Shipping containers are able to take many years of abuse in all weather conditions from the fierce heat of the desert, to storms you wouldn’t want to walk your dog in. Even so they degrade over time. This is why you should be clear as to what grade of shipping container you’re hiring from a container supplier.
If you are looking for a shipping container to hire, then you may be confused about which grade of container you need. Before you make a decision and hire your container, there are a few considerations to be made about shipping container hire. We’ll walk you through the process here.
What grades are there?
The grade of shipping container rental that you need will depend on what you are planning to do with it.
A used shipping container rental unit may have only been used a couple of times before and others may have really been put to the test prior to you hiring it. If you are planning to store goods inside the container, then it is essential that it is still weatherproof and water tight.
There are three grades of shipping containers that are available to hire from us for storage or transportation:
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Grade A is good quality – it is going to be vermin proof, wind and watertight. It will be usually 8-12 years old and will have a clean interior with seals and all welds intact. It will be good for books, antiques, archives and furniture storage and transport, anything that needs to be air and watertight without any unwelcome animal visitors hiding in a box!
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Grade B will be fully welded, wind and watertight. It won’t look so pretty with some surface rust and will be 10-14 years old. These are good for secure, dry storage and transport of things like vehicles, tools and boxes.
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Grade C will not be wind and watertight. It will be 10-14 years old with dents and rust present. It will be suitable for tractors, slashers, building materials, car parts and farm stock.
You will obviously pay more for a Grade A container than you will for a Grade C. As with all things in life, you get what you pay for.
Different shipping containers will have had different careers before they are retired from their globetrotting. Some may have travelled on the South Pacific and seen the odd storm and had use from light industry. Others may have travelled between South Asia and Northern Europe and been subjected to everything the wayward climate can chuck at them, carrying all sorts of heavy things and had a right kicking!
Inspect it for yourself!
As with everything you hire or use in life, it pays to set your own eyes on a container you’re about to hire from a company! If you are an accountant or someone else who doesn’t know too much about machines and hardware, bring someone with you who does know these things. Shipping containers are built to last and to withstand some rough and tough treatment, but since there can be a great difference in their used condition, you should have them thoroughly checked before you decide which container to hire.
When checking a shipping container rental unit you need to inspect the interior and the exterior. Look for signs of damage or material decay to the potential shipping container hire unit and do not hire it unless you are convinced that it is in top working condition. A new rental container is obviously going to be in top condition; however the price is a lot higher.
Inspect the inside and out for signs of abuse, wear and tear. Does the container match the grade you wanted?
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Shipping Container
Ask the following questions before you hire a shipping container:
- How old is the container?
- What has it been used to store previously?
- Is it weatherproof?
- Is it vermin proof?
- What size container do you need to meet your needs?
- How long do I need the container? (more than six months and it may be worth buying a used container outright)
- How will it be delivered?
Once you are satisfied then you can go ahead and hire the container.
Gateway Container Hire can help!
Here at Gateway Container Sales and Hire, we pride ourselves in only hiring out the containers that meet the standards of the grade we say that they do.
