Used 40ft High Cube Refrigerated Container (Reefer)

Working or non-working 40ft high cube reefer?

$3,450 separates the two grades this week, so buy the working unit only if something has to stay cold. If you need neither cold nor insulation, a used 40ft high cube dry container starts at $1,980.

Expect a box that shows its years at sea, with dents, scuffs and old carrier markings on both grades. Inside, the insulated walls, floor and roof and the unit at one end leave about 2,390–2,400 cu ft (67.7–68 m³), about 11% less room than a dry 40ft high cube.

Checking a used 40ft reefer

• At delivery: power a working unit up before you sign, and check that the seller’s quote lets you refuse it if it won’t cool.
• The unit: make, model and year vary from box to box, and how cold a used unit holds depends on them and on its condition. Ask each seller to name yours and say whether it can reach the temperature you need.
• Power: plan on a three-phase supply. US reefer units are usually wired for 460 V, and a household outlet won’t run one. Power and temperature for reefers.
• On a non-working box: the insulation is what you’re paying for, so look at the door gaskets and the inside lining for tears or gaps.

Good for: larger chilled or frozen storage on your site (working); insulated dry storage with a high ceiling (non-working).

Specs in feet and metric

Sources: ISO 668 outside size (1AAA); inside size, weights and payload from 45R1 reefer fleet specs published by 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 is a used 40ft high cube reefer?

This week, $8,450 with working machinery and $5,000 non-working, before delivery and sales tax. Working units were listed from $6,000 to $14,499 across the 58 depot offers we recorded, with about 2 in 10 at or below our price. A new one-trip 40ft high cube reefer starts at $27,500. All refrigerated containers.

Is a non-operating reefer the same as a non-working one?

In ocean shipping, a non-operating reefer (NOR) is a refrigerated container sent out with its unit switched off and loaded with dry cargo, so carriers don’t move it back empty; its machinery may work perfectly well. When a used reefer is sold as “non-operating,” ask whether the unit runs. Ours are graded plainly: non-working means the unit doesn’t run, and working means it has to cool at delivery.

What are the dimensions of a 40-foot reefer container?

Outside, it’s 40′ × 8′ × 9′6″ (12.19 × 2.44 × 2.90 m), like a dry 40ft high cube. Inside, about 38′ × 7′6″ × 7′11″–8′4″ (11.58–11.60 × 2.29 × 2.43–2.56 m), with a door opening of about 7′6″ × 8′4″–8′5″ (2.29 × 2.56–2.57 m). It carries up to about 63,400–65,210 lb (28,760–29,580 kg), for a maximum gross weight of 74,960 lb (34,000 kg); your container’s figures are on its doors and CSC safety plate.