How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Shipping Container?

Buying a shipping container can be very expensive. It’s not uncommon for shipping containers to cost upwards of $6,000 or more in some cases.

Because of this, you might want to shy away from purchasing a shipping container the next time you need to use one. Instead, you should look into obtaining a shipping container rental.

You won’t have to worry as much about the shipping container price when you rent one versus buying one. It’s going to be night and day as long as you don’t need to hang onto a shipping container for too long.

But the exact price that you’ll pay for a shipping container rental will depend on a handful of key factors. Discover more about these factors below so that you’re able to see how to rent a shipping container that will fit into your budget.

The Size of a Shipping Container

When you go to secure a shipping container rental, one of the first things that you’re going to find is that they come in many different sizes. Just about all shipping containers are 8.5-feet high and 8-feet wide. But their lengths will vary, with some coming in at just 20 feet long and others coming in at 40 feet long.

The shipping container dimensions that you need will, therefore, play a big part in what a shipping container rental will run you. The bigger that you need a shipping container to be, the more money you’re going to have to pay for it.

You should think long and hard about how large of a shipping container you want. If you rent one that’s too big, you’re going to be wasting money on it and potentially putting anything that you ship in it at risk.

Click here to find shipping container rentals in lots of different sizes.

The Condition of a Shipping Container

Another thing that you’re going to notice when you’re trying to lock down a shipping container rental is that there will be both new and used options. The condition of a shipping container will be something else that will impact its total cost.

If you need a brand-new shipping container rental for shipping purposes, it’s almost always going to cost more than one that’s used. So unless you really need a new one, you should go with one that has some mileage on it.

A used shipping container should be able to do the same job as a new shipping container. It’ll just do it for a fraction of what you would have to pay otherwise.

The Location of a Shipping Container

If you get lucky when you’re looking around for a shipping container rental, you’ll be able to find one situated in your general area. It won’t be too difficult at all for a company to ship a container like this to you.

But if you’re located in a place that’s far from the shipping container rental that you need to get your hands on, it’ll be a much different story. You’ll need to have a shipping container like this sent to you—and you’ll often have to pay the price for it.

For this reason, you should start shopping for shipping container rentals ASAP when you know you’ll need them. It’ll give you a little bit more time to find one in your area.

The Length of a Shipping Container Rental

Do you need to borrow a shipping container for a week or two? Or are you going to need to hang onto it for months at a time?

If you fall into the first category, you should be able to track down a shipping container rental that isn’t going to break the bank. You can rent it, use it, and then send it back to where it came from for an affordable price.

But if you fall into the second category, you might need to prepare to pay a pretty penny for it. In this case, you’ll have to pay for your shipping container rental on a weekly or even monthly basis.

You might be able to strike a deal with a shipping container rental company to bring down the price you’ll have to pay for a shipping container per week or month. But even still, you might want to start to kick around the idea of buying a shipping container if you plan on keeping it for this long.

The Wear and Tear Put on a Shipping Container

Generally speaking, shipping containers will be able to put up with just about anything that you throw at them. They should prove to be plenty durable while they’re in your possession because of the heavy-duty materials like steel used to make them.

But there is a chance that you could put some unnecessary wear and tear on shipping containers when renting them. You might not take the proper precautions when moving them around and cause dents (or worse!) to form in them.

If you do this, it could increase your shipping container price. The company that sent a shipping container rental your way might ask to be compensated for any damage you have done.

You shouldn’t have to be too concerned about this happening when you’re renting a shipping container. But it is something that you should keep on your radar just in case.

Find a Shipping Container That You Can Afford

If you anticipate needing to use a shipping container all the time, you might want to look into possibly buying one. It’ll be worth the investment if you think you’ll use it enough.

But if you know that you’re only going to need a shipping container for a short period of time, renting one instead will be your best option. You should search for one that is located in your area with the right shipping container price on it.

Get other money-saving tips and tricks by reading through more of the articles found on our blog.