Shipping Container Costs
Shipping container costs are one of the major expenses of shipping container house building.If you want to build it yourself, the first thing you want to determine is the price of the container. Shipping container costs differ significantly for new and used containers. Also remember that the price will vary depending on the source, size and condition of the container.
The good news is that new and used cargo containers are available everywhere. You can search the net and see what you can find or you can check the local papers for classified ads. Maybe there's a company near you that has shipping containers for sale. As of December, 2011, a quick internet search showed used 20 foot containers starting around $1600 at the low end and used 40 foot containers starting around $2900. Not all containers will be acceptable for use in a shipping container house, but these prices give you an idea of what is out there in the retail market. Cheaper prices can be obtained by performing more in depth searches and looking in large port cities where surplus containers are always plentiful. But be careful; you can always find bargains on shipping containers but not all bargains will be suitable for construction purposes. Like a used car, be sure to get one with a good, straight frame.
Of course, used shipping container prices are cheaper because used containers are being liquidated at bargain prices to make room for new ones.
Besides the price of the container itself, you must take into consideration other costs as well:
•transportation and handling;
•modifications that include but are not limited to: cutting, insulating, connecting to the electrical and water infrastructures.
Our first intention was to create a table with container manufacturers and their prices. However as prices can change frequently depending on market conditions, we will instead provide a list of manufacturers and other sources as well where you can buy new and used containers. Remember that:
•you must request a current quote;
•the price may vary according to the number of containers you want to buy, your location, their size and condition, and various modifications you want.
As a rule of thumb you may expect a price of $1,600-2,000 for a used standard 20' container, without any modifications, transport and handling not included and about $2,900-5,000 for a used 40' container. Again, cheaper prices can be obtained but these prices are in line with current (December, 2011) retail asking prices. As mentioned above however, you should exercise caution with bargains as many used cargo containers are not construction-worthy.
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