Used Shipping Containers Are Ugly...
We intentionally show our customers containers with cosmetic blemishes, surface rust, and dings/dents because your container might look like that. We want to set HONEST expectations as to potential cosmetic blemishes. We work directly with some of the largest intermodal companies in the world to guarantee our customers get high quality used shipping containers, but those shipping companies care mainly about functionality. Intermodal companies don't care what a container looks like, they just care that the roof doesn't leak, the floors can support 40,000-lbs of cargo and the doors seal properly. That's why we can't guarantee your container will be pretty, but also why every container we sell comes with our 1-Year Warranty (covering the structural integrity of the unit). A fresh coat of paint can also go a long way...
One Trip (like new)
"Like New" or "One Trip" containers are generally within a year or two of their date of manufacture and are in excellent condition inside and out (containers are often bumped into one another during stacking, so even One Trip units will still have a few dings and dents).
While most One Trip containers have only taken one trip across an ocean on a container ship, the term "one tripper" is more of a reference to a "like new" container. A brand new container in North America would need to be custom built (usually for about triple the cost of a One Trip).
One Trip container pricing is more of a function of manufacturing cost than used container pricing (which is more about supply). So, customers will see a much smaller price gap between 20' and 40' used containers than they will for 20' and 40' One Trip containers.
CWO ("Cargo Worthy")
Used shipping containers that are still able to be CSC certified for overseas shipment, and stacked up to 7-high on container ships. Cargo-worthy or "CWO" containers are generally in similar cosmetic condition to WWT containers (though, CWO units tend to be a couple years newer, on average).
Because containers are exposed to the elements and made from steel, all CWO and WWT units will have some surface rust. Fortunately, containers are made from cor-ten steel and built to be extremely durable. A fresh coat of paint also goes a long way in cleaning up a used container.
To repair a container to "cargo worthy" standards, CWO containers will often have patches (to remove large dents or holes). Those repairs have been made at professional facilities, and our 1-Year Warranty covers the doors, floors and roof of every CWO container we sell.
WWT ("Wind & Water Tight")
Wind and water tight graded used shipping containers are no longer able to pass a CSC survey and cannot be exported. All WWT condition containers can be repaired to CWO condition, and often the repair is as simple as patching a dent deemed too large, or a bent cross-member under the floor.
Sometimes WWT condition containers were CWO containers until their CSC survey expired, and the shipping line using the unit decided not to keep it in circulation (often because of age). However the unit may still be in the "cargo worthy" condition and simply need a new CSC survey.
WWT containers make great storage units, and are sometimes still used for domestic shipping. While WWT containers are on average the oldest units we sell, they are covered by our 1-Year Warranty. They also clean up nicely. Check out the video above to see what a fresh coat of paint will do for WWT units.
