8ft Shipping Containers

8ft Shipping containers are not used to move freight around the world, for this reason we don’t typically offer a basic used range are there are no volume suppliers for this size of container. We do offer new and refurbished ranges of 8ft Shipping Containers. New 8ft containers are factory built in china and shipped into the UK inside a 10ft container. this does mean they are a little less than the standard 8ft width. Refurbished 8ft shipping containers are made by cutting down a larger 20ft or 40ft container into sections. We do also occasionally have available European built 8ft containers which are galvanised steel. Its important to mention our refurbished containers do have some new panels made from new sheets of mild steel which is given a marine grade repaint to help longevity.  When rust forms on Corten steel the rust layer itself is non-porous and won’t let water soak through. As standard they come with a single set of double doors at one end with the right-hand door opening first. Numbers of locking bars will vary depending on which type of 8ft you have – Refurbished, New/One Trip or Galvanised.

Our Galvanised units, much like the new units from China, have had one trip into the country (although whereas Corten steel new containers come via sea these Galvanised units come via road from eastern Europe) so there can be a dent or imperfection consistent with its initial trip. With our refurbished range being freshly painted in your choice of colour.  There will be dents under the paint work, you’ll get a solid smart overall finish.

Each container come with a good plywood floor. Underneath this layer is an industrial quality bitumen based waterproofing layer, and then heavy cross-members underneath take the strain when it’s being lifted with cargo. The internal floor line is raised 6-8 inches from the external floor. The marine treated ply is treated to protect against infestation by bugs and insects. (Galvanised units are not made for shipping use and the floors are a little thinner and are not marine treated plywood)

New 8fts actually come into the country inside 9fts or 10fts. So they have fork pockets just below the doors (as you can imagine these fork pockets are used to lift the 8ft out of the larger container from through the doors. For this reason new 8fts are actually smaller in height and width – please see Container Types below. They also come with a number of 25mm vents with bug / insect mesh (the exact number and the location of vents can vary slightly but they are nearly always fitted on the sides at the top).

Refurbished 8fts will be made from cutting larger used containers down to size. 20ft containers have fork pockets in the bottom rail of each side so typically an 8ft will only include one fork pocket in the bottom rail if the 20ft we cut up had fork pockets. We can of course fit additional pockets if necessary. On the same principle number of vents will vary from one 8ft to the next depending on the original used container we cut up and how many vents it had. Again we can add more to suit your requirements.

All our shipping containers are checked over by a professional before sale. With the repair standard we specify we are confident to be able to offer our industry leading 2 year wind and watertight guarantee on all new, refurbished and used shipping containers. This means if your shipping container has a natural defect which results in a leak or other issue relating to its fitness for purpose as a storage container in its first 2 years we will come out and repair it free of charge.

Read more about our product guarantee

Shipping containers usually only suffer from wear when they are handled and moved to and from a truck, boat, train or container stack. As most of our customers buy a container that will remain static in one place, aside from the rubber door seal, there is very little to wear or go wrong with it.

We regularly see refurbished and used shipping containers that were supplied as used 10+ years ago performing very well with little to no maintenance. So you should expect this sort of lifespan. The only exception is the rubber door seals that can wear out more quickly if the doors are used frequently.

New or one trip shipping containers should last an extremely long time, but as manufacturing techniques change so frequently (every 5-10 years or so) it is very hard to test the exact lifespan of a container. We know that a typical one trip container is circa 12 years younger than a used shipping container, and as we would expect 10 years solid use from a used container, its pretty safe to assume that a 20-22+ year lifespan for a new shipping container is very achievable.