shipping container · United Kingdom
40ft shipping container: what does it cost in the UK?
Estimated range Used
£1 995 – £3 990
These are indicative orders of magnitude, + VAT and before delivery unless stated otherwise. They are not a commercial offer: the firm price depends on the distance from the depot, the quantity ordered and the exact condition of the unit available.
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What moves the price
Condition sets the level, and that is what the bars below show. At the same condition the spread stays: a British price is + VAT and ex-depot unless the supplier states otherwise, delivery from the nearest depot is charged on top and is often the line that decides, "used" covers more than one grade of box, and a figure that opens with "from" is a starting point rather than the price of the unit you will be offered.
Who sells it in the UK11
Read these figures the way the trade writes them: unless the supplier states otherwise, a British price is + VAT, ex-depot, and excludes delivery to you. A weekly hire rate is not the cost of hiring — the haulage in and out routinely outweighs months of rate, and the low headline exists because of it. Each figure also attaches to one particular unit in one particular condition, so it tells you the level of the market, not the size of your invoice.
| Supplier | Product | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal ContainersManchester (Irlam) | Conteneur 40 pieds occasion (à partir de)Used | £1,450HT | Visit the supplierRecorded on |
| Billie BoxFelixstowe · Grays (Essex) · Birmingham+3 | Location conteneur 40 pieds (min. 26 semaines)Used | £15 / weekHT | Visit the supplierRecorded on |
| Secure StoresFelixstowe | Location conteneur 40 pieds (engagement 12 mois)Used | £18 / weekHT | Visit the supplierRecorded on |
- Cleveland ContainersPublished
- S Jones ContainersPublished
- Container ContainerPublished
- TITAN Containers UK (ArcticStore)Published
- WillboxPublished
- AdaptainerPublishes no prices — quotes only.
- Containers DirectPublishes no prices — quotes only.
- GumtreePublishes no prices — quotes only.
Specifications42G1
External dimensions are standardised — identical across every manufacturer. Everything else — internal dimensions, tare, payload — varies by build, and is shown as a range.
| Specification | Value | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| External length | 12.192 m | standardisedISO 668:2020 |
| External width | 2.438 m | standardisedISO 668:2020 |
| External height | 2.591 m | standardisedISO 668:2020 |
| Internal length | 12.029 – 12.032 m | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Internal width | 2.350 – 2.352 m | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Internal height | 2.392 – 2.395 m | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Door width | 2.340 m | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Door height | 2.274 – 2.292 m | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Tare | 3.70 – 3.78 t | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Payload | 26.70 – 28.80 t | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Maximum gross weight | 30.48 – 32.50 t | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
| Internal volume | 67.0 – 67.7 m³ | varies by buildHapag-Lloyd — Container Specification |
All container types
- 20ft shipping container£1 470 – £2 940
- Refrigerated container£5 775 – £13 650
- High cube container£2 205 – £4 410
- Open top container£2 310 – £5 040
- Flat rack container£3 360 – £8 400
- Tank container£9 450 – £36 750