The practical stuff

Container grades explained

The grade is the single most important thing on a container listing, and the one most first-time buyers skip. Two 20ft boxes can differ by thousands of dollars and look nearly identical in a photograph, because the difference is in the steel, not the shape.

One-Trip (New): built overseas, loaded with cargo once, and shipped here. Near-new paint, tight gaskets, straight walls and the longest remaining service life. Buy this grade if the box will be seen, lived in, worked in, or modified.

Cargo Worthy: certified as fit for international shipping, which means a surveyor has signed off the structure. Expect surface rust, dents and patch repairs, and a box that is thoroughly sound. The best value per square foot for storage.

Wind & Water Tight: guaranteed dry inside, but with no shipping certification, so it cannot legally go back to sea. Cosmetically rougher than cargo worthy. Perfectly good for static storage on your own land.

Used / As-Is: end-of-life freight boxes sold exactly as they stand. Cheapest steel you will find, and the grade where you should expect visible patch repairs, heavy surface rust and possibly a floor that needs work.

Whatever the grade, anything we sell as wind and water tight is guaranteed dry inside on delivery. Stand in it with the doors shut before you sign and look for daylight.

Site preparation

Access first. A tilt-bed truck slides the container off the back, so it needs roughly twice the container length in straight clear space — about 60ft for a 20ft unit and 100ft for a 40ft one — plus around 14ft of width and 16ft of overhead clearance, with no low branches, cables or gutters along the approach.

Ground second. A loaded truck sinks into soft soil, wet grass and fresh gravel. If you are not sure the surface will carry it, tell us rather than risk a stuck truck and a failed delivery charge.

Base third. Set the box on railroad ties, concrete blocks or piers under the four corner castings, and get them level before delivery day. Level steel keeps the cargo doors swinging true and stops water pooling against the frame. Airflow underneath keeps the floor dry and the underside from rusting.

Not sure the truck will get in? Send a photo of the approach and the drop point to hello@containerden.com and we will tell you what fits before you spend anything.

Ways to pay

We accept ACH or wire transfer, or card against a secure invoice link. You choose when you submit your order and we email the details with your order reference. Nothing is charged automatically, and no card or bank details are entered on this website.

Prices are in US dollars and cover the unit only. Freight haulage is quoted separately for your address and appears as its own line on the invoice, along with any sales tax that applies. You see the complete figure before you pay anything.

Renting versus buying

Rent if the need has an end date — a construction phase, a renovation, a seasonal stock overflow, a site office for the duration of a job. Delivery and collection are one-off charges on top of the monthly rate, so ask for both when you enquire; the first month always costs more than the monthly figure suggests.

Buy if the need is open-ended. Rental rates on a storage container typically pay for a used unit within about two to three years, and a bought container holds much of its value because the second-hand market is deep and national. If you are likely to keep it beyond a couple of years, buying is almost always the cheaper answer.

One thing to weigh either way: a rental is the renter’s problem to maintain and ours to collect, while a bought unit is yours to insure, maintain and eventually move or resell.

Fleet & trade accounts

We supply containers, reefers and ground-level offices to construction firms, farms, logistics operators, retailers and rental fleets nationwide, with trade pricing, priority allocation on new one-trip stock, and consolidated haulage on multi-unit orders.

Email hello@containerden.com with your company details to open an account. Note that business purchases are not covered by consumer protection law; we will send you our trade terms.