In any shipping container cost breakdown, the steel box itself is the biggest line and delivery usually comes second. Grade, doors and whatever the driver has to deal with at your site make up the rest. When a quote is padded, the padding tends to sit in those last places, because the price of a box is easy to check and the extras are harder to compare.
Below, we take the delivered price apart and show what drives each part, so you can tell a fair quote from an inflated one. If you want a figure for your own ZIP code, the pricing page shows current typical prices as an estimate once you add your ZIP and an email or phone number.
Why the same box is priced differently
The same used 20ft wind and watertight box can be priced very differently from one ZIP code to the next. The box is the same either way. What changes is how far the truck has to drive and what the yards near you have in stock, which part two covers.
Part one: the container itself, by grade
The easiest way to see what the box alone costs is our fixed national price list, because it shows the container and the delivery fee separately.
Moving up from wind and watertight to cargo-worthy adds the same small step on every size. That step pays for an inspection that found the frame, corner posts, floor and doors sound enough to carry freight again. Moving from cargo-worthy to new is a bigger step, larger on a 40 than a 20, and it buys clean paint, straight panels and the most life left in the steel.
At the used grades, a 40 costs only a little more than a 20 for double the floor, so per square foot of floor the 40 costs far less, used or new.
The extra foot of a high cube adds a modest premium over a standard 40. For that you get about 13 percent more volume and a door opening about 8 ft 5 in high instead of 7 ft 5 in.
Part two: delivery, and why distance usually matters more than size
Most sellers price delivery by distance, and that accounts for much of the spread between quotes. Our fixed-price delivery is a flat fee by method, the same anywhere in the contiguous US. Flatbed costs less than tilt-bed, though you unload a flatbed yourself. Size moves the fee only a little, and self pickup is free.
Take the same used 20ft wind and watertight box. On our fixed list it's the same delivered price wherever you are. From sellers who charge by the mile it can land almost anywhere, depending on how far away the nearest yard is, and some bill the empty return trip too.
As a rough guide, with distance-priced delivery a short local run is a small part of the delivered price and a long rural haul can be a large one. The delivery cost guide goes into trucking rates by distance, and the cost guide by size, grade and distance shows what to check before you ask anyone for a quote.
If the delivery part of a quote is more than half the price of the box, ask which yard the container is coming from and how many miles the truck runs. Sometimes the site really is remote, and sometimes the box is coming from across the state when another yard sits 40 miles away.
Part three: options and modifications
Every container comes with two swing cargo doors and lock bars on one end. Anything beyond that costs extra, and it's where quotes get hard to compare. Your quote itemizes each one.
- Double doors (both ends) and open sides. These are mostly built new, so expect one-trip pricing plus a premium. An open side is priced well above a standard box, and supply is limited.
- Roll-up doors and personnel doors. A fabricator cuts and frames these, usually before delivery. Expect four figures installed, more for a roll-up than for a man door.
- Lock box. A steel shroud welded over the door handles that keeps bolt cutters off the padlock. It's priced in your quote when you ask for one.
- Vents. Louvered vents are priced per vent installed, and two is normal.
- Windows, shelving, paint, insulation, electrical. Insulation and power on a 20ft workshop can cost more than the container did.
A fair quote lists each of these as its own line. If a quote folds them into one "custom container" price, ask for the split. And have doors cut before delivery if you can, because the same cut usually costs more in your backyard than in a fabricator's shop.
Part four: things that add cost on the day
The delivered price assumes a straightforward drop on firm ground. Our ordering and delivery policies list the charges that apply when the site isn't what the driver was told:
| Situation | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Waiting on site past the first hour | Billed by the hour |
| Truck cannot place the container because the site differs from what you described | One more delivery charge for a redelivery |
| Cancelling after the container is dispatched | Delivery charge kept and the rest refunded, with no cancellation fee |
| Flatbed delivery of a 40ft with no crane on site | You provide the crane. The driver does not unload, and waiting past the first hour is billed |
| Soft lawn, thin paving or a septic field under the drop spot | Surface damage at the spot you chose is your responsibility unless the driver was negligent |
Not in a typical quote: site prep such as a gravel pad or blocks, permits or HOA approvals, anchoring, and painting, insulation or electrical work unless you ask for it.
Avoiding all of it mostly comes down to measuring. A 20ft needs roughly 60 to 100 ft of straight approach and a 40ft 100 to 150 ft, with about 12 ft of width and 14 to 16 ft of clear height. Send photos of the route with your quote request and have the pad ready.
Fixed national prices vs quoted prices
There are two ways to buy from us, and they produce different-looking numbers for the same box.
A fixed national price is one container price plus a flat delivery fee by method, the same at every address in the contiguous US. Delivery usually comes 3 to 10 business days after you confirm, and it's the simplest route for a standard box with standard doors.
A quote covers what the fixed list doesn't: 10ft containers, double doors, open sides, modifications, several containers, or a site that needs special handling. We match your request to our stock at the nearest yard and send one delivered price in writing, held for 7 days while the container is available. If something could add cost, like a long distance or a difficult site, the quote says so before you agree.
Either way you get one written price and one invoice, with no deposit, and nothing is ordered until you approve. The complete buying guide walks through the order from first ZIP code to delivery day.
How to lower the price without buying junk
- Match the grade to the spot. Behind a barn, wind and watertight costs less than cargo-worthy and far less than new, and it keeps rain out just as well.
- Go to a 40 if the site takes the truck. At the used grades it doubles the floor for a small step up in price.
- Stay standard height unless you need the taller door. The high cube's extra cost makes sense for a workshop, much less for storing a mower.
- Buy standard doors and add a lock box instead of double doors. A lock box costs a fraction of a second set of doors.
- Make the site easy. A ready pad and a clear approach save you a redelivery charge and billed waiting time.
- Be flexible on color and the exact unit. Accepting a unit picked by grade at loading widens the stock that can fill your order.
- Skip the 10ft unless the footprint forces it. Supply is patchy, and the price can land close to what a 20 costs.
What not to do is chase a number far below everyone else's. A "delivered" 20ft advertised far under the going rate fits a common scam pattern, especially when the seller wants a deposit or a wire transfer before you've seen the box. We don't take deposits at all. And if a listing says "conex" instead of "container," it's the same box under another name (see conex box explained).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a shipping container cost without delivery?
On our fixed national list the box alone is priced by size and grade, from a used 20ft wind and watertight box at the bottom to a new 40ft high cube at the top. Delivery is a flat fee by size and method, and self pickup is free. Enter your ZIP to see your delivered price.
Why is my quote higher than my cousin's for the same container?
Usually it's distance from the nearest yard. Sellers who price delivery by the mile charge more for a long haul, and an area short of one grade quotes higher for it. Our fixed list is the same anywhere in the contiguous US, so a gap there comes down to grade, delivery method or extras.
Is a high cube worth the extra money?
For a workshop, office or tall shelving, yes. You get about 13 percent more volume and a taller door opening for a modest premium on the box. For storing boxes and a mower, a standard 40 does the same job for less.
What is the least expensive way to get a shipping container?
A used wind and watertight box, standard height and doors, on a ready site. Flatbed delivery costs less than tilt-bed, and self pickup with a rated trailer costs nothing beyond the box. If you have the room, a used 40ft wind and watertight box gives you double the floor for a little more.
For an exact number, send us your ZIP and we'll reply with one delivered price for the container on your site, usually within 1 to 2 business hours.
