Container condition grades explained

Why grading exists

Steel containers spend years at sea and in depots before most of them are sold for static use. Grading is the industry's shorthand for how much of that life is left and how the unit looks. It is not a formal certification scheme: every seller applies the terms slightly differently, so what matters is that a seller states the grade in writing and describes what it means. Here is exactly what we mean by each one.

What surface rust actually means

Corten steel, the alloy shipping containers are built from, forms a stable oxide layer that slows further corrosion. Orange speckling on a used container is normally cosmetic. What matters is pitting deep enough to perforate, usually along the roof rails, under the door sills and at the base of the corner posts. Those are the places we look hardest during inspection.

Repairs are normal on a used unit

Welded patch plates, replaced door gaskets, new plywood sections and repainted panels are all standard commercial repairs, not defects. A used container with three neat patches and a sound floor is a better buy than an unrepaired one with thin steel. What we will not ship as wind and water tight is a unit that lets daylight or water through anywhere.

Photographs and the unit you receive

Used containers are individual. The photographs on our used listings are real photographs of units of that type and grade, and they show honestly what a used container looks like — they are representative of the grade rather than of one specific serial number. If you need photographs of the exact unit allocated to your order before it ships, ask us and we will send them.

How we hold ourselves to it

Our written pre-dispatch checklist is published on the inspection standard page. If a delivered unit does not match its stated grade, that is a misdescription, and we collect it and refund in full at no cost to you.