One of the first questions every buyer asks is, “how much does a shipping container cost?” The honest answer is that four variables do almost all the work: size, condition grade, container type, and where it has to be trucked to. Get those four straight and you can budget a container purchase to within a few hundred dollars before you ever pick up the phone.
This guide breaks the price down the way a yard actually prices a unit — by size band, by grade, and by the extras that get bolted on afterwards. Every dollar figure quoted here comes from our own published catalog, where the listed price is the price you pay: tax-inclusive, with a flat $500 delivery charge to any address in the 50 states.
Shipping Container Price Ranges by Size and Grade
Condition grade moves price more than anything except size. A storage-class 40ft unit and a one-trip 40ft unit are the same steel box in outline and can differ by a factor of three. The table below shows the spread across our current catalog by size band, so you can see where your budget lands before you start shopping.
| Size | Storage / as-is | Wind & watertight | Cargo-worthy | New / one-trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft | — | — | — | $2,100–$3,050 |
| 20ft standard | from ~$1,050 | ~$1,800–$1,850 | ~$1,950–$2,800 | ~$2,000–$3,500 |
| 40ft standard | from ~$1,300 | ~$1,750 | ~$2,150 | ~$2,950–$4,250 |
| 40ft high cube | from ~$1,400 | ~$1,500–$1,750 | ~$2,250 | ~$4,100–$4,550 |
| 45ft high cube | — | ~$1,800–$2,100 | ~$2,300–$3,000 | ~$5,400 |
| 53ft high cube | — | ~$2,200 | ~$3,100–$3,850 | ~$7,250–$15,500 |
Two things stand out. First, the jump from 20ft to 40ft is not a doubling — a 40ft box roughly doubles the cubic capacity for well under twice the money, which is why 40ft is the best cost-per-cubic-foot buy for anyone with the space to take one. Second, the premium for “new” is real. If nobody is going to look at the container, buying down the grade is the single largest saving available to you.
What Actually Moves the Price
1. Size and height
Length is the obvious driver. Height is the quieter one: a high cube adds a full foot of interior headroom (8'10" instead of 7'10") and typically carries a modest premium over the equivalent standard-height box. If you are racking, storing anything on end, or planning a conversion you will walk around in, that extra foot is usually worth paying for. Compare the high cube containers against equivalent standard units before you decide.
2. Condition grade
Grades are the industry's shorthand for how much life the box has left and what it is certified to do:
- One-trip / new — built recently, loaded once, sold. Clean paint, tight doors, no rust to speak of. The base material for anything customer-facing.
- Cargo-worthy (CW) — structurally sound and, where a current CSC plate is fitted, still fit for ocean cargo. Cosmetic dents and surface rust are normal.
- Wind & watertight (WWT) — dry and sealed, but not being sold as certified for international shipping.
- Storage class / as-is — sold in the condition described on the listing. The cheapest steel per square foot on the market.
Our used shipping containers span all of these, and every listing states its grade plainly. If you want the grade decision explained in more depth, the grade breakdown walks through each one.
3. Container type
A plain dry container is the cheapest thing in any yard. Everything else costs more because somebody added equipment or cut steel:
- Refrigerated units carry a compressor, insulated panels and T-bar decking. Working reefers in our reefer listings run from roughly $3,750 to $20,500 depending on size, machinery age and temperature range.
- Open tops and flat racks carry a premium over a closed dry container because they are lower-volume specialist equipment.
- Modified units — offices, workshops, bars, toilet blocks — are priced on the conversion, not the shell. A container office can cost five to ten times what the donor box did.
4. Delivery
This is where published prices and real prices usually diverge. Container freight is priced by mileage and by how awkward the site is, and a quote that looks cheap at the yard can add $1,000 or more by the time it is on your gravel. Our delivery is a flat $500 to every address in the 50 states, quoted on the listing, so the number you budget is the number you pay. Delivery is scheduled 5–10 business days after payment clears. The details, including what the tilt-bed truck needs from your site, are in the delivery guide.
5. Market conditions
Container prices track steel and shipping demand, and they move on a cycle measured in quarters rather than weeks. Proximity to a port matters too: units are cheapest where they pile up, and everything inland carries a trucking premium. That regional trucking premium is exactly what a flat national delivery fee flattens out.
A Worked Budget: What a Container Really Costs You
Price the whole job, not just the box. Here is a realistic line-item budget for a straightforward 40ft storage container on a domestic property.
| Line item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Container (40ft, cargo-worthy) | ~$2,150 | Tax-inclusive catalog price |
| Delivery | $500 flat | Any of the 50 states |
| Gravel pad and base prep | Varies by site | Crushed stone, compaction, blocks under the corners |
| Lock and lock box | Low hundreds | Puck lock plus welded lock box if not already fitted |
| Permit, where required | Set locally | Depends entirely on your jurisdiction |
| Optional: vents, shelving, paint | Varies | Cheaper to specify at purchase than retrofit |
Site prep is the line people forget and the one that costs the most when it is skipped. A container that settles unevenly racks its own frame and the doors stop latching — a repair that costs far more than the gravel would have.
Where the Money Goes: Cheap, Mid-Range and Premium
Cheapest sensible buy
A storage-class or wind-and-watertight used box in the size you need. Expect cosmetic rust, dents and a paint job with a history. It will keep your equipment dry for years. Start with a storage-class 40ft standard or the equivalent 20ft units if access is tight.
Mid-range, the volume choice
Cargo-worthy. Structurally certified-grade steel, doors that work, floors that take a forklift, at roughly half the price of new. A cargo-worthy 20ft standard is the most common single purchase we ship.
Premium
One-trip. Buy this when the box will be seen, painted, cut into or lived beside — conversions, retail, offices, anything on a customer-facing site. Our new container range covers 10ft through 53ft.
Seven Ways to Spend Less Without Buying Worse
- Buy down the grade, not down the size. A cargo-worthy 40ft usually beats a one-trip 20ft for the same money, and gives you twice the space.
- Stick to standard sizes. 20ft and 40ft are the highest-volume boxes on earth and price accordingly. Odd lengths are specialist stock.
- Specify modifications at purchase. Cutting a roll-up door into a container you already own means a second mobilization; ordering it fitted does not.
- Prepare the site properly the first time. A failed delivery is the most expensive avoidable cost in this whole process.
- Buy the height you need now. You cannot add a foot of headroom later.
- Consider a non-working reefer if you want insulation. You get the full insulated shell without paying for refrigeration machinery you will never switch on.
- Compare all-in prices, not headline prices. Delivery, tax and prep are part of the cost of the container whether or not the seller shows them.
Prices by Use Case
| What you're doing | Sensible spec | Budget the box at |
|---|---|---|
| Backyard or garden storage | 10ft–20ft, WWT or storage class | ~$1,050–$2,100 |
| Farm or equipment storage | 40ft standard, cargo-worthy | ~$1,750–$2,200 |
| Jobsite security | 20ft anti-vandal or lock-box fitted | ~$1,850–$3,250 |
| Workshop conversion base | 20ft–40ft high cube, one-trip | ~$2,950–$4,550 |
| Cold storage | 20ft–40ft reefer | ~$3,750–$20,500 |
| Office / customer-facing | Purpose-built modified unit | ~$2,750–$33,000 |
Every one of those figures is a live catalog price rather than an industry average, and you can check any of them against the listing. Browse the full container catalog to see what is on the yard today.
What Is Not Included in the Price
Being straight about this saves everyone time. The container price and the $500 delivery fee cover the unit and getting it to your address on a tilt-bed truck. They do not cover ground preparation, cranes or specialist lifting equipment where the site cannot take a tilt-bed, permits, or any modification not listed on the product page. Returns are accepted within 30 days, with return haulage paid by the buyer and a 15% restocking fee — so it is worth getting the size and grade right the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a 20ft shipping container cost?
In our current catalog, used 20ft units start around $1,050 for storage-class stock and run to roughly $2,800 for cargo-worthy examples, while new one-trip 20ft containers sit between about $2,000 and $3,500 depending on doors and finish. Add the flat $500 delivery charge to reach your all-in cost.
How much does a 40ft shipping container cost?
Used 40ft standards begin around $1,300 for storage-class condition and about $2,150 cargo-worthy; 40ft high cubes run from roughly $1,400 used to $4,550 for a new double-door unit. A 40ft box nearly doubles the capacity of a 20ft for well under double the price, which makes it the better value per cubic foot.
Is delivery included in the container price?
No — delivery is a separate flat $500 to any address in the 50 states, and it is the same figure regardless of distance. Listed container prices are tax-inclusive, so your total is simply the listed price plus $500. Delivery is scheduled 5–10 business days after payment clears.
Why are used containers so much cheaper than new ones?
A one-trip container was built within the last year or two and has made a single loaded voyage. A used container has spent years at sea and carries the cosmetic evidence — surface rust, dents, patched paint. The steel and the structure are the same specification; you are paying for appearance and remaining service life.
Do container prices change through the year?
They move with steel costs and global shipping demand, on a cycle measured in quarters rather than weeks. Distance from a port matters more day to day: containers accumulate at coastal terminals and cost more the further inland they have to be trucked. A flat national delivery fee removes that variable from your budget.