Shipping Container Delivery
What delivery costs
Delivery is priced from the depot of the seller that supplies your container to your address. Close to the depot it’s a flat fee; farther out, distance takes over. The tilt-bed truck that most deliveries use sets the container on the ground as part of the trip, so there’s no separate unloading charge.
| Near the seller’s depot | About $300–$600, flat |
|---|---|
| Farther away | Roughly $4–$6 per mile by tilt-bed truck, occasionally up to about $10 a mile |
| 20ft or 40ft | The same flat fee near the depot at most depots we record |
| Tolls, crane, special trucks | Added to the quote when the route or the site needs them |
| Sales tax | The rate for your address, applied as your state’s rules require, shown in your quote |
None of the national sellers we track publishes a delivery radius, a free-delivery zone or a price grid by distance, so we don’t either: each seller’s quote gives the delivered price for your address, you can ask which depot it comes from, and you choose. Start a request.
How long it takes
Going by the sellers whose prices we track, standard containers typically arrive 3–7 business days after you accept a quote, depending on the depot and the trucks free that week; in some areas it takes longer. Units that are built or modified run on their own schedule: standard container offices take about 5 to 10 business days, and a roll-up door installed at a shop one to two weeks. Each quote states the delivery date.
Areas covered
We take requests from the 48 contiguous states and send each one to sellers that serve the area. Enter your ZIP to see whether your address is covered.
Local depot pages, with depot prices and local rules: Houston, TX · Dallas–Fort Worth, TX · Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA · Chicago, IL · San Antonio, TX · Tampa, FL · Nashville, TN · Denver, CO · Phoenix, AZ · Kansas City, MO and KS · Detroit, MI · New York and Newark.
Enter your ZIP code to check that we cover your address. Up to 5 sellers serving it send you their delivered prices after you send your request.
Truck types
- Tilt-bed truck, the usual choice: the bed tips and the container slides down onto the spot while the truck pulls forward. You don’t need any equipment, only the room described below.
- Flatbed: the container rides flat and has to be lifted off, by a crane or a forklift rated around 5,000–8,000 lb that you arrange. A forklift needs fork pockets, which only new containers are sure to have; many 40ft units have none, so they come off by crane.
- Side-loader: lifts the container off the trailer and sets it down beside the truck, for narrow sites where a tilt-bed can’t line up.
- Chassis: the container stays on its wheeled frame, about 4 to 5 ft off the ground, for loading at a dock or a ramp; billed by the hour.
Site checklist for a tilt-bed delivery
| Straight approach | 60–80 ft (18–24 m) for a 20ft, 100–120 ft (30–37 m) for a 40ft; the truck can’t turn within it |
|---|---|
| Width | 10–14 ft (3–4.3 m), gates and fences included |
| Height | 14–16 ft (4.3–4.9 m) along the way; about 20 ft (6.1 m) above the drop spot, where the container rises as it tips |
| Ground | Solid, dry and level, about 5° of slope at most: pavement, concrete, or well-compacted gravel or dirt that’s dry |
| Avoid | Soft or wet soil, mud, sand, soft grass, snow or ice, ditches, trenches and drains |
Look up as well as around: branches and overhead wires are the usual surprise. A loaded delivery truck can weigh up to 45,000 lb, which matters for a driveway or a soft shoulder. Setting the container on railroad ties, blocks, a slab or a gravel pad rather than bare ground keeps it level, and a container set down out of level can jam its doors. Decide in advance which way the doors should face. Foundation options · container sizes.
Moving a container you already own
The delivered prices in sellers’ quotes cover the containers they sell. To move one you already have, transport companies quote by distance, truck and site access; as a rough market range, one national seller puts it at about $500–$1,500 to truck a 20ft and $800–$2,000 for a 40ft. To ask sellers near you whether they can do the move, send a quote request and describe both sites.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move a 20ft shipping container?
For a 20ft bought through a request here, delivery runs about $300–$600 near the seller’s depot and roughly $4–$6 per mile beyond. To have one you already own moved by truck, one national seller gives a rough market range of $500–$1,500, depending on distance and access.
How much does it cost to transport a 40ft container?
Near a depot, usually the same flat fee as a 20ft: most depots don’t charge more for the longer box. Over distance, the per-mile rate can run higher for a 40ft, and the same seller puts moving one you already own at roughly $800–$2,000.
How do you move a 20-foot container?
On a tilt-bed truck, which tips its bed and lets the container slide down where it will sit, or on a flatbed, from which a crane or a forklift lifts it off. Empty, a 20ft weighs about 4,700–5,200 lb, so a forklift needs that capacity and the container needs fork pockets.
Can a tractor move a shipping container?
Only if it can lift the weight with forks rated for it and the container has fork pockets: an empty 20ft is about 4,700–5,200 lb, a 40ft 8,000–8,300 lb. For a 40ft, plan on a crane or a tilt-bed truck.
How long does container delivery take?
Usually 3–7 business days after you accept a quote, depending on the depot and the trucks available; some areas take longer. Built units have their own timing, and each quote states the date.
Sources
Delivery charges, lead times and the trucks used: the public delivery pages, FAQs and product listings of six national sellers, recorded on October 21, 2026, including the flat fees posted for 36 depots. Site requirements: the access rules that eight US sellers and carriers publish. Market ranges for moving your own container: a national seller’s buyer FAQ. These are typical figures, not quotes; the price for your address is the one in your quote.