Shipping container garage: the sizing guide

Who a container garage is for

• Someone storing a second car, a project car or a classic that mostly sits.
• Covered, locked parking for a side-by-side, motorcycles, a golf cart or a riding mower.
• Rural properties where a stick-built garage means a long wait for a contractor.
• Anyone who wants the vehicle and a workshop under one steel roof.

It is not a daily-driver garage for a family sedan unless you add a side door.

The width problem, in inches

Inside width is about 92 inches. The end door opening is about 7'8" wide and 7'5" tall on a standard-height box, or 8'5" tall on a 40ft high cube.

A car door needs roughly 20 to 25 inches of swing to let an adult out. None of the rows above gets that. Your options: climb out through a window or hatch (fine for a project car that rarely moves), back the car out to work on it, or cut a roll-up door into the long side so you pull in across the container and both doors open freely. Fold the mirrors every time, and tape the floor where the front tires should stop.

Height is rarely an issue. A 7'5" opening clears nearly every passenger vehicle; lifted trucks and vans with roof racks should measure first.

Which size, and which grade

20ft standard. About 19'4" long inside, 150 sq ft. One car or truck up to about 18 ft, with a shelf at the back. Delivered estimate $2,600 to $6,000 depending on grade. 20ft details.

40ft standard. About 39'5" long inside. Two average cars nose to tail, or one car plus 20 ft of workbench. Delivered estimate $3,000 to $7,500. 40ft details.

40ft high cube. Same footprint with an extra foot of height, which matters for a tall side roll-up door or a lift later. Delivered estimate $3,300 to $8,000.

On grade: next to the house, a new one-trip container looks like a building and takes paint and door modifications better. Behind a barn, a cargo-worthy box saves a thousand dollars or more and still locks and stays dry. Skip wind and watertight for a vehicle you care about; a stained, patched floor is fine for hay, less fine under a restored car. Full ranges are on the pricing page.

Door options that make it a real garage

Standard cargo doors open to the full width and height of the end wall, which works if you drive straight in. The upgrades people choose:

• Roll-up door on the end. Replaces the swing doors so you never need 4 ft of clearance for each leaf. Added by a fabricator, usually before delivery.
• Roll-up door in the side. The best answer to the width problem. Pull in at an angle or park across the container and both car doors open. Most practical on a 40ft.
• Open side container. One long wall opens with bi-fold doors. Built new, limited supply, priced above a standard box. See open side containers.
• Double doors. Cargo doors at both ends so you can drive through a 40ft holding two vehicles. See double door containers.

The door options guide covers the rest. Adding doors after delivery costs more than having it done first, so mark modifications as "ask us" in the quote form.

Ventilation, floor load and the small stuff

Condensation. Steel sweats when the temperature swings, and a warm engine in a cold box makes it worse. Fit two passive vents, one low at each end, and consider a solar fan for long-term storage. Insulating the ceiling stops drips onto paint.

Floor. Container floors are thick marine plywood over steel cross members, built for cargo far heavier than any vehicle. The weak point is a jack stand or lift post on one spot. Put a steel plate or thick plywood pad under any point load.

Fumes. Never run an engine inside with the doors shut. If you work on vehicles inside, treat it like any garage: ventilation and a fire extinguisher by the door.

Ramp. The floor sits several inches above the ground on the corner castings, so you need a short timber or steel ramp at the door end.

Permits, HOA and site prep

Most cities and counties treat a container like an accessory structure. Some allow it outright, some require a permit above a certain square footage, some ban them in residential zones, and HOAs often have rules on looks and placement. Ask before you order. A new container painted to match the house clears HOA reviews far more often than a rusty one. Security-wise, add a welded lock box over the padlock and an interior lock on any roll-up door.

The tilt-bed truck needs a straight, clear run of roughly 60 to 100 ft for a 20ft and 100 to 150 ft for a 40ft, about 12 ft wide, with no low wires or branches, and firm, level ground at the drop spot. Level matters more than usual for a garage, because a twisted container binds its doors. The site prep guide covers pads, blocks and drainage, and the delivery guide shows how the truck sets it down.

A worked example

A homeowner in central Texas wants to store a 1969 Mustang that gets driven a few weekends a year, with a bench for maintenance. She picks a 40ft one-trip high cube, has a roll-up door cut into the side 10 ft from one end, and parks the car across that opening at an angle. The far 20 ft holds a bench and a compressor. Delivered estimate for the box was $5,500 to $8,000; the side door was priced separately by the fabricator and shown in the quote before she booked.

How it works in three steps

1. Tell us about the site and the vehicle. ZIP code, size, grade, door needs and what you are parking, on the quote form.
2. We find the box. We check stock at the yards nearest you and, for modifications, what a local fabricator can do before delivery.
3. One delivered price. A person sends the exact number and a delivery window. Nothing is booked until you say so.

One number, one contact

Everyone who handles your container, from the yard it ships from to the local tilt-bed driver who sets it down, is vetted, insured and bonded. We put one all-in delivered price in writing before you commit. If a modification, a long haul or a tricky driveway could change the number, you hear it first. From quote to drop-off, you deal with the same person.