New 20ft Refrigerated Container (One-Trip)

A new 20ft refrigerated container is a one-trip reefer: a new insulated 20-foot box with a new refrigeration unit, sold after carrying cargo on a single voyage. Its starting price this week is $27,000, before delivery and sales tax. That’s $18,050 more than a used 20ft reefer with working machinery.

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What “new” means for a reefer

For a reefer, “new” should mean one-trip: a new insulated box and a new marine refrigeration unit, built to run on three-phase power. The new 20ft reefer sold here is rated to hold interior temperatures as low as −10 °F (−23 °C).

Not every listing labeled “new” is the same thing. Some are a used container fitted with a new cooling unit that runs on single-phase power, which may be rated for chilled storage only. They can cost less, but they aren’t a one-trip reefer. Before you compare prices, check three things in the listing: the condition of the box, the power the unit needs and the temperature range it holds.

New or used 20ft reefer?

This week, a used 20ft reefer with working machinery starts at $8,950. A non-working one starts at $6,750, but it’s only an insulated box: it won’t cool. Paying for new buys a box that has made one trip instead of years at sea, and a refrigeration unit covered by its manufacturer’s warranty, where used machinery carries only what the seller guarantees.

Go used if you need cold storage for a season or a few years and can live with older machinery: a used 20ft reefer does that for far less. Go new if the container will run every day for years and you want the unit under its manufacturer’s warranty.

Good for: long-term chilled or frozen storage on your site.

Power and temperature

A marine reefer runs on three-phase power, nominally 380–460 V; in the US, that usually means 460 V at 60 Hz. It won’t run on a household outlet. If your site has 190–230 V three-phase instead, the unit needs an autotransformer, an option to ask for in your request.

For your electrician: on a common Carrier PrimeLINE unit, the main circuit breaker is rated 25 A at 460 V, and the controller caps the draw on each phase at 21 A by default. That limit can be set anywhere from 15 to 23 A, but a lower limit also means less cooling capacity. Your electrician sizes the circuit; ask the seller for the make, model and power plug of your unit, so a matching receptacle can be fitted before delivery.

Common units can be set from −31 °F to +86 °F (−35 °C to +30 °C) on a Carrier PrimeLINE, or −40 °F to +86 °F (−40 °C to +30 °C) on a Thermo King Magnum Plus, but the setpoint isn’t always what the box reaches: the load, how often the doors open and the outside heat all play a part. Power and temperature for all reefers.

Specs in feet and metric

New 20ft Refrigerated Container (One-Trip): typical specifications
Measurement	Feet, inches, pounds	Metric
Outside (L × W × H)	19′10½″ × 8′ × 8′6″	6.06 × 2.44 × 2.59 m
Inside (L × W × H)	about 17′10″ × 7′6″ × 7′1″–7′5″	about 5.45 × 2.28–2.29 × 2.16–2.27 m
Door opening (W × H)	about 7′6″ × 7′5″	about 2.29 × 2.26 m
Inside volume	about 990–1,010 cu ft	about 28.1–28.6 m³
Empty weight (tare)	about 6,300–6,640 lb	about 2,860–3,010 kg
Max. payload	about 60,560–64,240 lb	about 27,470–29,140 kg
Max. gross weight	67,200–70,550 lb	30,480–32,000 kg
Tilt-bed truck access	60–80 ft (18–24 m) of straight approach, 10–14 ft (3–4.3 m) wide; 14–16 ft (4.3–4.9 m) of overhead clearance, about 20 ft (6 m) where the container tilts off; ground that’s firm, dry and level (5° slope at most)

Sources: ISO 668 (type 1CC, 20ft); 20ft reefer (ISO code 22R1) specs from two ocean carriers. Your container’s exact weights are marked on its doors.

Delivery

Reefers ship from the depot of the seller you choose; ask it which truck it sends and how much space it needs. In your request, say which way the doors should face and where your three-phase power supply is, so the seller can place the container with its refrigeration unit close to the power.

Delivery cost and site checklist · container foundation options

Frequently asked questions

How much does a new 20ft reefer cost?

$27,000 is this week’s starting price for the container and its new refrigeration unit; delivery and sales tax are extra. Reefer prices and how we set them.

What is a one-trip reefer?

A new refrigerated container that carried cargo on a single trip and was then sold, instead of going on to years of shipping service. Expect a few light marks from that one trip at most.

How much can a 20ft reefer hold?

About 990–1,010 cu ft (28.1–28.6 m³) inside, roughly 15% less than a dry 20ft container: insulation lines the walls, roof and floor, and the refrigeration unit takes up space at one end. The inside measurements are in the specs table above.

Can a new reefer run on regular household power?

No. A marine reefer needs three-phase power, and a standard home outlet is single-phase. If your site has 190–230 V three-phase, an autotransformer can make it work; if it has no three-phase service at all, ask your electrician or utility what’s possible at your address.