3 Common Shipping Container Questions, Answered

Written by Susan Nalevac | February 14, 2023

While shipping containers are seemingly everywhere and have been around for decades, there are still many details people don’t know about them. Below, we’ll answer some of the most common questions about shipping containers to explain their usefulness and versatility.

In This Article:

1. How Long Do Shipping Containers Last?
2. What Shipping Container Sizes Are Available?
3. What Can You Use Shipping Containers For?

A shipping container’s lifespan depends on many factors—primarily relating to its use and upkeep. A new shipping container typically remains on the fleet of a steamship line for 14-16 years, crisscrossing the world with cargo.



Even when the container has been taken out of a steamship line’s fleet for shipping service, it is still highly serviceable for many other purposes; for example, as a storage container or mobile office. Used containers are typically 15 years and older, and are graded by condition using a universal and internationally recognized grading system.

Click on this link to learn more about the various container grades: Shipping Container Grades

2. What Shipping Container Sizes Are Available?

The most common type of shipping container is the standard unit measuring 20 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 feet, 6 inches tall. The 40-foot standard container size is only different in length; its width and height being exactly the same.

But shipping containers come in shapes and sizes that differ from the standard. High-cube containers, for example, are a foot taller than standard units, while half-height containers are half as tall, half as long, and have an open top instead of doors on either end.

For more information, check out our Shipping Container Buyer's Guide.

While most containers are used primarily for cargo transportation and storage, their utility in recent years has expanded to numerous industries—from construction to food service. Today, containers are being purchased and modified as:

• Tiny Homes
• Pop-up Stores & Restaurants
• Festival Booths
• Healthcare Facilities
• Mobile Offices
• And much more!

At Container Management, Inc., our Chicago and Houston fabrication centers can modify shipping containers with insulation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, doors and windows, and many other features to make them useful in numerous ways.

Interested in converting a shipping container into something new? Container Management, Inc. can help.

Conclusion

We hope answering these common questions has given you a deeper understanding of the utility and capability of shipping containers. If you’re searching for wholesale shipping containers, Container Management, Inc. can help you find the units you need—whether for transporting and storing cargo or any other application.

Contact our helpful staff to find the unit for you, or to answer any additional r questions you may have about shipping containers.