Water is what ends a shipping container, and almost all of it is preventable. Rust needs time and moisture together, and a unit that dries between showers stays sound for decades. Good shipping container drainage is a few hundred euros of groundwork, while a corroded floor is several times that. Here are the four sources
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Your shipping container foundation cost is set by your ground, your access and how much material leaves the site, far more than by the container itself. We supply containers, we do not price groundworks, so every figure below is a typical 2026 European market range from groundwork contractors, not our price list. All ranges vary
People ask us every week whether they can skip the groundworks and put a shipping container on dirt. Yes, you can, and plenty of owners across Europe do. Here is what that shortcut costs, so you can price it before the doors stop closing. Can you put a shipping container on dirt? Yes, and people
Groundwork decides how a container behaves for the next twenty years, and the question we are asked most is gravel pad vs concrete slab. Concrete piers are the forgotten third option, and on many sites they win. One fact drives it all. A container carries its whole load through four corner castings specified in ISO
Ask three contractors whether you need a shipping container foundation and you will get three answers. We supply new, used and modified containers across Europe, and the honest reply depends on three things: the ground, how long the container stays, and what goes inside. This guide covers the principles, so you can work out what
How long do storage containers last? Most storage containers last around 25 years. With regular maintenance and dry ground beneath them, 35 to 40 years is realistic. That is the short answer to how long do storage containers last, for a standard steel box used for static storage on land. The average of roughly 25
How secure are shipping containers when one is used as a store? The honest answer is that the box itself is very hard to attack, and almost all of the risk sits in the doors. We supply new, used and modified containers across Europe, and we would rather set expectations properly than sell a false
The detailed groundwork guide: corner casting loads, pad sizes, concrete versus sleepers versus hardcore, levelling tolerance, drainage, frost heave and slopes.
Ten common shipping container modifications, from personnel doors and windows to insulation, roller shutters and cladding, with the structural and practical cost of each.