 8' x 8'6" | 39'5" x 7'8" x 7'10", 300 sq ft |
| 40ft high cube | 40' x 8' x 9'6" | 39'5" x 7'8" x 8'10", 300 sq ft |
Standard ISO outside dimensions; individual units vary slightly.
A 20ft holds roughly the contents of a one-car garage, or 9 standard 48 x 40 pallets (10 only with a mixed layout). A 40ft gives double the floor for well under double the money, so if you have the access it's the better buy per square foot. The high cube adds a foot of height for a little more, which pays off once you plan tall shelving, insulation or a finished ceiling.
What usually decides between a 20 and a 40 is the driveway. A tilt-bed truck needs roughly 60 to 100 ft of straight, clear approach for a 20ft and 100 to 150 ft for a 40ft, so measure before you commit to the bigger box.
10ft containers aren't a standard shipping size. Some are built new for storage and others are cut down from a longer box, so supply is patchy and the price often lands close to a 20ft. Ask for one only if a 20 won't fit.
Questions for the seller: Is that length the outside or the inside measurement? Is the 40 a standard or a high cube? If it's a 10ft, was it built that way or cut down?
Pick a grade: one-trip, cargo-worthy or wind and watertight
Grade is where most of the price difference sits, and most of the confusion. The terms are industry conventions judged at inspection, and no government agency rates them.
New / one-trip. Built new, loaded once for the voyage over, then sold. Expect even paint, straight panels, easy doors and a clean, dry floor. Buy it for anything visible from the house, anything you'll insulate or cut into, and anything you want to last the longest.
Cargo-worthy (used). Inspected and judged structurally sound to carry cargo, with the frame, corner posts, floor and doors in good working order, and wind and watertight too. Expect fading, dents and patches. Buy it for secure storage and anything you might lift, move or ship later.
Wind and watertight (used). Retired from shipping. When inspected, the doors closed and sealed and no daylight came through the roof, walls or floor. Expect heavy cosmetic wear, stiff doors and a stained floor. It suits the field, the yard and the jobsite, where price matters more than looks.
On the same size, used usually costs well under new, and the gap is widest on a 40ft and a high cube. The new vs used containers guide weighs the two in more detail.
Questions for the seller: Who graded it, and when? Can I see photos of the actual unit, or is it sold by grade and picked at loading? If I want to ship it, does it come with a valid CSC plate or a survey? What happens if it arrives with a hole or doors that don't seal? Any seller should answer that last one clearly.
Doors and options worth paying for
Every container comes with standard cargo doors on one end: two swing doors, each about 4 ft wide, with lock bars. For most storage that's all you need.
A few options earn their cost often enough to mention.
- A lock box, a steel shroud welded over the handles so bolt cutters can't reach the padlock. It's cheap, and it's the first thing to add on a jobsite or for remote storage.
- Double doors at both ends, so you can reach the back of a 40 without unloading the front. They're mostly built new, so expect one-trip pricing.
- A personnel door, a roll-up door or windows, cut in before delivery (we quote it) or by a local fabricator afterward. Before is usually simpler and cheaper.
Open-side containers, where a long wall folds open, suit forklifts and equipment, but they're built new and priced well above a standard box.
Questions for the seller: Are double-door and open-side units in stock near me? What does a door or window cut in before delivery add? Can a modified container be returned? Usually not unless it arrived faulty, so settle the modification before you confirm the order.
Check your site and local rules before you pay
This is the step people skip, and the one that leads to redelivery charges. Before you approve any price, walk the spot with a tape.
- Straight approach: 60 to 100 ft for a 20ft and 100 to 150 ft for a 40ft, about 12 ft wide. Measure any gate.
- Overhead: 14 to 16 ft of clear height above the drop spot and along the route, with no wires or low branches.
- Ground: firm and fairly level, such as gravel, concrete or packed dirt. Wet lawns, fresh fill and septic fields trap trucks and get torn up, and that damage is yours unless the driver was negligent.
- Base: compacted gravel, railroad ties or concrete blocks under the corners, checked for level so the doors keep closing. The site prep guide compares the options.
- Rules: your city or county may treat a container as an accessory structure with setbacks, and many HOAs restrict or ban them.
If the site isn't what you described, the driver can decline to place the container, and a redelivery costs one more delivery charge. Sending photos with your quote request avoids most of this.
Question for the seller: Will you look at photos of my site before I commit and tell me whether a tilt-bed can reach it?
What a fair delivered price looks like
Only compare prices once they include delivery. A container listed with trucking "TBD" isn't really priced yet, because delivery is usually the second-biggest line after the box itself. Ask every seller for a delivered number so you compare like with like.
Your quote gives the exact figure. Across the market, price depends mostly on how far the box travels from the nearest yard, local stock and the time of year. Our fixed prices use one flat delivery fee by size and method anywhere in the contiguous US.
For a 40ft cargo-worthy bought for farm storage, a quote is fair when it names the grade, the delivery method and the distance from the nearest yard. A quote near the top of what sellers around you charge should prompt you to ask about the trucking line and local stock, and a "delivered" price far below everyone else's should prompt you to ask what grade it really is.
The what the delivered price is made of guide splits a quote into the container, the trucking and the extras, line by line.
Questions for the seller: Is that price delivered to my address, and by what kind of truck? What's the delivery window, and how long is the price held? What isn't included? If the container sells before I approve, what happens? Good answers are yes, a tilt-bed, a window in writing, a hold of several days, and the closest match at the same price or lower if it sells. Our quotes are held for 7 days, subject to availability.
Dealer, online seller, auction or classifieds
There are four places to buy, and each suits a different buyer. The where to buy a shipping container guide compares them in detail.
- A container yard or local dealer. Works if you live near a port or rail hub, have time to call several sellers and can sort out trucking yourself.
- An online seller that delivers. One request instead of five calls, and one delivered price in writing. That's us: a delivered-price seller whose containers ship from the nearest yard to you, with nothing ordered until you approve the written price.
- An auction. The lowest sticker prices, but sold as-is, usually with no delivery and no recourse. Fine if you can inspect in person and have your own trucking.
- A classifieds listing. Quality varies widely from one listing to the next. Do the daylight test yourself and assume you'll be finding the truck.
Whichever route you take, don't pay in full until you have the container, grade, delivered price and delivery window in writing. We take no deposit, and you pay on delivery or before if you prefer.
Delivery day and the first week
If you can, be there to show the driver the spot and confirm the door direction. Once the box is down, spend five minutes on it while the truck is still there: walk around it looking for holes or rust through the steel, work the doors, step inside and close them to check for daylight, and press on the floor for soft spots. Dents, surface rust and stains are normal on used grades. Holes and daylight are not.
Report any problem within 30 days of delivery, with photos, through our contact page. If the container doesn't match the size or grade you paid for, or isn't wind and watertight when sold as such, we repair it, replace it or refund you. You can also return an unmodified container within 60 days, empty and as it arrived, for a refund of the whole invoice, delivery included, less the return trucking. Used containers carry a 5-year wind and watertight warranty, new ones 10 years.
In the first week, fit the padlock and lock box, add vents or moisture absorbers if your climate is humid, and check that the doors still close once the ground has settled.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to buy a shipping container new or used?
Buy new if people will see it, if you'll insulate or cut into it, or if you want the most years out of it. Buy used if it goes out of sight and just has to stay dry. Used costs noticeably less on the same size, so the question is whether looks and extra life are worth the difference to you.
What should I check before buying a used shipping container?
Ask who graded it and when, whether you can see photos of the actual unit, and what the seller does if it arrives with a hole or doors that don't seal. On delivery day, do the daylight test: step inside, close the doors and look for light.
How long does it take to get a shipping container after buying?
That depends on stock and trucking near you, and it's often a few days to a couple of weeks. Our fixed-price orders usually arrive 3 to 10 business days after you confirm.
Do I need a permit to put a shipping container on my property?
Sometimes. Many cities and counties treat a container as an accessory structure with setback rules, and some HOAs ban them outright. Check with both before you order, because permits and HOA approvals aren't part of a container price.
What is a conex box, and is it the same thing?
Yes, it's the same thing. Conex comes from the US Army's container express program, and the nickname carried over to today's steel ISO containers. What a conex box is covers the history, and the sizes, grades and prices here apply whatever you call it.
Know what you want? Tell us your ZIP, size and grade when you start your quote, and a person on our team sends one delivered price, usually within 1 to 2 business hours.
