US Shipping Container Price Index
October 2026 index
| Container | Median | Middle 80% of listings | Listings (sellers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used 20ft, wind and watertight | $1,600 | $1,170–$2,180 | 205 (4) |
| Used 20ft, cargo worthy | $1,800 | $1,370–$2,400 | 202 (4) |
| Used 40ft, wind and watertight | $2,050 | $1,550–$2,600 | 204 (4) |
| Used 40ft, cargo worthy | $2,280 | $1,710–$2,830 | 198 (4) |
| Used 40ft high cube, wind and watertight | $2,100 | $1,650–$2,730 | 207 (4) |
| Used 40ft high cube, cargo worthy | $2,270 | $1,850–$3,000 | 205 (4) |
| New (one-trip) 20ft | $2,900 | $2,400–$3,800 | 71 (3) |
| New (one-trip) 20ft high cube | $4,700 | $3,760–$5,400 | 56 (2) |
| New (one-trip) 40ft high cube | $3,900 | $3,360–$4,500 | 71 (3) |
The middle 80% runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile: one listing in ten is cheaper than the first figure, one in ten dearer than the second. Month-to-month changes join the table from the next edition.
What the October 2026 numbers show
- Grade. At the median, cargo worthy costs more than wind and watertight: $200 for a 20ft, $230 for a 40ft and $170 for a 40ft high cube, the price of a box that can still be certified for shipping. What the grades mean.
- Size. A used 40ft’s median is $450 above a used 20ft’s (both wind and watertight), 28% more for twice the floor.
- Height. Used, a high cube’s median is within $50 of a standard 40ft’s.
- New or used. A new one-trip 20ft’s median is $1,300 above a used wind and watertight 20ft’s.
- Location. The middle 80% of used 20ft wind and watertight listings runs from $1,170 to $2,180: the same box can cost almost twice as much at one depot as at another, which is why the depot that delivers to you matters as much as the model.
Prices by region
| Region | Used 20ft (WWT) | Used 40ft high cube (WWT) | New 20ft | New 40ft high cube |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | — (7) | — (8) | — (4) | — (5) |
| Midwest | $1,570 (30) | $2,200 (29) | $2,800 (18) | $3,800 (18) |
| South | $1,600 (124) | $2,050 (124) | $2,710 (33) | $3,800 (32) |
| West | $1,650 (44) | $2,030 (46) | $3,710 (16) | $4,500 (16) |
For a used 20ft, regional medians were close this month, from $1,570 in the Midwest to $1,650 in the West. For a new 20ft they ran from $2,710 in the South to $3,710 in the West. The Northeast had too few listings this month to publish a median.
Prices in 12 metro areas
| Metro area | Used 20ft (WWT) | Used 40ft high cube (WWT) | New 20ft | New 40ft high cube |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | $1,170–$1,800 (3) | $1,700–$2,400 (3) | $2,050–$2,700 (2) | $3,350–$3,800 (2) |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | $1,580–$2,000 (3) | $1,720–$2,600 (3) | $2,510–$3,000 (2) | $4,100–$4,220 (2) |
| Los Angeles–Long Beach | $1,180–$1,700 (3) | $1,650–$2,100 (3) | $2,400–$2,700 (2) | $3,800–$4,100 (2) |
| Chicago | $1,100–$1,500 (3) | $1,580–$2,200 (3) | $2,120–$2,500 (2) | $3,350–$3,700 (2) |
| San Antonio | — (1 seller) | — (1 seller) | — | — |
| Tampa | $1,700–$2,100 (2) | $2,240–$2,700 (3) | $2,710–$3,100 (2) | — (1 seller) |
| Nashville | $1,700–$2,000 (3) | $2,250–$2,600 (3) | $2,970–$3,100 (2) | $3,760–$3,800 (2) |
| Denver | $2,600–$3,040 (3) | $2,710–$3,200 (3) | $3,830–$4,000 (2) | $4,100–$4,500 (2) |
| Phoenix | $1,900–$2,200 (2) | $2,700–$2,900 (2) | — (1 seller) | — (1 seller) |
| Kansas City | $1,390–$2,000 (3) | $1,900–$2,400 (3) | $2,580–$3,000 (2) | $3,700–$3,900 (2) |
| Detroit | $1,150–$1,700 (3) | $1,850–$2,300 (3) | $2,310–$2,800 (2) | $3,460–$3,800 (2) |
| New York–Newark | $1,180–$1,600 (3) | $1,550–$2,100 (3) | $2,510–$2,900 (2) | $3,360–$3,900 (2) |
A used 20ft listed lowest around Chicago ($1,100) and highest around Denver ($3,040). Each metro links to its depot page, with our prices there, delivery in the area and local rules.
How the index is built
- Listings. Every week we record the prices sellers publish online for each container model and grade, depot location by depot location. A listing is one seller’s price at one location, for the container alone: delivery and sales tax are left out, and so is a seller we track that only publishes delivered prices. We don’t name the sellers. This month that’s 209 seller locations in 152 cities.
- Monthly edition. Each edition takes the weekly records of its month (October 2026: the record of October 21, 2026), and a listing counts once, at the median of its weekly prices. Month-to-month changes compare the same listings in both months. A published edition isn’t revised.
- Figures. For each model and grade: the median listing, the 10th and 90th percentiles, and the number of listings and sellers, rounded to the nearest $10.
- What’s in. A model and grade enters the index when at least two sellers list it and no single seller accounts for more than 70% of its listings. This month that leaves out the new standard-height 40ft, double door containers, open side containers and the 10ft: among the sellers we track, one lists them alone or nearly so.
- Weighting. Every listing counts once, so a seller with many depots weighs more: the largest one supplies 65% of used listings. The seller count next to each figure shows how broad it is.
- Regions and metro areas. Regions are the four US Census Bureau regions, by the state of the depot, with a median shown from 10 listings. Sellers aren’t spread evenly across regions, so a gap of a few percent between two regions can come from which sellers list there rather than from local prices. Metro areas are those with a LandedBox depot page; the table gives the lowest and highest seller price at their depots when at least two sellers list the model there.
- Grades are as sellers label them; no industry-wide standard defines them. The index covers wind and watertight and cargo worthy, which most sellers list; IICL and as-is boxes are left out, since one seller lists nearly all of them.
Download and cite
The figures on this page, national, by region and by metro area, are in one CSV file per month: October 2026 data (CSV). Columns: month, scope (national, census_region or metro), area, model, grade, listings, sellers, then p10, median and p90 in USD (national and regions) or the lowest and highest seller price (metro areas), and the change from the month before. They’re published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license: you can reuse them, with credit and a link. Cite as “LandedBox US Shipping Container Price Index, October 2026, landedbox.com/price-index/”. Questions about the data: [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of a 40 ft shipping container?
In October 2026, the median listed price of a used 40ft was $2,050 wind and watertight and $2,280 cargo worthy; for a used 40ft high cube, $2,100 and $2,270. A new one-trip 40ft high cube was $3,900; too few sellers list the new standard-height 40ft for the index this month. Those are market medians before delivery and sales tax. This week’s starting prices: container prices.
Are shipping container prices going up?
October 2026 is the index’s first edition, so there is no change to report yet. Each new edition adds the change from the month before to the tables above, model by model, and keeps the earlier months in the downloadable data.
Is this the same as container shipping rates?
No. Freight rate indexes track what it costs to move a loaded container by sea between ports. This index tracks what a container itself costs to buy in the US, at the depot, before it’s trucked to you. Delivery from a depot is a separate cost: delivery.
What does a 10ft shipping container cost?
Too few sellers list one for an index: in October 2026 we recorded a single new 10ft listing. Our own starting price is on the 10ft container page.
Buying one? Our own starting prices, updated weekly: container prices.
Sources
Listings: public container-only prices of 4 sellers, recorded October 21, 2026. Regions: US Census Bureau, census regions of the United States. Metro areas: listings at the depots of each LandedBox depot page, recorded October 21, 2026.