Shipping Container Home Cost: Start With the Containers
What the containers cost
| Container | New (one-trip) | Used |
|---|---|---|
| 40ft high cube | $3,900 | $1,980 wind and watertight, $2,130 cargo worthy |
| 40ft standard | $5,350 | $1,900 wind and watertight, $2,060 cargo worthy |
| 20ft standard | $2,750 | $1,400 wind and watertight, $1,550 cargo worthy |
These are this week’s starting prices for the containers, not the price of a home; the price you pay, with delivery and sales tax for the site, is the one in the seller’s quote you accept. To check these against the market, our monthly price index gives medians by region.
How many containers for your floor plan
Inside, a 40ft (standard or high cube) gives about 305 sq ft of floor and a 20ft about 150. Count about 2 forty-footers for 600 sq ft, 4 for 1,200 sq ft and 7 for 2,000 sq ft. Openings cut between boxes, stairs and the space the walls take up after insulation change the real count, so treat these as a starting estimate for your designer. Full measurements: shipping container dimensions.
Which container to build a home with
- High cube. About 8′10″ of headroom inside instead of 7′10″. Insulation and a finished ceiling take some of that height, and the extra foot leaves room for them: high cube vs standard.
- New (one-trip) or used. A one-trip box has made a single voyage and shows little wear; a used one costs far less and shows its years in dents and surface rust. For a home, where the walls get cut and finished anyway, either can work; the condition of the frame and floor matters more than looks.
- Grade, if used. Cargo worthy means structurally sound and fit to pass a CSC safety exam (the exam itself isn’t included); wind and watertight means no holes and doors that seal. Container grades explained.
The rest of the budget
Here is what we can price, with where each figure comes from. Everything else in a home has to be priced by the people who build it.
- Delivery: about $300–$600 per container near the seller’s depot, then roughly $4–$6 a mile: delivery.
- Foundation: container sellers publish, per 40ft, about $2,500–$4,500 for poured concrete piers, $4,000–$7,500 for helical piles and $5,500–$10,000 for a slab: foundation guide.
- Insulation: closed-cell spray foam added at one container shop runs $4,750 for 2 inches on a 40ft’s walls, ceiling and doors, $6,240 with the underfloor, or $7,950 for 3 inches everywhere (Oregon and Washington, as of October 21, 2026): insulated containers.
- A basic shell kit: the office kit listed here for a 40ft high cube, $11,232 as of Oct 21, 2026, packs R-13 insulation, two windows, a steel door, an A/C with heat and a 125-amp panel. It’s materials only, sized for an office, not a home: office kit.
What we don’t price: structural work to join containers and frame large openings, plumbing, a full electrical service, heating and cooling for a home, water, sewer or septic, permits and inspections, interior finishes and labor. These depend on your plans and your county, so get them from a licensed builder or an architect, and ask your building office early: permit questions to ask. More on the work shops do on containers: modified containers.
Is a container home cheaper?
The containers are the easy part to price: 4 new high cubes for 1,200 sq ft come to about $15,600 this week. Whether the finished home costs less than a conventional build depends on what happens after delivery, and that part is local and design-specific. Compare a builder’s full quote for your plans with what a conventional build costs where you live, rather than with the price of the boxes.
Frequently asked questions
How much would a 2000 sq ft container home cost?
Start with the boxes: about 7 forty-footers give 2,000 sq ft of floor before any walls are cut out. In new one-trip high cubes that’s about $27,300 this week, or $13,860 used, plus a delivery per container. That’s the containers only; the foundation, structural work and everything inside a home are priced by a builder for your plans.
What are the downsides of a shipping container house?
The box is narrow, about 7′8½″ wide inside, so wider rooms mean cutting walls and joining containers. Steel lets heat and cold straight through, so a home needs real insulation. Every opening you cut takes steel away from the structure and needs framing back in. The floor is timber, and import rules such as Australia’s container biosecurity requirements expect it to carry a permanent preservative treatment against insects, so ask your builder whether to seal, cover or replace it in living space. And it’s a dwelling in the eyes of your building office, with permits and inspections to match: our permit guide lists what to ask.
How many shipping containers are needed to build a house?
Divide the floor area you want by about 305 sq ft per 40ft (or 150 per 20ft): about 2 forty-footers for 600 sq ft, 4 for 1,200 and 7 for 2,000. Cut-outs between boxes, stairs and decks change that count, so your plans decide the final number.
Do you sell container homes?
No. Here you get quotes for the containers, new and used, plus kits and shop work you can build on, from sellers serving your area. A finished home comes from a builder; the sellers can supply the boxes for it.
Sources
Container prices: our weekly starting prices, Oct 21, 2026. Interior dimensions: our dimensions guide (carrier and lessor spec sheets). Foundation costs: published ranges from the foundation guides of five container sellers, read in October 2026. Spray foam and kit prices: one container shop’s and suppliers’ published prices, recorded October 21, 2026. Delivery: our delivery page, rates recorded October 21, 2026. Floor treatment: Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, cargo container biosecurity page, updated October 12, 2026.