How to buy a shipping container comes down to six decisions taken in order: what the box has to do, what size, new or used, the specification, how it is checked, and how the order and delivery are set up.
We build 20 ft dry cargo containers, and every figure below is taken from our own box.
1. Decide what the box has to do
If the container will carry cargo internationally, it needs a valid CSC Safety Approval Plate and it has to be structurally fit to ship. Without a valid plate a box cannot legally move in international transport.
If the box will not travel again after delivery, the bar is lower and a graded used box may do the job. A container depot or trader is the right supplier for that.
2. Pick the size from your cargo
Size follows cargo density. Steel, tiles, minerals and machinery parts reach the weight limit in a 20 ft box long before the box is full. Our 20 ft box takes 28,295 kg of payload in 33.2 m³.
Cargo that fills the space before it gets heavy belongs in a 40 ft or high cube box. Our article on how much a 20 ft container weighs sets out the three weights behind that choice.
We build the 20 ft box only. For 40 ft, high cube, open top, flat rack or reefer units, a different supplier is the right place to buy.
3. Choose new, one trip or used
Boxes are sold in three conditions. Factory-new boxes have never carried cargo. One trip boxes have made a single laden voyage out of the factory’s region and then been sold. Used boxes are graded by survey.
Among used grades, cargo worthy is the one that can still carry cargo internationally. Wind and water tight means the box keeps weather out, and it is not a grade for shipping. If the box has to travel, ask for cargo worthy by name and ask who surveyed it.
No survey grade tells you how many years a box has left. A new box gives you a specification you chose and a known starting point. We explain the grades in more detail in one trip vs used shipping containers.
4. Write down the specification
Before you pay anything, get the specification in writing. These are the figures to confirm for a 20 ft dry container, with ours as a reference:
| Item | Our 20 ft dry container |
|---|---|
| Internal dimensions | 5,898 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm |
| Door opening | 2,340 × 2,280 mm |
| Capacity | 33.2 m³ |
| Tare | 2,185 kg |
| Maximum gross | 30,480 kg |
| Payload | 28,295 kg |
| Side and end panels | 2.0 mm weathering steel |
| Corner posts | 5 mm |
| Floor | 28 mm |
Check the door opening against your largest item. It is smaller than the inside of the box, and it is the dimension that decides what goes in.
Tell the supplier what markings and paint you need at the same time. We ask for both before we quote.
5. Check the box before it ships
Every box we build is surveyed and fitted with a CSC Safety Approval Plate before it leaves the plant. The plate carries the approval reference, the maximum operating gross mass, the stacking and racking test values, and the examination date. Our article on what a CSC plate is reads one line by line.
The weights are also painted on the right-hand door. Compare the maximum gross with the plate, and if the two disagree, ask the seller before the box ships.
Then work the doors. Each locking bar should turn without forcing, each handle should drop into its keeper, and the door gaskets should sit flat all the way round.
Third-party inspection at your cost is normal in this trade. If you want an independent surveyor at the plant, say so when you order, so the visit is in the schedule rather than added at the end.
If you are not sure you are dealing with a manufacturer, ask to see the line on a video call. Ours runs panel forming, frame welding, coating, floor fitting and the CSC survey, and we walk it on camera. The container production line page shows each stage.
6. Agree terms, documents and delivery
On a container order, quantity, price and schedule move together, because boxes are built in runs. Ask for terms against your own order. A published minimum order or lead time tells you little until the order is real.
The paperwork runs on two tracks: commercial documents for the sale, and technical records for the box. Import requirements differ by country and by port, so confirm what your destination needs before you order. Our container supply terms page covers how an order is placed.
Plan the last leg as well. From the port, the box moves by road on a container chassis, the trailer frame built to lock a container down at its corner castings.
What to send us for a quote
If you are buying new 20 ft containers, send us four things: how many boxes, whether they share one specification, the markings and paint you need, and the destination port. Contact us and our engineers reply within 24 hours.
Email: info@jy-trailer.com
WhatsApp: Manager Tan +86 150 2773 4701 · Manager Zhang +86 185 0327 0573 · Manager Liu +86 189 2375 2006 · Manager Peng +86 185 3334 5708
HEBEI JINGYE SPECIAL VEHICLE CO., LTD.