Delivery
Shipping Container Delivery Across the United States
How containers get to your site, what the driver needs when he arrives, and why the price depends on the address rather than the mileage.
Containers are delivered, not collected. A 20ft box weighs about 4,850 lb (2,200 kg) empty and a 40ft about 8,160 lb (3,700 kg), so the vehicle that brings it is a flatbed or a tilt-bed truck, and in tight spots a crane. None of that is unusual. What catches people out is that the cost depends far more on what the truck can reach than on how far it travels.
A yard with a straight run and a gate wide enough to drive through is a simple job. The same container going behind a house, round a corner, under a low branch, is a different job with different equipment, and it is priced differently. That is why we quote against the address rather than publishing a mileage table.
How it works
- Choose the container.
- Give us the delivery ZIP code.
- Tell us what the approach looks like — gate, surface, overhead obstructions, and where the container is to end up.
- We confirm the delivery method, the cost and the timing.
- The container is delivered and set down in the position agreed.
Photographs of the approach help more than measurements. If you can send a picture taken from where the truck would stop, looking towards the placement area, that usually answers most of the questions in one go.
Check delivery to your ZIP code
Delivery is quoted against your address and site access, so the price depends on where the container is going and what the truck can reach.
Frequently asked questions
How much does shipping container delivery cost?
It depends on the delivery address and on what the truck can reach, not on mileage alone. A container going into an open yard is a twenty-minute job; the same container into a back garden may need a smaller vehicle or a crane. The final figure depends on the destination and on what the vehicle can reach on the day, so it is confirmed on the quote rather than published as a flat rate..
How are shipping containers delivered?
On a flatbed or tilt-bed truck. A tilt-bed raises its bed and the container slides off backwards, which is why the space behind the vehicle matters as much as the space beside it. Where the vehicle cannot reach the placement area, the container is craned in instead.
What do you need from me to quote delivery?
The delivery ZIP code, the container you want, and a description of the approach: gate width, surface, anything overhead, and where the container should end up. A photograph taken from where the truck would stop, looking towards the placement area, answers most of it at once.
Do I need a concrete base?
No. The weight sits on four corner castings, so you are supporting four points rather than a whole footprint. Concrete pads, properly bedded paving slabs or railway sleepers all work, provided they are level with each other.
How long does delivery take?
Stock containers move faster than modified ones, because a converted unit has to be built first. In-stock units leave in 1 to 3 business days within 100 miles of a depot, 3 to 8 days out to 600 miles, and 8 to 15 days beyond that. Custom modifications add 5 to 7 business days, and the March-to-May and August-to-October peaks add 2 to 3.
Do you deliver to my ZIP code?
Enter it in the delivery checker on this page. Where coverage has not been configured yet, the checker says so rather than guessing, and we confirm by quote.
What to have ready before asking for a quote
The delivery address and ZIP code, the container you want, and a description of the access. If you know the width of the gate and whether anything crosses overhead — cables, branches, a carport — say so, because those are the two things most likely to change the vehicle.
Ground
A container needs firm, level bearing at its four corner castings. Concrete pads or railway sleepers under the corners are enough for most sites. Hard standing for the whole footprint is not required. What matters is that the four points are level with each other, because a container set down twisted will not close squarely and the doors will tell you about it within a season.