Assessing Shipping Container Rental Prices

If you are considering leasing or renting a container the first thing you will want to know is how much it will cost you. Container rental prices do vary, not only from region to region and the length of time you rent for, but also in terms of size, age, condition, and customisation.

Generally, container rental prices will be greater the bigger and newer the container is. Converted shipping containers will also cost a lot more than standard steel containers used for mobile storage.

So, the first thing to do is assess your needs.

• What do you plan to use the container for? This will affect both the size and type of container chosen.
• Where are you going to use it? This will affect delivery as well as the company you hire from. You might find a company that offers lower rental prices, but if they don’t operate in your region the delivery price might be a lot higher and this could impact on the overall cost factor.
• How long do you plan to rent the container for? Generally, container hire prices will be lower for longer periods of time, certainly, monthly rates will be a lot less than if you only rent for a few weeks.

Shipping Container Rental Prices & Sizes

As mentioned above, the size of any shipping container will affect container rental prices. But then there are not a lot of choices. An ISO container is manufactured according to strict international standards and sizes are specified. If you are looking at containers used for dry freight and mobile storage (even if you plan to use it to store items on site) there are basically five sizes to choose from, all of which have been rounded off to the nearest cm:

1. The smallest containers are 3 m (or 10 ft) long and about 2.5 m wide. They are all 2.6 m high. These are great where space is at a premium.
2. The most commonly used containers are double this length (6 m or 20 ft) but the same width and height. However, there is also a “high cube” option that is 2.9 m in height.
3. The largest standard shipping containers are 12 m (40 ft) long. The general purpose option is the same height and width of the smallest containers, and the high cube option is 2.9 m high.

Refrigerated shipping containers and specialised containers manufactured for unconventional or over-sized cargo have different dimensions.

Shipping Container Types

When considering container hire prices you will find that most refer to standard steel general purpose containers intended for storage of dry freight. These are suitable for mobile storage – if you plan to transport dry goods from one location to another – or for storage in one particular place, for example, to keep building materials safe, secure, and dry on a construction site.

If you are storing or transporting perishable goods, then you are going to need an insulated shipping container that is refrigerated. These are commonly known as reefer containers, and they are designed to keep frozen or perishable items at the right temperature, according to your specifications. Options include 6 m (20 ft) containers that are 6 m x 2.4 m x 2.6 m high; 12 m (40 ft) high cube containers that measure 12 m x 2.4 m x 2.9 m; and reefers designed for static storage that are 6 m x 2.4 m x 2.6 m in size.

Converted Shipping Containers

If you need a shipping container that can be used as an office, a shop, or even for accommodation, container rental prices will be considerably higher, and you will need to search more specifically for container conversion prices or similar.

Shipping Containers from Almar

Almar operates in the Middle East, East Africa and South Africa. If you are assessing shipping container rental prices for use in our area of operation, please contact us to see how we can meet your needs.

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