10ft10ft Shipping Containers
Side access is pinched, the setback leaves nothing to manoeuvre in, or all that is needed is a lockable spot for the mower, an air compressor and a wall of hand tools.
20ft containers
20ft Shipping Containers for sale and hire
The default, and usually the correct default. The whole industry is built around this length — the deepest stock, the widest choice of grade, and no drama at all getting a truck underneath one.
- External
- 6.06m × 2.44m × 2.59m
- Internal volume
- 33.2m³
- Grades
- New, cargo-worthy, as-is
- Delivery
- Quoted with the unit
Every enquiry answered within one business day.You hear back from a person, not an autoresponder. Enquiries that land on a weekend are answered the next business day.
The case for it
Where a 20ft earns its place
- The deepest supply of any size, week in and week out, so you get to choose a grade rather than accept whatever has turned up. What it costs depends on the grade and the delivery run, and it is quoted for the unit.
- Goes on and off a standard tilt-tray. Wants around 20 metres of straight approach and 3.5 metres of width where the drive narrows, which most suburban and rural blocks can manage.
- Sits inside most council rules for a temporary or secondary structure without argument. Ring your council anyway — the requirements genuinely vary from one shire to the next.
What actually goes in one
The contents of a three-bedroom house, packed with some thought. Or a complete trade fit-out — racking along one wall, a bench across the end, and enough floor left to walk in and pull one thing out without emptying the front half first.
The bit people wish they had known
The regret we hear most often comes from somebody who bought a twenty and wanted a forty. A pair of twenties generally costs more than one forty and arrives on two separate trucks. If there is any prospect of the job growing, get a price on the forty before you decide — on current quotes a 40ft often costs only a little more than a 20ft for about twice the volume, though it always comes down to the grade, the unit and the run.
| External (L × W × H) | 6.06m × 2.44m × 2.59m |
|---|---|
| Internal (L × W × H) | 5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m |
| Door opening (W × H) | 2.34m × 2.28m |
| Internal volume | 33.2m³ |
| Tare weight | approx 2,200 kg |
Grade matters more than anything else in a container quote. Grade is what decides whether the box keeps water out. Anything sold as cargo-worthy is inspected wind and watertight before release — for storage use, which is separate from the CSC certification an export job needs — and new single-trip units, one loaded voyage with rubbers that have barely weathered, are sealed as well. As-is is the cheap end and carries no watertight claim at all: expect a previous repair, a floor section that has gone soft, or a gasket that no longer pulls up hard against the frame. We list those faults and photograph them on request, before delivery, so nothing turns up as a surprise when the truck does. If what goes inside has to stay dry, start at cargo-worthy.
Get a price — 20ft
Every 20ft is priced on the individual unit, the grade you settle on and the run to your address, and the number you get covers the container and the delivery together. Ring 1300 467 776 or send the form.
Price this unit to your addressPrices are quoted with the container and the delivery together, so the figure you get is the whole cost to your address rather than a headline that grows later. Ring 1300 467 776 or send the form and you will have a price for the exact unit.
Photos
20ft units we have put on the ground
Actual jobs rather than catalogue imagery. Ask and photographs of the specific container you are buying will be sent through on request, before delivery.
Access
What a 20ft wants at your end
Around 20 metres of straight approach, 3.5 metres of width where the drive narrows, and 4.5 metres of clearance above while the tray is raised. Most blocks, suburban or rural, can find that much, which is part of why this length is the standard answer. What catches people is getting back out again: a long drive with no turning circle means the truck reverses the full length of it to the road.
Three photographs settle it: one taken standing at the street looking in, one along the run itself, and one of the ground the box has to sit on. Send them with the enquiry and you will be told which truck the job wants, and whether the drop is straightforward, before anybody talks money.
Other lengths
If this one is not the fit
10ft
40ft40ft Shipping Containers
You have the space, the approach is genuinely open, and you want the most storage per dollar the site will allow.
Guides for 20ft buyers: Packing a shipping container so nothing is ruined when you open it, Containers on farms and rural blocks — what actually works and How long a shipping container lasts, and how to get more out of it.
Questions
The 20ft, answered
Which grade of 20ft suits my job?
Match the grade to what goes inside. Cargo-worthy used is the working standard for most storage and site jobs: structurally sound and inspected wind and watertight before release, for storage use. New single-trip is the pick when the 20ft will be on show, lined or cut into, because you start with straight panels and a clean floor. As-is is sold on its faults, is not sold watertight, and suits a lock-up under an existing roof or the shell of a build. Tell us the use and we will say which grade earns its money.
What should I check on a used 20ft before it is delivered?
The door end first: both doors should swing fully, the locking bars should take a firm pull and the gaskets should be supple all the way round. Then stand inside with the doors shut and look for daylight, walk the floor for soft spots near the doors, and look along the bottom rails for heavy pitting. You can walk the units at our Cornubia yard (ring first), and photographs of the specific 20ft are sent on request, before delivery, if you cannot get there.
What is the CSC plate on a 20ft, and do I need it?
The CSC safety approval plate sits on the door end and records the approval, the date of manufacture, the maximum gross mass and the allowable stacking load. A current CSC examination only matters if the container is going to carry cargo through a port. For storage, a workshop or a site office it does not apply. If you plan to export in it, say so when you enquire and the plate status is checked on the specific unit before it is quoted.
Can a 20ft be modified?
Yes: doors, windows, roller doors, vents, shelving, lining and power are all common. The walls carry load, so every opening has to be reframed in steel or the box racks and the doors stop closing square. Modifying before delivery, in a yard with hardstand and the right gear, is nearly always cheaper than doing it on site. A cut container is usually no longer fit to ship cargo in, so settle the export question before any steel comes out.
How long will a 20ft last once it is on site?
Siting decides most of it. Set the 20ft level on sleepers, pads or blocks under the corner castings so air moves underneath and the bottom rails stay out of standing water, keep the roof clear of leaves and ponding, and touch up scratches before rust takes hold. A sound cargo-worthy or new unit looked after that way gives many years of service. One left flat on wet dirt will rust from the bottom rails up regardless of its grade.
What sets the price of a 20ft?
The grade moves it most, then the condition of the individual unit and which yard it is released from. Cartage is worked out for your address and quoted with the container rather than published, because the access at your end changes it as much as the distance does. Prices are in AUD, ex GST.
Can I hire a 20ft rather than buy one?
Yes. Hire earns its keep when the container has a finish date on it, such as a build, a fit-out, a harvest or a rebuild after storm damage. If it is still going to be sitting there in two years, buying is nearly always the cheaper end of the deal by a wide margin. Give us the period and both numbers get run for you.
Make room with Koala
Shed’s chockers?
We know the feeling.
Tools, camping gear and the stuff you swear you’ll need one day. A Koala container gives it a place of its own.
Tell us what you need and where it’s going. We’ll help with the size and grade, and get you a container and delivery price.
Get my delivered priceWork out what fits
Room for more.Less mucking around.
Get a price
Price a 20ft to your address
Give us the delivery postcode and a description of the entrance, and the cartage comes back in the same number as the container.
Or skip the form and ring us — 1300 467 776, Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm, Sat 8am-12pm