Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘storage container’

Shipping containers are used for more than import/export of goods. They are used by the shipping industry, businesses and individuals as a way of keeping items safe.

Steel storage containers are  secure methods for storing expensive tools and equipment.   Made of durable, corten steel they have a weatherproof patina which is especially designed to enable the storage container to resist rust.  The double doors are fitted with a high security locking system which can be further enhanced by the addition of a container lock box.

The container lockbox is a steel shroud, which protects the padlock and prevents access by bolt croppers, chisels or angle grinders.  When used with hardened steel shackled padlocks unauthorised entry to the shipping container becomes very difficult.  Shipping container security is greatly enhanced as a result.

So when you need additional space to store your items securely, think about the advantages a shipping container can offer for them.

Shipping Containers provided the answer to much needed storage for PE kit for High View Primary Learning Centre in Barnsley.

20ft shipping container conversion

The school needed a storage container nearer to the school playing fields so that equipment was easily accessed.   In order to make sure that the children had no problems opening the doors, a personnel door was put in th centre of one of the sides and the double container doors sealed off for added security.   Inside the container was shelved so that there was plenty of storage space.

shipping container conversion close up

CS Shipping Containers is particularly keen to work with schools and can arrange for delivery before the school day starts if this makes it easier.  Do feel that if you have any specific requirements for your shipping container conversion that you can talk it through with us so that you can get exactly what you need.

“I’d recommend CS Shipping Containers to any school without hesitation.  All the staff, from sales through to delivery, provided a first rate service and ensured that the container met our exact specifications.”

Tim Marsh, Business Manager, High View Primary Learning Centre

We have been getting a lot of enquiries recently from schools asking about shipping containers for secure storage. Storage needs range from keeping bicycles safe, additional on-site storage for sports equipment to archiving school records. The requirements range from an 8ft container to a 40ft one.

What has been most marked recently though is the number of schools asking about shipping container conversions to provide classrooms either permanently or whilst a major redevelopment project is being undertaken. Obviously, whilst standard considerations apply to this sort of conversion such as insulation, windows, personnel doors, heating and lighting, special consideration has to be taken into account as the containers are going to be used by children. This affects lighting for example which has to be of a higher tamper proof variety than that installed in, say, a standard office conversion. Anti slip flooring is also important.

CS Shipping Containers also tries to arrange deliveries of either storage containers or the classroom shipping container conversion to fit in with the school time table. Often we deliver first thing in the morning before school starts in order to create as little inconvenience and to reduce any safety risks that may be incurred when children are around.

Shipping Containers UK can be either new/once used or second hand. Which you choose depends largely on your budget and importance of the look of the container. For example, a shipping container that is going to be used for storage and placed in front of a commercial premises visited by customers, probably needs to look nicer than a storage container placed out of the way.
New/once used containers are manufactured in China and shipped over with one load in them. As such these shipping containers uk are usually in excellent, almost pristine condition. The paintwork generally tends to be plain and not emblazoned with the shipping lines logo all over them - something which is generally much more aesthetically pleasing. New/once used containers will normally last for 20-30 years.
Second hand shipping containers uk should not be disregarded. They are often guaranteed to be wind and watertight and structurally sound and they shipping lines logo can be obliterated by having the container painted a colour of your choice. Second hand, shipping containers are usually about half the price of a new/once used one and should last 15-20 years.
An important part of the cost of all shipping containers uk is where the dealer’s depot is in relation to where you want them to be delivered to. Haulage is normally by a lorry with a hi-ab crane allowing them to be offloaded on site without any additional expense. Diesel is not cheap and obviously the further the lorry has to travel the more money it is going to cost. If you are buying your shipping container from a dealer always ask whether you are being charge haulage at cost or whether there is some sort of “administration” fee.
Finally, when you are buying your shipping container uk most prices quoted will be ex vat. Shipping containers are commercially rated and if you are not vat registered yourself you will have to allow for this to be added to the cost of the container.
There is a large supply of shipping containers in the uk of all different grades and in all sorts of locations. Spend time looking for a reliable dealer that has a location near you. Ask for the haulage price as well as the cost of the box. Somewhere there will be a box at a price and quality that will suit!

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.

There are many reasons for shipping container sales. Most second hand shipping containers are not, in fact, sold for shipping. The most common reason for the sale of containers is for storage. The sizes of shipping containers - which vary from 8ft long to 40ft long - make them extremely versatile at fitting in to a variety of spaces as storage containers. Add to this the fact that the corten steel construction, when coupled with a lock box and heavy duty container padlock, make shipping containers extremely secure, it is not surprising that so many of them are sold for storage.
But there are other reasons for shipping container sales. The block like structure of shipping containers make them very adaptable and ideal for container conversions. These conversions can take many forms. 20ft iso containers are often adapted to make offices, classrooms, workshops or site accommodation. The basic box is insulated and lined, fitted with electricity to provide electrical sockets, lighting and heating as well as having personnel doors, steel shuttered windows and suitable flooring. The result is an extremely flexible space that is easily transportable and, again by its very construction, secure.
Nowadays, however, developed techniques mean that the conversions that are undertaken are not just limited to one container. Shipping container sales often result in multiple containers being sold. They have been used for student accommodation at universities (many hundreds of containers!), community centres or youth centres (often consisting of sales of 4 or 5 containers) and work preparation areas (2 containers). And it does not stop there. Architects have been building attractive and affordable housing out of the containers, art centres and even state of the art coffee bars or tanks for surfing.
Shipping container sales are not longer limited to the shipping of goods. There are so many more uses to them than people wishing to transport their goods abroad when emigrating. These adaptable units provide a number of economic and adaptable solutions to everyday needs. Their flexibility not only saves money and - where major construction is concerned, time - these shipping container sales also carry a “green” seal of approval when what is an essentially industrial product is recycled for new use.

Shipping Storage Containers are shipping containers that are being used for static storage rather than shipping. Mind you the fact that the containers are extremely transportable is not to be disregarded. Even if the containers are to be used for storage they need to be delivered to site as easily and economically as possible. The fact that shipping containers were designed for easy “intermodal” transportation means that they are easily delivered by lorries fitted with a hi-ab crane and can be offloaded on site without any additional costs.

Shipping storage containers are used not only by individuals but by businesses. Just as the fact that these shipping containers can be placed easily on site appeals to the home storage market as much as it does to companies. The fact that stock or file archiving can be stored securely near to the office or clients without the need for taking more expensive commercial space appeals to the business user. Add to that the fact that these shipping storage containers are made of corten steel constrction of these iso containers makes them extremely strong and weather proof. Add to that that the lock boxes and heavy duty security padlocks make the container extremely secure then it is easy to see why shipping containers are so often used for storage containers.

Recently, however, shipping storage containers have been used as storage for more unusual items. A great deal has been written about companies like Dell and Hewlett Packard being used to house servers for computers. The flexibility of the container to be fitted out with racking and climatic control makes them extremely versatile and easily adaptable to give a variety of solutions to the different conditions that computer servers are being asked to withstand. Some of the containers that are even decked out with servers and situated off shore.

Heavy industry has not been left behind as far as the use of shipping storage containers is concerned. Generators are built into shipping containers that have been sound proofed and insulated. Industry also uses the containers to provide workshops or convert them for chemical storage.

The adaptation of shipping containers to storage containers is becoming more and more commonplace. The phrase shipping storage containers looks here to stay.

Good quality second hand shipping containers make not only good financial sense - being about 50% cheaper than new/once used containers - but buying them is good for the environment. The simple fact is that in today’s economic climate it is cheaper for shipping companies to source their containers directly from the outbound port rather than to return used shipping containers from various locations all over the world. That means there a large numbers of good quality second hand shipping containers available for all sorts of uses. Those uses can vary from storage to conversions and - somewhat oddly seeing they have been discarded by the shipping lines - the shipping of goods by individuals.

But how to do ensure you get good quality second hand shipping containers? The first thing to ask that the company you source it from will guarantee that the container is wind and watertight and structurally sound. It is not always possible to visit the depot to see the actual shipping container yourself so this guarantee is very important. Secondly, remember that the age of the shipping container is not the best way to judge the condition of the unit. Second hand shipping containers will vary according to how they have been treated - for example a new/once used container that has been dropped by a forklift and therefore “blown” outwards is not going to be in such good condition as a storage container that has been properly sited for a number of years.

Once your second hand shipping container arrives, make sure that it is placed on level hard standing and that you check that the doors open and close freely. Look at the condition of the floor and make sure there are no obvious soft spots in the wood. Whilst inside the container inspect carefully the walls and especially the ceiling (which is often forgotten but is probably one of the most important areas to check) to see whether there are any pinpricks of light coming through that will tell you that the container is not wind and watertight. Finally, inspect the outside of the container to make sure that there is not an unreasonable amount of rust that, if untreated, will cause problems later on.
If you are going to use your container for storage you have now all the information you need to know whether you have a good quality second hand shipping container or not. If you are, however, going to use the container for shipping you should check the CSC plate - or the certificate if you have asked for one - to make sure that your container has been passed for shipping and will therefore be accepted by the shipping lines.
If you follow these simple rules you will not only have a second hand shipping container that will last you for many years, you will have saved money on a quality product and done your bit for the environment by recycling an industrial product.

What on earth does a shipping container have to do with the Internet?   It does not seem like an obvious combination.  Large , industrial steel containers designed to be able to move cargo easily about the world don’t seem to have anything to offer the highly technological world of the Internet.  Yet, the very versatility and inherent strength of these containers mean that they do have a part to play.

Most of us have heard of the Internet Archive.   It was set up as a giant internet “library” which allows people to view any page on the internet from 1996 to the present day.   It is primarily meant as a resource for researchers, scholars and historians as it allows permanent access to all internet content.  An amazing undertaking.  Yet it doesn’t stop there.   The Internet Archive has now been expanded so that it also records programmes from tv channels worldwide, as well as films, music etc.

All that information - some 3,145,728 GB of web pages at the present time (and growing) - needs to be housed securely and  Sun Microsystems developed a modular infrastructure that is housed in a customised enclosure known as a Petabox.   Still with me?   Because now we get to the relevant bit.   These Petaboxes are packaged into a 20ft shipping container.  Why a shipping container?   The very construction of these units make them ideal for storage containers.   They are made of highly rust resistant and strong corten steel, are designed for easy transportation, and can be easily stacked like lego as the archive grows.   They can be insulated and modified to maintain ideal climatic conditions for storing data.  In short, shipping containers make ideal data centres as they allow them to be both secure and self contained.

Currently, it is an amazing fact that what is one of - if not the largest - digital archive in the world is housed in a 20ft shipping container.  Other companies such as Dell, Microsoft and Google, to name but a few, are also using shipping containers to house their own data centres in various locations around the world - some even off shore.  A whole new use for shipping containers.   Whoever would have thought that combining cutting edge technology with steel shipping containers could be so successful?