Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘iso’

North Sea Oil Rigs had been using shipping containers for offshore accommodation for sometime when, shortly after the Falklands War, the British Army decided to rent what became known as the Coastel.  This in effect comprised of shipping containers that had been installed onto barges to provide floating accommodation - in this case in Stanley Harbour.

But there have been other examples of how shipping containers - or iso containers as they are known in the Army - have been used in the operational field.  In the Gulf War when the Allied Forces arrived in Saudi Arabia accommodation was very limited.  In fact the only shelter available was in warehouse and the shipping containers that were already in the port.  The 20ft and 40ft containers were quickly put to use as secure containers to store arms and ammunition as well as stores.  Many were converted into temporary offices and living quarters.

In Bosnia and Kosovo shipping container conversions were delivered as living accommodation, bedrooms and bathrooms to nearly all the camps.  The US Army uses similar conversions throughout Iraq today and the Australian Army even has Medical Operating Theatres in shipping containers which they move to wherever they are needed.

Who says that shipping containers don’t get everywhere?

Yesterday we discussed the process of ordering a shipping container conversion.  Today I promised that we would go through some of the options that you might want to consider when converting your container.

If the container is going to be used as an office, site accommodation or a classroom, the first thing is to insulate and line it.   The most common method of doing this is with a combination of rockwool and melamine faced board.   This produces nice smooth walls and ceilings - although you can choose to have wall paper or a painted finish if you require.   Flooring is generally placed over the existing wooden shipping container floor.  The most common is a hard wearing lino although carpet (and in particular carpet tiles) are another favourite.

10 ft office conversion

The next thing to consider is the number of windows required.   For a 20ft container the normal requirement is between 2 and 4 windows and for a 40ft 4 or 8 windows.   The windows can be double glazed and are normally 3ftx3ft with lockable steel shutters for security.  As far as access is concered it is quite common for the double shipping container doors to either be sealed off or replaced with a blank end and  personnel door put into the container - usually on one of the long sides.

Shipping containers are then ideally suited to be fitted with electrics, lighting and heating.   Specify the number of double or single sockets you require and, if possible, where they are to be located within the container.

shipping container conversion

Do remember too that it is perfectly possible to have containers joined together along the length to give additional width.   Bespoke Container Conversions are able to do this with up to 5 containers and then go up to 7 storeys high due to the strength of the corner posts of a genuine ISO shipping container.

These are just the basic alterations that you can have to a shipping container.   Plumbing, glass frontage, internal bulkheads and air conditioning are also possibilities - in fact most things are possible so don’t be afraid to ask.  And if you are looking for something temporary on a short term basis, don’t forget that standard offices and site accommodation are available on a hire basis as well.

Shipping Containers can be used in so many ways that there is always a new conversion specification to produce.

Torque Container Outside

Last month Prime Horizontal, a company based in USA, commissioned two 20ft high cube iso shipping containers to be converted to house a hoist and needed steel work and power to support it. Two further standard sized iso 20ft shipping container conversions were required to be fitted out with cupboards and shelves to house all the supporting equipment required. All were resprayed in the company colours. These iso containers are going to be shipped between Europe and the USA depending upon the company’s requirements.

Re-enforcing steel work on torque container

This type of conversion is very different to the classrooms and offices that are more usually associated with shipping container conversions, but challenging in its own right. All four units took about 10 working days between them to complete before departing to the Netherlands and to Aberdeen.

Close up of steel work on torque container

The cost of new /once used shipping containers has been rising.  Even though cost wise shipping containers compare favourably to other means of secure storage, in the last month the cost of a 20ft new /once used shipping container has increased by nearly £200.  The next batch of new containers exported in from China is likely to be more expensive again.   Why should that be when the price of steel is dropping?

Shipping Container cost has always been dependant on both the condition of the container and its location (and therefore the transportation costs involved).   The market price of its principal constituent, corten steel, has also been relevant.  These are the factors that most people would consider to be the controlling influence on the cost of shipping containers.   What is often not taken into consideration as far as shipping containers are concerned is the effect of the currency exchange rate. 

For shipping containers, the currency exchange rate has had a major effect on the cost.   Anything to do with shipping uses the US Dollar as its currency.   As we all know the Pound Sterling has been dropping significantly against the US Dollar and this has meant that there are less shipping containers to the pound!   However, this has resulted in two other knock on effects on the cost of shipping containers.

 Firstly, as far as new shipping containers are concerned , the price increase has meant that less new shipping containers are being ordered.  As a direct result of this  some of the factories in China (the main producer of new shipping containers) have closed - and as we all know less competition is never a good thing for competitive pricing!

Secondly, the shipping industry itself is suffering in this recession with less actual shipping happening on a world-wide basis.   This has meant that the shipping lines are tightening their belts and are holding onto their  existing shipping containers for longer.  There are therefore less used shipping containers coming onto the market.  At the moment the second hand market is holding steady price wise, but prices will no doubt rise as second hand containers become scarcer.

All is not doom and gloom however.   In comparison to many other forms of storage, shipping containers are - and will be - priced favourably.  After all many other materials are also increasing in price due to the market conditions!    Shipping container conversions such as offices, accommodation and classrooms are going to continue to be a more economic solution than conventional building methods.  The modular construction of shipping containers and their integral strength mean that they are not only ideally suited for many projects but also that they are always going to be quicker to assemble and instal than bricks and mortar.  The fact that the containers are designed to be easily transported by road, rail and sea mean that delivery of the containers onto site  is not a problem.  In short, despite the price increases, shipping containers still have a lot going for them! 

How long this world-wide recession and the weakness of the Pound Sterling will continue is open to speculation.   What will always be true is that shipping containers will continue to be a versatile and economic solution.

I get asked about once a month about burying shipping containers - either because of disguising them so they don’t stand out in the countryside or for the insulative properies that this will bring.  This week, for example, I got asked for advice about building bunker camping shelters made out of 10ft containers that would be buried at various points in the Yorkshire Dales.   Whatever the reason it is important that although shipping containers will support an enormous amount of weight directly on top (as we have seen in a previous post when shipping containers were used to support a bridge in Utah), this is only if this weight is placed over the load bearing iso corners.  The top and the sides of the shipping container are prone to flexing otherwise and this means that the roof can, and will, eventually collapse.  So at the risk of being boring and giving you more information than you would ever want to know about how to bury a shipping container safely I am going to outline one method of doing this safely just in case you have your own shipping container conversion in mind that would need this sort of information!

Let us take as an example a 40ft container that we want to almost completely bury.   First of all dig a hole.   This should be 16ft wide, 55ft long and at least 6ft deep.   Any hole this large is going to fill with water so a sump or a trench needs to be dug before lining the base and 2ft up the sides with heavy duty foundation plastic.  A french drain with an integral silt shield should be put in the bottom of the hole, staked into place so it does not go under the corners or the edge of the container.   Secure the plastic within 6″ of the sides with t-posts before covering the base with 6″ of gravel.

If you are not completely exhausted by this stage, the shipping container can now be placed on top of the gravel in the centre of the hole, making sure it is level.   To support the sides and top of the iso container a barricade needs to be built all around.  This can be in the form of gabion or hesco baskets filled with rocks or sand or, providing that they do not touch the container itself,  walls of tyres filled with sand.   These need to be built up so they stand proud of the container top and can support heavy timber crossbeams and a false  “roof” covered with another layer of plastic so that the container can be completely buried.  At the door end of the container protect the doors by building a wooden post frame around them so they can open easily whilst the surround can be appropriately disguised if required.

All of this proves that burying a shipping container for whatever container conversion you have in mind is not a task lightly undertaken.   It takes a vast amount of work but, if done properly, is well worth the effort.   Should you be inspired to have a go, let me know how you get on.

Yesterday we were talking about container dimensions for the most commonly used shipping containers.  This prompted several of you to ask me about what other containers were used for transportation.  Today’s post therefore, features three of the specialist containers I mentioned yesterday.

Flat racks or platforms are ISO containers that do not have side walls and are used to transport heavy machinery. They often have collapsible ends for ease of transportation when not in use.  They are often very popular for over sized pallets as well.

• Open top containers are shaped like a box and can be loaded from the top or end. Their main purpose is to carry heavy, tall or hard-to-load materials such as coal or grain.  They  are basically steel containers that have a tilt at the bottom and a tarpaulin cover and can be seen quite commonly on trains.

• Finally tank containers  or bulktainers which are used to transport liquid or bulk materials. They are built to the same standard dimensions as other ISO containers but are cylindrical vessels mounted in a rectangular steel framework.

These then are some more of what seems to be an infinite variety of shipping containers that you might comonly see when travelling by road, sea or train.

Shipping Containers are often chosen as home storage containers over the more traditional wooden sheds. There are a variety of reasons for this other than the fact that shipping containers are generally cheaper and more easily transportable. Perhaps the most important is the fact that the steel containers offer an extremely secure method of storage for personal belongings.

Whether the reason for needing home storage containers is as a result of a delayed house move, a major rennovation project or clearing space in the garage or spare room, there has been an increasing need for additional storage. It has been argued that the recent credit crunch has meant that many people are down sizing or continuing to rent whilst waiting for housing prices fall further, and this has meant increased demand for such storage.

There are a number of advantages to using shipping containers as home storage containers. The containers are made of corten steel -which is extremely strong and weather proof, having been developed to withstand marine conditions. The strength of the iso specification is such that shipping containers can be used to support bridges and therefore this makes them extremely durable and long lasting. The doors are fastened with locking rods that, when coupled with a lock box and a heavy duty container padlock makes illegal access difficult.

Lock boxes are sometimes referred to as lock cowls, lock shrouds or padlock boxes. As far as home storage containers are concerned their function is to protect the padlock from angle grinders or bolt croppers adding to the security aspect.

Shipping containers come in a variety of sizes - both standard and adapted - making them idea for home storage containers. The basic width of a container is 8ft with the height being normally 8ft 6″- although 9ft 6″ high cube containers are available. The length can then be adapted and is usually anything from 8ft to 40ft. The industry standard lengths are 20ft and 40ft (making these the cheapest options) but these can be cut down to any other length to fit into the space available.

Finally, shipping containers are easily transportable. They are often delivered and offloaded by a lorry with a hi-ab crane which makes the placement of the container at your home extremely easy.

Home storage containers that are flexible in size, extremely secure and easily delivered to your home - shipping containers have to be an option worth considering.

We have been looking at how shipping containers make good homes and so today I thought that it would be fun if we had a look at some of the more eclectic uses that shipping containers have been put to.

Adam Kalkin’s developed the absolutely amazing concept above showing what can be done with shipping containers.  It was originally used in Italy at the 52nd Venice Biennial as a coffee stand by Illy but has subsequently traveled to the USA and elsewhere where it always makes an impact!  Not many cargo containers are able to do this at the touch of a button!

At the other end of the scale - at least technologically speaking - we have an example of a high rise building in Zürich which looks exactly like what it is - 17 old and rusty cargo containers.

The company has a strong ecological product ethos and so have used a shipping container conversion to make their 85ft high Freitag Shop.  It is connected by staircases and has a viewing platform at the top.

But shipping containers of whatever size don’t have to always be converted into anything quite as spectacular as the examples pictured above.  They are often found in much more everyday settings.  Our local garage has converted a 40 foot ISO container into a car wash which works very well.  Simon, our website guy, was out and about this weekend when he spotted this 20 foot shipping container providing shelter and security for a cash machine.  Thank you to him for taking a photo with his mobile!

But let us not forget the more everyday cargo container conversions.  These include chemical stores, refrigerated containers, smoking shelters, insulated containers, recording studios, tack rooms, p.e. equipment stores, offices, classrooms, roadside cafes, mess rooms and canteens to name but a few!

So, from the extraordinary to the everyday shipping containers can provide solutions on many different levels as a ecologically friendly, adaptable and highly transportable option for whatever conversion you are considering.

Regular readers may remember one of our articles last month depicting shipping containers holding up a bridge in Utah. This demonstrated their incredible strength.

We have been told of a worrying trend in metal boxes that are claiming to be shipping containers and are in fact nothing of the sort.   On these boxes only the metal corners are in fact “ISO standard” corners.  The rest of the box is just metal and does not have the strong steel frame and corner posts of a genuine shipping container.  Shipping Companies and Logistical Services have issued a warning that these boxes ”do not have sufficient strength to withstand the same loads as a genuine ISO Container”.

What does this mean to you?  Simply that they cannot be shipped normally, that they do not stack safely and that they are not made of the weather resistant Corten steel of ISO shipping Containers.

That does not mean that they do not have a use in the domestic storage market - they do.   We just wish that the companies selling these boxes would point out that they are not shipping containers and therefore cannot be expected to have the same strength and weather resistance as the genuine article.  That way everyone would know where they stood and be able to make an informed decision on what they bought based on the facts.