Decommissioned, used or second hand shipping containers offer great storage and industrial applications. Containers are brought to life in exciting new ways that both make economical and industrial design sense.
You might see your favorite coffee shop in a pop-up converted shipping container at your favorite public space, or a green, Eco friendly building concept installation at a university campus. Shipping containers are a highly versatile construction material and are growing in popularity in mainstream building practice . As their service lives are ending at the depot, they are finding new life in innovative pioneering construction projects. Wolfpack is one of the exciting companies that specializes in this.
Common Uses for Shipping Containers in Cape Town and South Africa
Non cargo-worthy,end of service life,decommissioned ,used and second hand shipping containers are commonly used for:
- Construction Site Offices
- Living Spaces
- Pop-up Shops
- Kiosks
- Promotional Installations
- Spaza Shops
- Tuck Shops
- Barber Shops
- Hair Salons
- Used Tyre Shops
- Cold Storage Rooms
- Classrooms
- Libraries
- Ablution Facilities (Toilets & Showers)
- Storage Facilities
- Clinics & Pharmacies
Higher Grade Means a Higher Price and Less Repairs
Some companies will however opt for grade A Cargo-worthy containers ( which are the most expensive) in all of their projects. The choice depends on your budget and how much repair work you want to do. For a below C grade container, the end construction can end up being 40% shipping container and 60% additional materials. As a result the shipping container used serves as structural aid to the final design rather than its actual structure.
In contrast, other modular designed projects consist almost entirely of used shipping containers in their original form with a few minor structural changes. These projects require more structurally sound containers which are of a higher grade (higher grade means a higher price).
For a locally run spaza shop or barber shop, the grade of the container can drop,therefore additional structural work will be needed to build the overall assembly. Take for example a rusted through roof, which is easily repaired with zinc sheeting and a drywall ceiling. Here structural integrity and load bearing are not essential to the construction of the unit. This means you can buy a relatively cheaper shipping container to start and house your business in. With the only downside being additional structural repair work. However this is not as extensive or expensive as having to make load bearing repairs.
We have compiled extensive information to help you select the correct shipping container for your vision and project, don’t let the jargon intimidate you, we explain all the shipping container terminology in this guide.
Guidelines to Buying Shipping Containers in Cape Town
Now that you are interested in the exciting industry of converting shipping containers to a newly functional space, whether for your business, service delivery or just for architectural flair, let’s get down to explaining the essential information regarding choosing the right shipping container.
This guide will cover the use of used, decommissioned and second shipping containers. This means non-CW (cargo-worthy) shipping containers, and by the way, you have just learned your first term, congrats!
This guide will further cover choosing the correct:
 | Understanding the Shipping Container Grading System. |
 | Choosing the best Shipping Container Type and Layout for Your Vision. |
 | Choosing the Best Shipping Container Size and Price for Your Project. |
 | Ensuring a Safe Shipping Container Sale. |
 | Selecting the best transporter for Your Shipping Containers. |
We will guide you through the decision making process of finding the best shipping container for your vision and business goals, provide pricing insight, where to buy, who to buy from, and how to transport it. With over 15 years experience transporting shipping containers here at RigRite, you are in good hands. Let’s begin…