Shipping Containers for Sale in Detroit, MI
In Detroit, a used 20ft starts at $990 and a used 40ft at $1,380, both set from what the metro’s own depots list rather than from our national price, and a new one-trip 20ft at $1,960. The yard in Southwest Detroit charges about $400 to drop off a 20ft or a 40ft nearby.
Going by the sellers whose prices we track, most containers arrive 3–7 business days after you accept a quote; when and how you pay is up to each seller, so check its quote.
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.
Detroit prices
Each “from” price is set 15% below the average of the cheaper half of what the 3 Detroit-area depots in our network list for that model and grade, container only, or 15% below our national starting price when that’s lower, and is checked monthly. The price you pay, with delivery and sales tax, is the one in the quote you accept from a seller serving the Detroit area.
| Container | Detroit, from | National | Depots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft, used, WWT | $990 | $1,400 | 3 |
| 20ft, used, CW | $1,120 | $1,550 | 3 |
| 20ft, new | $1,960 | $2,750 | 2 |
| 20ft high cube, new | $3,930 | $4,620 | 1 |
| 20ft double door, new | $3,400 | $4,100 | 1 |
| 20ft open side, new | $5,100 | $6,750 | 1 |
| 40ft, used, WWT | $1,380 | $1,900 | 3 |
| 40ft, used, CW | $1,480 | $2,060 | 3 |
| 40ft, new | $4,420 | $5,350 | 1 |
| 40ft high cube, used, WWT | $1,590 | $1,980 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, used, CW | $1,720 | $2,130 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, new | $2,940 | $3,900 | 2 |
| 40ft high cube double door, new | $3,910 | $4,800 | 1 |
WWT: wind and watertight; CW: cargo worthy; new containers are one-trip. Depots: how many of the Detroit-area depots in our network listed that model and grade at the last price check. The 10ft, reefers, offices and modified units weren’t listed at these depots at the last price check, and the 40ft high cube open side can’t be matched to one of our two versions, so all of them keep their national starting price: all shipping containers.
Every Detroit “from” price is below our national starting price, by $390 to $1,650.
To get quotes, open the model page and choose “Get the best price”: up to 5 sellers serving the Detroit area send you their delivered prices. How we set the prices on this page: price method.
Where Detroit containers come from
Three verified sellers in our network cover the Detroit area, including the one with the Southwest Detroit yard whose published fee appears on this page. Requests go to up to 5 sellers covering your address, after we’ve checked each one’s license and insurance.
Need a container for a few months rather than for good? Rentals are quoted by ZIP: container rental.
Delivery across Metro Detroit
From Southwest Detroit, containers go out across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, to Dearborn, Livonia, Westland and Canton, Southfield, Royal Oak, Troy and Novi, Warren, Sterling Heights and Clinton Township, and farther to Ann Arbor, Flint or Lansing, with the mileage added to the fee.
Delivery figures here are estimates from rates depots publish, about $4–$6 a mile by tilt-bed past the depot area; the fee in the quote you accept is the one you pay. What the truck needs on your lot: site checklist.
Sales tax: 6% anywhere in Michigan
Michigan taxes a container at 6% of its total price, and the state doesn’t let cities or other local units add a sales tax of their own, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. So the rate is the same in Detroit, Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids, and if a seller in another state doesn’t collect it, the same 6% is owed as use tax. Tax on a used 40ft from $1,380 is about $83.
Ask each seller to show the sales tax for your delivery address in its quote.
Permits in Detroit and the suburbs
Detroit handles building permits through its Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED). We don’t summarize its rules here: ask it before delivery whether your container needs a permit, and say so if the box will stay year-round or be wired. Each suburb and township, from Warren and Southfield to Dearborn and Troy, sets its own rules, and an HOA can add more. Questions to ask: our permit guide.
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Frequently asked questions
Do they have 30 foot shipping containers?
The ISO 668 container standard does include a 30ft length, but the Detroit-area depots in our network didn’t list one at the last price check, and the lengths listed here are 10ft, 20ft, 40ft, 45ft and 53ft. If 30ft is about fitting a space, compare a 20ft and a 40ft side by side in our dimensions guide.
Where to buy shipping containers in Detroit?
From the depots around the metro: three sellers in our network, one with a yard in Southwest Detroit, sell new one-trip and used containers there. Here, you request quotes from the model page with your ZIP. A search for Detroit Shipping Company brings up something else: it’s a food hall, beer garden and event space in Midtown, not a container seller.
Who has the cheapest shipping containers?
It depends on the city as much as the seller. Of the 12 metros where we publish depot prices, only Chicago ($940) has a used 20ft cheaper than Detroit’s $990, and Houston and San Antonio match it. Grade matters too: wind and watertight is the low-cost grade for storage. Grades compared.
Where can I find shipping containers for sale in Michigan?
Outside Metro Detroit, enter your ZIP on any model page: your request goes to sellers serving your part of the state, and the farther their depot, the more the delivery adds. The 6% sales tax doesn’t change from one Michigan town to the next.
Sources
Prices: public listings at the 3 Detroit-area depots of sellers in our network, recorded October 21, 2026; delivery fee near the Southwest Detroit depot from that day’s published rates.
Sales tax: Michigan Department of Treasury, Sales and Use Taxes. Container lengths: ISO 668. Detroit Shipping Company: its own website. Read October 23, 2026.
Where a rule isn’t summarized on this page, the official page linked above is the reference.