Renting vs. Purchasing Shipping Containers

Shipping containers are the perfect storage options for anyone with short-term and long-term needs alike. At Carolina Containers, we have a massive inventory of shipping containers on-site and available immediately for rent and purchase! Listen, we’ve all been there; sometimes, you just run out of the easily accessible storage space you need, whether you’re at work or home. Beyond that, you need storage that you can trust to be safe and protect your valuables. It needs to protect not only from potential thieves but also from anything mother nature has to throw at it.

If you’re living in a rental home/property or space is at a premium for you, building entire additional structures on your property may not be an option. With a shipping container, though, we can drop it in an exact location where it will best serve you, then be there the moment you need it gone to ensure you have all the space you need.

Consider How Long You Need the Shipping Container

The general rule of thumb is that if you need a shipping container for anywhere from a week to around, but not more than a year, you’re going to come out better long-term renting it for that period. You get the storage or space you need with all maintenance and issues handled by us. Of course, there are conditions that we will have to go into below.

Now, if you’re planning to install the container as a permanent fixture or keep it for an extended period, you’re going to want to own it outright. Again, we’re generally talking a year or more; most will want to own it at that point.

Consider and Keep Your Budget in Mind

Even when renting, the cost of a container will generally vary based on size, age, and how many modifications have gone into it. So obviously, a brand new container with many custom additions will cost you more than a more heavily used standard container will.

Renting a Shipping Container

Shipping containers have come a long way since their inception, once used exclusively for the shipping and transportation of goods across the globe. They are still very heavily used in that regard but now are used to store things like construction materials or all the extra stuff piling up in your garage at home. In addition, they can be used for secure cross-country transportation and so many more custom uses. Renting a shipping container is the perfect answer for many.

Save Money with Shipping Containers for Rent

Building additional buildings on your property is always an option BUT compared to just renting a shipping container, it’s far more intensive, expensive, and hard to manage. Not to mention, once it’s there, a shed or building is much harder if not impossible to transport. On the other hand, shipping containers are relatively easy to transport – we need to show up with an 18 wheeler, and we can get your container picked up, moved, and placed where it’s most beneficial for you. One thing to note is that the doors DO swing out, so weigh that when selecting your drop location.

How much you will spend on renting a shipping container depends on a few things. Mainly the quality of the container itself, which is from Carolina Containers, will always be top of the line. As well as the duration you are planning to rent/use it. No paying for the extra time you just aren’t going to use. Or worse, you end up stuck with a shipping container you don’t need.

Renting a Shipping Container Offers Unmatched Flexibility

Many reasonable storage options are available to anyone who thinks they’ll stay in the same place. For example, there are few good options for anyone planning to transport goods and materials to different job sites or locations. You need a shipping container when you need storage that can move around as you do without the great hassle. Moving them is fast and easy. We’ve had customers who are moving homes use a shipping container to pack all of their things and transport them to the new home securely and all in one go. Conex containers also come in a wide array of size variations. We offer 10ft containers, 20ft shipping containers, and 40ft shipping containers for sale and rent. That way, you are only paying for what you need and no extra space you don’t.

We are very proud to offer the variety of containers that we do – far more than just your average Conex container retailer. We have more than we can list here, but just a few of the 20-foot container options that we have are

• 20ft double door container
• 20-foot open side container
• 20′ top open hardtop container

If you need some serious storage space, consider renting or purchasing one of our 40-foot storage containers. Those too come in all the same variations as the 20-foot containers; here are some of those:

• 40ft high cube container
• 40-foot high cube open side container
• 40′ high cube reefer container

When Would I Consider Purchasing a Shipping Container?

If you think you will need storage space for an undetermined, potentially infinite amount of time, we recommend you consider purchasing a container outright. Overall, it’ll likely end up being the cheaper option for you.

Purchasing Allows You All the Customization You Could Want

When renting a Conex container, you can, of course, go for any of the many options we went over above, offering you great variety. But one thing you can’t do is customize or alter it to fit your needs best. Unless you return it in a similar condition to where you got it, you may pay extra. But if you outright own that container, you can get it customized and modified to do just about anything you want. We offer custom container modification here at Carolina Containers; contact us directly to discuss details!

As for what someone may want to add to a container, the list is endless. It could be a mobile office that you need more storage in, or maybe you want to add more locks, possibly even heating and air conditioning to keep the inside comfortable. There are so many customization options with a shipping container. We’ve had construction companies ask us to make all kinds of modifications to shipping containers before so that they can store all sorts of things in them.

Carolina Containers are the Premier Shipping Container Retailers in NC

We cover a vast area of central North Carolina and have been for a long time. Check out our service areas. We have shipping containers available for rent and shipping containers for sale today. Please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us – we are more than happy to talk on the phone with you and respond to all requests as soon as possible.

The post Renting vs. Purchasing Shipping Containers first appeared on Carolina Containers.

Facts About and Uses for Shipping Containers

You can use shipping containers for so many different creative purposes. They carry a majority of the world’s goods from port to port. In the following article, we want to give you all of the information and details that we possibly can about shipping containers. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we get here about the uses of shipping containers here at Carolina Containers:

What Exactly IS a Shipping Container/Storage Container Anyways?

A shipping container is a steel box designed for the global shipping industry. Its purpose is to transport valuable goods from one country to another in the most simple terms. Over time as more extra containers sit around, they’ve seen use for everything from temporary offices to long-term storage. Also referred to as Conex containers or ISO containers, they are fabricated from quality industrial-grade steel. They come in standard sizes to be transported by truck, train, boat, or trailer with ease.

Why Do Shipping Containers Go by Such a Variety of Different Names?

There’s just a lot of industry-specific terminology and different names thrown around for containers. The most common terms include Conex containers, ISO containers, portable storage units, Hi-cubes (custom height container), shipping containers, steel containers, and even more! Single-use or one-trip containers are brand new containers that have been shipped from China to the destination and nowhere else.

What Industries Used Shipping Containers Today?

Honestly, if you name the industry, the chances are good that they use or could in some way benefit from the use of shipping containers. They’re helpful for everything from secure storage to portable offices and even homes. Most commonly, they are employed by construction companies, militaries, retail, oil & gas companies, and so much more.

What Do I look for in a Container Supplier?

First off and most importantly, you need to be on the lookout for a company with great reviews, quality products, and the level of customer service you desire. Honestly, you can tell a lot about a company based on their website and how they carry themselves over the phone or when you contact them. For something that can potentially cost so much, you don’t want to risk anything!

How Much Does a Shipping Container Cost?

This is where we will start leaving the answers more open-ended – costs are fluctuating today more than ever with the global shortages going on. You will have to reach out to us directly for any pricing, and we are more than happy to talk details with you! A shipping container is no small investment for most, but it is a perfect one.

As shipping container retailers, we take great interest in all of the fun facts and uses of shipping containers. Here are some of our favorites.

• China produces more than 90% of all shipping containers.
• With proper care, a shipping container will last for more than 20 years easily.
• Anywhere between a few and ten thousand shipping containers fall off of ships and get lost at sea every year.
• Ships still move the majority of global cargo, about 95%, thanks to the sheer volume of freight they can carry.
• In 2013 the busiest single port globally, the Port of Shanghai, handled more than 33 million shipping containers.
• The largest of cargo ships can carry roughly 15,000 shipping containers at once.
• Keith Tantlinger initially designed the shipping container, the chief engineer at Brown Industries. In roughly 1949, he created the first modern shipping container. At the time, interest in the industry was as high as ever, but monetary factors were holding much back.
• Standard container sizes are going to be 40 feet and 20 feet. The 40ft shipping container is exactly 40′ long, while the 20ft shipping container is right at 19′ 10.5.” It just makes life easier for everyone to round up here.
• The standard shipping container width is right at 8 feet. The height of a standard container is 8ft 6in, while Hi cube containers stand at 9ft 6in tall.
• The standard 20′ container has a tare (empty) weight of 2.2tons. Fully loaded, it can hold a max gross weight of 30tons of goods, taking up to 1,170 feet of cubic space.
• The shipping container industry has taken massive hits from the global supply chain crisis starting around 2020/2021

Fantastic Uses for Shipping Containers

Mini-theatre: Thanks to all of the open space available inside, shipping containers make great movie theaters. Attaching the projector and screen that you want should be simple. Just another reason the customizability of shipping containers is such a powerful tool.

School or Learning Classroom: In certain parts of the world or specific environments, you may find yourself in need of a structure you can do some learning or teaching in. Shipping containers, with their sizeable central area, can serve as a fantastic classroom alternative.

Homes: You probably saw this one coming. Shipping container homes were a super hot trend in the past few years, and they do not seem to go away any time soon! Eco-friendly, easy to customize, and simple to transport!

Pop-up Restaurant: Found an area you’d love to put a restaurant? Or maybe you like to stay on the go and want a shop that can move around with you, all while staying in one piece without issue. You can modify a shipping container to hold all of your kitchen gear and give you the ability to produce great food anywhere!

Portable Office: Shipping container offices are perfect for construction businesses. These offices are entirely customizable and can easily be moved around from one job site to another.

Portable Bathroom Area: Rather than only having room for a toilet, you can fit an entire bathroom into a shipping container! Much more comfortable to use. Great for use at outdoor events or unique venues.

Carolina Containers

So, as you can see from all the fun facts and various use cases we have presented, shipping containers are an incredibly versatile tool for any business or individual user. If you need extra storage on hand or any custom office space, check out a shipping container! Contact Carolina Containers today to learn more about all of the uses of shipping containers. We offer shipping containers for sale and shipping containers for rent. We have a reputation as the premier container retailer throughout all of central North Carolina. Need some extra heavy equipment to use for a weekend? Check out our equipment rental offerings today!

The post Facts About and Uses for Shipping Containers first appeared on Carolina Containers.