Shipping Containers for Sale in Nashville, TN
In Nashville, a used shipping container starts from $1,190 for a 20ft and $1,620 for a 40ft, and a new one-trip from $2,340 for a 20ft or $3,200 for a 40ft high cube, each roughly 15% or more under our national starting price. A drop-off close to our network’s Nashville depot runs about $500, for a 20ft or a 40ft.
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.
Nashville prices
Each “from” price is set 15% below the average of the cheaper half of what the 3 Nashville-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 Nashville area.
| Container | Nashville, from | National | Depots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft, used, WWT | $1,190 | $1,400 | 3 |
| 20ft, used, CW | $1,320 | $1,550 | 3 |
| 20ft, new | $2,340 | $2,750 | 2 |
| 20ft high cube, new | $3,570 | $4,620 | 1 |
| 20ft double door, new | $3,490 | $4,100 | 1 |
| 20ft open side, new | $5,740 | $6,750 | 1 |
| 40ft, used, WWT | $1,620 | $1,900 | 2 |
| 40ft, used, CW | $1,750 | $2,060 | 2 |
| 40ft, new | $4,550 | $5,350 | 1 |
| 40ft high cube, used, WWT | $1,680 | $1,980 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, used, CW | $1,810 | $2,130 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, new | $3,200 | $3,900 | 2 |
| 40ft high cube double door, new | $4,080 | $4,800 | 1 |
WWT: wind and watertight; CW: cargo worthy; new containers are one-trip. Depots: how many of the Nashville-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 Nashville “from” price is below our national starting price, by $210 to $1,050.
To get quotes, open the model page and choose “Get the best price”: up to 5 sellers serving the Nashville area send you their delivered prices. How we set the prices on this page: price method.
Where Nashville containers come from
Three verified sellers in our network serve the Nashville area, and the delivery figure on this page is measured from one of their depots, in Nashville. Up to 5 sellers serving your address, each one checked for a license and insurance, get your request, and the ones holding the size, grade and door layout you chose quote it delivered; there’s no yard visit and nothing to haul yourself.
Need a container for a few months rather than for good? Rentals are quoted by ZIP: container rental.
Delivery across Middle Tennessee
Past the area around the depot, the fee grows with every mile: out I-24 to Smyrna, Murfreesboro or Clarksville, down I-65 to Brentwood, Franklin and Spring Hill, east on I-40 to Mt. Juliet and Lebanon, or up to Hendersonville and Gallatin.
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 on one container in Tennessee
Tennessee taxes a single item in layers: the 7% state rate on the whole price, local tax of up to 2.75% on the first $1,600 only, and an extra 2.75% state tax on the part between $1,600 and $3,200, as the University of Tennessee’s County Technical Assistance Service sums up state law. A used 20ft from $1,190 stays under $1,600, so all of it carries the state and local rates; on a new 40ft from $4,550, the local tax stops at $1,600 and the extra state tax at $3,200.
Ask each seller to show the sales tax for your delivery address in its quote.
Check the flood map before you pick the spot
Nashville has seen how fast water rises here: on May 1 and 2, 2010, 13.57 inches of rain fell on the city, a two-day record, and the Cumberland River crested at 52.55 feet on May 3, according to the National Weather Service. Before you decide where the container sits, look up the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, the official source for flood maps. If the spot falls in a mapped flood zone, choose higher ground on the lot, or ask the permit office what applies there before you book the delivery.
Permits in Metro Nashville and nearby counties
For a lot in Nashville, permit questions go to Metro Nashville’s Codes department, which issues building permits; ask them before delivery, especially if the container is staying permanently or getting power. In another city, such as Franklin, Murfreesboro or Hendersonville, ask that city; on an unincorporated lot, the county. A homeowners’ association may add limits of its own. What to ask: our permit guide.
Browse containers Price several containers
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in a shipping container in Tennessee?
That’s for the building and zoning office where the lot is to decide, because living in it makes the container a home rather than storage, with plans and permits to match. In Nashville, start with Metro’s Codes department; elsewhere in Tennessee, the city or county. The container comes as it leaves the depot; turning it into living space is a builder’s job. Pricing the boxes comes first: shipping container home cost.
Where can I buy second hand shipping containers in Nashville?
From a depot that resells boxes retired from shipping; three sellers in our network have yards around Nashville. A used 20ft starts from $1,190 in wind and watertight grade, enough for storage on your lot, or $1,320 cargo worthy, fit to pass a CSC safety exam if it has to ship again; the exam itself isn’t included. How the grades differ.
What’s the cheapest way to get a storage container in Nashville?
Buy a used wind and watertight one. The 20ft is the lowest price, from $1,190, but a used 40ft from $1,620 doubles the floor space for $430 more, and the drop-off near the Nashville depot costs about the same for either size. For a single project or season, a rental quote may come out lower.
Sources
Prices: public listings at the 3 Nashville-area depots of sellers in our network, recorded October 21, 2026; delivery fee near the Nashville depot taken from that day’s published rates.
May 2010 flood: National Weather Service, Nashville office. Flood maps: FEMA, Flood Maps and Flood Map Service Center. Sales tax: University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, “Sales and Use Taxes” (CTAS-226), summarizing Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 6; rates for your address: Tennessee Department of Revenue. Read October 23, 2026.
Where a rule isn’t summarized on this page, the official page linked above is the reference.