Open Top Shipping Containers

Open top shipping containers are specifically designed for shipping cargo that may be too large to load through the container doors, or to load goods vertically via an overhead crane or similar. They can come with a removable tarpaulin top (aka soft top) or a hard top cover.

Open top containers are generally not used for static storage as they are typically more expensive than a standard shipping container that comes with a roof. They are also only available in 20ft and 40ft sizes as it is not viable to have custom sized open tops for export use. Some 45ft open top shipping containers are also in circulation but these will be much less commonplace.

Much like our other shipping containers, these open top shipping containers are made from COR-TEN A grade steel (AKA Corten steel) which has excellent anti-rust properties. The container will come with a circa inch thick marine plywood floor throughout and lashing points along the top and bottom rails as well as on the front corner posts. The internal floor line is raised approx 8 inches from the external floor. The marine treated ply is treated to protect against infestation by bugs and insects.

As standard they come with a single set of double doors at one end. The right-hand door will always open first. Each door has 2 locking rods or bars to close them and keep them shut. They also have a heavy duty rubber seal around the door. Lashing points are included on the longitudinal rails and the front (non-door end) corner posts with a typical minimum 1 tonne max load per lashing point.

These shipping containers will have 2 fork pockets suitable for large industrial forklifts to access the container and lift it up from the centre of the long sides.

They also come with a minimum 2x 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).

Nearly all open top shipping containers come with a removable header bar above the cargo doors. If this is essential for your use please let us know so we can ensure your container is fitted with one.

Most open top containers will come with a soft top (tarpaulin) as standard which is designed for cargo that fits properly inside the container. However, you can use an open top container to ship over-height cargo which sticks out above the roof line. In this instance you will need to order a specially made oversized tarp which properly fits and protects your goods from the weather during transit.

Used tarpaulins, much like the container itself, will come to you in a serviceable condition, but it is routine for these tarps to have had some or lots of repairs done to them over time. Much like the containers themselves we guarantee they are suitable to do the job but their cosmetics are not guaranteed, and to be frank a lot of the used tarps we see do look quite ugly. We can usually supply new tarpaulins for an open top shipping container for circa £200 for a 20ft container or £400 for a 40ft container. However, these come with a typical 1-2 week lead time so please plan ahead.

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 when sat static at a site being used for storage use. 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.