Many factors drive the cost of used shipping containers. If you want to find out why you are coughing up extra for an old container, then you may want to consider the following points.

It has been a few years since the industry realised the potential of used shipping containers. After their tour of duty atop logistical freights come to an end, shipping containers of various sizes are employed in many sectors as sustainable infrastructure. For example, site office shipping containers provide infrastructural solutions in industrial, mining and construction sectors.

In this regard, customers often find it difficult to deduce what drives the cost of a used, repurposed container. To understand that cost breakdown, you need to take note of the following factors.

i. State of the container

The state of a shipping container plays a significant role in its prospects as a repurposed container. Not many are aware that the containers which find a place on a logistical freight usually have to pass through a grade certification. The box is disallowed on board only when it stops living up to these standards.

So when you are repurposing that same box, it needs to be improved upon. The repurposing process has a cost which drives up the price. Depending on what purpose the box will be used for, even the price of a used container goes up. Often the price of repurposing the container or repairing it as per grade standards drives up the cost beyond the original price of the container!

ii. Special container specs

Special shipping containers that adhere to particularly lengthy dimensional requirements, selective door-locking mechanisms and air conditioning, usually cost extra. Some shipping containers even consist of a roof hatch or floor hatch, or a door on either side.

These facilities drive up the price of a shipping container no matter how used it is. Hence, you will always find specialised containers to cost more than a standard container unit.

iii. Modified containers

Specialised containers and modified containers are different. Specialised containers are built differently than standard containers, from scratch; whereas, modified containers are standard containers after physical alterations. Most site office shipping containers are modified to fit the bill.

These modifications can range from plumbing unit installations, illumination and air conditioning installations, to any number of changes required to make a container habitable. Hence, modified containers always demand some extra funding. However, if you try to alter a special container to make it more standardised, it costs you extra.

How should you surmise if you are paying a fair price?

The best way to deduce if you are getting a good bargain is by finding out what modifications you need to make on the container to fit your requirements. The more the container needs to be modified to suit your requirements, the higher the price will climb. The best way to ensure that your expenditure is less is by omitting specifications that are inconsequential to your needs. The lesser the need for modification of the container, the lower will be its cost.

It is why a standard, used container costs much lesser than a standard new container, while a modified old container costs way more than a standard new container.