The South East has more container port capacity on its doorstep than any region except the East. Southampton is a major deep-sea terminal, and Dover, Portsmouth and Sheerness add substantial short-sea and ro-ro traffic. For most of the region the road leg is short, and the motorway network — M3, M4, M23, M25, M40 — makes the rest predictable.
Free delivery to South East England
Delivery is free to South East England on every container we sell, and the price you see is the price you pay — nothing is added at checkout. Offload by HIAB or crane is agreed in writing before delivery, so you know how the container is coming off the lorry before it leaves us. This page is one of our UK delivery areas.
Ports serving South East England
- Southampton
- Portsmouth
- Dover
- Sheerness
- Newhaven
- Shoreham
Southampton is the principal deep-sea container terminal on the south coast and one of the two dominant UK container gateways alongside Felixstowe. Dover handles enormous ro-ro volumes but relatively little deep-sea container traffic, so most boxes for this region route through Southampton.
Roads and routes into South East England
The M3, M4, M20, M23, M27 and M40 all radiate from the M25, which makes most of this region quick to reach. The A3 covers Surrey and Hampshire, the A27 and A259 the south coast, and the A21 runs down into the Weald. Kent is the exception: freight movements towards Dover are periodically disrupted by cross-Channel queuing schemes on the M20, which can add hours to an otherwise short run.
Areas we cover
- Kent
- Surrey
- East Sussex
- West Sussex
- Hampshire
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Brighton and Hove
- Southampton and Portsmouth
Site access
Isle of Wight deliveries need a ferry leg and should be arranged rather than assumed. On the mainland, the North and South Downs and the Weald have plenty of sunken lanes and low tree cover that will stop an artic well short of an otherwise suitable site.
A loaded 40ft container arrives on an articulated lorry. In the UK an artic runs to a maximum of 44 tonnes gross and is around 16.5 metres long, so it needs firm, reasonably level ground, room to turn, and space clear of overhead cables and branches for the offload. A 10ft or 20ft unit is considerably more forgiving. Our guide to delivery access, craning and ground preparation sets out what to check. If you are unsure whether your site works, tell us about the approach and we will tell you honestly before you order.
Planning permission in South East England
Planning control in England sits with your local planning authority. The South Downs and New Forest National Parks are separate planning authorities, and the Kent Downs, Surrey Hills, High Weald, Chilterns and Isle of Wight are National Landscapes (formerly AONBs). Between them they cover a very large share of this region, so checking the designation of your address is worth five minutes before you order. Our guide to planning permission for a shipping container explains the principles so you can ask the right question. It is general information, not planning advice — your local planning authority has the final word.
Delivery timing to South East England
Mainland deliveries are usually straightforward and predictable. Isle of Wight deliveries depend on a ferry crossing and on the vehicle restrictions the operators apply, so they are arranged rather than simply booked.
Nearby delivery areas
- Shipping containers in London
- Shipping containers in South West England
- Shipping containers in the East of England
- Shipping containers to the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey
Or see every region on the container delivery areas page.
Buying a container in South East England
You can browse shipping containers, storage containers, high cube containers, refrigerated containers, site cabins and modified containers, or see the full container range. Every container is sold outright — we do not hire.
Read the condition guide to understand the difference between new, one-trip and used grades, the buyer’s guide for choosing between sizes and specifications, or the delivery information page for how offload and access are handled. If you would rather talk it through, request a quote and tell us where the container is going.
County pages
More detail on the ports, roads, site access and planning regime for individual counties in this region: