▲
Quick Quote
Containers Direct logoQuality you can see, experience you can trust.
Quality you can see, experience you can trust.

Metal Shipping Containers

Most products at Containers Direct are based upon the wonderfully versatile metal containers for storage.

They are either suitable for shipping or storage, but often will be used for both in their lifetime. Divided into two categories, pre-assembled and self assembly, all are made from corrugated weathering steel which ensures they are watertight and be damaged by rusty. This page will take you through the basics of the sometimes confusing ins and outs of the metal container for sale.

The Shipping Container

Shipping containers are manufactured for the purpose of shipping, therefore conforming to rigid standardisation to pass certification for sea transportation, as they have to be loaded on board as a stack. Made from tough corten steel, you can buy either 20ft shipping containers or 40ft shipping containers, with a standard width of 8ft. Containers built to fit shipping criteria are called ISO shipping containers, and cannot travel without a CSC plate. However, many shipping containers will only make a few journeys before going on to be used for dry land storage.

The Storage Container

The majority of storage containers are shipping containers no longer used for shipping. They may be sold in their original form, or be modified as they no longer have to be certified for shipping. Without the restrictions of shipping standards, we have a basic metal container that can be cut to any size and altered for the convenience of static land storage. Often the doors will be remade or even moved, and the interior can be fitted out to aid well organised storage! These types of metal container for sale are all pre-assembled structures.

Other types of metal container for sale

Some storage containers will be manufactured purely for the purpose of storage, so there is no need for them to be quite so robust. This type of metal container is made from galvanised steel, so it will still be watertight and secure. Storage containers manufactured from new are largely self assembly, or flat pack products. Not as expensive as the pre-assembled metal container, they have the added advantage of being able to reach places inaccessible to other containers, and the versatility to be moved between sites with ease.

Request a Quick Quote!

Contact our sales team for your no-obligation quote, including delivery!

Get your quote today!

Testimonials

As a long established and reputable shipping container company, we want to instil confidence in our customers that we can deliver on our promises, and provide high quality products and service.

But don't just take our word for it, see for yourself what our past and present clients have to say about Containers Direct.
Read All Testimonials Here
quote icon
"Very good service and communication throughout the process." EDGEPS Limited
13th February 2026
order - five Used 10ft Containers
quote icon
"Price, availability, condition of the container and the availability to collect our container on our own transport were all perfect!" Neely Transport
11th February 2026
order - a Used 10ft Container
quote icon
"Excellent service from start to finish; from the ordering until the final delivery. Professional and friendly, even to the point of seeing how level and if we were happy with the container on delivery and set in place." A Robinson
9th February 2026
order - a Used 10ft Container
quote icon
"We were happy with the process from start to finish." Elmton Services Ltd
27th January 2026
order - a Used 15ft Container with Personnel Door and Electric Roller Shutter Door from our Clearance page
quote icon
"We've just had delivery of our 30ft container and all is good thank you. I just wanted to write to say what a nice, pleasant and talented driver you have delivering for you, nothing was too much trouble, obviously knew exactly what he was doing and could place this huge container within millimetres of where we wanted it. We were really really impressed, thank you for a great service." C & D King Ltd
26th January 2026
order - a New 'Once-Used' 30ft Container
quote icon
"The container arrived and everything looks great, so far I am very happy. Just wanted to say that your driver was excellent, a very pleasant fella to deal with and very accommodating to what was quite a tricky delivery venue. Thanks for a great service." ATGT Limited
13th January 2026
order - a Used 15ft Container
<
>

Committed to Quality

We are ISOQAR Approved and certified to ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems, demonstrating our commitment to excellence. We are also members of MakeUK, who champion British manufacturing, and the Container Self Storage and Traders Association (CSTA), representing global operators and innovators. In addition, we are registered members of JOSCAR, the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register.

ISOQAR Approved – ISO 9001:2015 Certificate No. 13586-QMS-001
MakeUK Member – Supporting British Manufacturing
Container Self Storage and Traders Association Member
JOSCAR Registered Member
We have placed cookies on your browsing device to enable this website to function correctly.
Further usage of this website indicates you are happy for us to do this..
Find out about the cookies we have set and how we use them.