Shipping Container Prices
Starting prices this week
| Container | Starting price | Listings at or below | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft new (one-trip) | $4,650 | — | 1 seller |
| 20ft new (one-trip) | $2,750 | 39% | 3 sellers |
| 20ft usedCargo worthy (CW) | $1,550 | 37% | 4 sellers |
| 20ft usedWind & watertight (WWT) | $1,400 | 41% | 4 sellers |
| 20ft high cube new (one-trip) | $4,620 | 48% | 2 sellers |
| 20ft double door new (one-trip) | $4,100 | 53% | 1 seller |
| 20ft open side new (one-trip) | $6,750 | 53% | 1 seller |
| 40ft new (one-trip) | $5,350 | 50% | 1 seller |
| 40ft usedCargo worthy (CW) | $2,060 | 40% | 4 sellers |
| 40ft usedWind & watertight (WWT) | $1,900 | 40% | 4 sellers |
| 40ft high cube new (one-trip) | $3,900 | 52% | 3 sellers |
| 40ft high cube usedCargo worthy (CW) | $2,130 | 40% | 4 sellers |
| 40ft high cube usedWind & watertight (WWT) | $1,980 | 41% | 4 sellers |
| 40ft high cube double door new (one-trip) | $4,800 | 58% | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube open side new (one-trip)Full open side | $11,480 | 3% | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube open side new (one-trip)Four sets of side doors | $7,750 | 44% | 3 sellers |
| 45ft high cube usedCargo worthy (CW) | $5,000 | 100% | 1 seller |
| 53ft high cube usedWind & watertight (WWT) | $9,500 | 66% | 1 seller |
| 8ft new (one-trip) | On request | — | — |
“Listings at or below” is the share of the listings we recorded this week, across all locations, priced at or below the starting price. Listings for the used 53ft high cube (wind & watertight) vary widely by depot this week, from $8,299 to $12,999. Sizes: shipping container dimensions.
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.
How we get these prices
Every week we record the container-only prices that up to 4 sellers we track publish online, location by location, for each model and grade. For each seller we take its typical price: the median of its prices across locations. We then average the cheaper half of those sellers and round to the nearest $10. Delivered prices are left out. When only one seller lists a model, the starting price is that seller’s typical price; the table shows how many sellers each price is based on. One exception: the 40ft high cube with a full open side is priced 15% below the typical price of the only seller we track for it. Few of those sellers list used reefers or the four-door open side, so for those we also record other sellers that publish depot prices, with the same rule. Delivery comes in each seller’s quote, from the depot that would deliver to you; ask for the sales tax to be shown too. The wider market behind these prices, with medians by region and metro area, is in our monthly shipping container price index.
Refrigerated containers (reefers)
| Container | Condition | Starting price | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft reefer | Working (cargo worthy) | $8,950 | 3 sellers |
| 20ft reefer | Non-working (wind & watertight) | $6,750 | 3 sellers |
| 40ft high cube reefer | Working (cargo worthy) | $8,450 | 3 sellers |
| 40ft high cube reefer | Non-working (wind & watertight) | $5,000 | 3 sellers |
| 20ft reefer | New (one-trip) | $27,000 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube reefer | New (one-trip) | $27,500 | 2 sellers |
Reefer starting prices use the same rule, with more sellers recorded for used reefers. The starting price for the new 40ft high cube reefer comes from a single seller’s depots in the Northwest. Refrigerated containers for sale.
Container offices
| Office | Layout | Starting price | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft office | Finished office | $12,840 | 1 seller |
| 20ft office | Insulated shell, no wall paneling | $12,250 | 1 seller |
| 20ft office | Finished office | $14,790 | 2 sellers |
| 20ft office | Office + storage room | $14,370 | 1 seller |
| 20ft office | Office with restroom | $18,370 | 1 seller |
| 20ft office | Finished high cube office, built to order | $28,500 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube office | Insulated shell, no wall paneling | $14,780 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube office | Finished office | $23,410 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube office | Office + storage (10′ office, 30′ storage) | $18,170 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube office | Office + storage (18′ office, 22′ storage) | $19,830 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube office | Office with restroom | $27,010 | 1 seller |
The builder behind most of these layouts only publishes delivered prices, so our starting price for its layouts is its delivered price less 15%; where another seller lists the same layout at a depot price, we take the lower of the two. Shipping container offices for sale.
Modified containers
| Container | Starting price | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| 20ft climate-controlled | $10,030 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube climate-controlled | $12,570 | 1 seller |
| 20ft with two roll-up doors | $6,360 | 1 seller |
| 40ft high cube with three roll-up doors | $12,720 | 1 seller |
These units, climate-controlled or fitted with roll-up doors, come from a builder that publishes delivered prices only, so we start from that price less 15%, as for container offices. Insulated shipping containers · containers with roll-up doors.
What changes the price
- Size and height. Going from 20 to 40 feet raises the price; adding height costs little or nothing: a used 40ft high cube is $80 more than a standard one this week, and new, the high cube ($3,900) is listed below the standard 40ft ($5,350).
- New or used, and the grade. One-trip containers cost the most; among used ones, cargo worthy costs more than wind & watertight (about $160 more for a 40ft this week).
- Doors. Double door and open side models cost more than standard-door containers of the same size.
- Delivery distance and site access. Priced from the depot to your site.
- Where the container sits. The same used wind & watertight 20ft was listed at $1,000 in one place and $3,040 in another this week.
- The week. Sellers can change their prices at any time, which is why we check ours every week.
Prices at local depots
The table above is national. In the metro areas where we have depot pages, each one lists “from” prices for the containers its depots carry, set from the prices we record at those depots or from this national starting price when it’s lower, with local delivery, sales tax and rules beside them.
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.
New vs used: the price gap
This week, a new 20ft costs about $1,350 more than a used wind & watertight 20ft, and a new 40ft high cube about $1,920 more than a used wind & watertight high cube. For storage, used is usually enough. Pay for new when the container will be seen every day, converted into a room, or painted to match a building. Grades explained.
What you pay in total
The starting price covers the container alone. To budget for the total, add:
- Delivery: typically $300–$600 close to a depot, usually the same for a 20ft and a 40ft. Farther out, figure roughly $4–$6 per mile with a tilt-bed truck; some carriers quote up to about $10 per mile. Delivery cost and space needed.
- Sales tax: state and local, depending on your delivery address.
- Site preparation, if needed: firm, level ground, or blocks or gravel under the container. Container foundation options.
- A crane, only if a tilt-bed truck can’t reach your spot.
Example this week: a used 20ft wind & watertight container delivered close to a depot comes to about $1,700–$2,000 before sales tax ($1,400 + $300–$600). A new 40ft high cube comes to about $4,200–$4,500 before sales tax ($3,900 + $300–$600).
How we set rental rates
| Container | 3+ months | 6+ months | 12+ months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft standard | $135/mo | $125/mo | $95/mo |
| 40ft standard | $175/mo | $150/mo | $125/mo |
| 40ft high cube | $195/mo | $175/mo | $150/mo |
Fewer sellers publish rental rates than sale prices. For each seller and each term, we take its lowest published monthly rate for that term or shorter; a month-to-month rate counts for every term. We then average the cheaper half of those sellers, to the dollar. The 3+ month rate for the 20ft comes from a single seller’s depots in the Northwest. Delivery, pickup and sales tax are confirmed with your rental quote. Shipping container rental.
Buy or rent? For a few months, renting costs less; for more than about a year, buying a used container usually does. Rent vs buy, size by size.
Can you buy a shipping container under $1,000?
Rarely from an established seller. Among the sellers we track, the only offers under $1,000 this week were two listings for 20ft containers sold as-is, with no guarantee of condition. The cheapest wind & watertight 20ft we saw was listed at $1,000, and our starting price for that model is $1,400, before delivery.
An ad far below these prices is a warning sign. Before you pay anything, watch for:
- a price far below the table above, with “only a few left”;
- payment by wire transfer, gift card, crypto or a payment app, before any written confirmation;
- no depot address you can check, and no grade in writing;
- a delivery date promised before you’ve given your address.
Through LandedBox, you never pay us: the seller you choose sets its payment terms in its quote, and you can compare them before you accept. Be wary of any seller that wants full payment before delivery. How it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a conex box?
A conex box is a shipping container, so it costs the same: this week from $1,400 for a used 20ft and $1,900 for a used 40ft, before delivery and sales tax. What a conex box is.
How much do 4 or 12 shipping containers cost?
At this week’s starting prices, 4 used 20ft containers come to about $5,600 and 12 to about $16,800, before delivery and sales tax. For two or more, send one request with the quantity: delivery is quoted for the whole order.
What’s the smallest shipping container you can buy?
The smallest standard size is the 10ft, from $4,650 this week before delivery; shorter boxes are compared on small shipping containers.
How much does a 20ft or a 40ft container cost?
A 20ft runs from $1,400 used to $6,750 for a new open side, and a 40ft from $1,900 used to $11,480 for a new full open side, before delivery. Details by size: 20ft container prices · 40ft container prices.
Where’s the cheapest place to buy a shipping container?
Usually a depot close to you, in wind & watertight grade: beyond the local area, delivery adds roughly $4–$6 a mile. This week the lowest wind & watertight listing we found was a used 20ft at $1,000; as-is units were listed at $999, with no promise that they keep water out. Spotting an offer that’s too cheap.
Why is my delivered price different from the starting price?
The starting price is the container alone, set each week from what the sellers we track list (how we get these prices). Each seller’s quote adds delivery from its depot and the sales tax for your address.