Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about buying and taking delivery of shipping containers in the UK. If yours is not here, contact us or email info@blueportcontainer.com.
Prices and payment
Is VAT added to the price at checkout?
No. No VAT is added at checkout: the price shown is the total payable, and the figure on your quotation, or in your basket, is the amount you will pay. Everything is quoted in pounds sterling, and delivery within the UK is included at no charge.
How do I pay?
We accept UK bank transfer (Faster Payments or BACS) and major debit and credit cards. Payment is required in cleared funds before delivery is booked unless we have agreed credit terms with you in writing. Full details are in our Payment Policy.
Do you offer credit accounts?
Business accounts may be available to established businesses subject to credit checks and satisfactory trade references. Ask us at the quotation stage.
Do you charge for delivery?
No. Delivery is free to any UK address — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including the Scottish Highlands and islands — with no minimum order and no postcode surcharge. The price you see for the container is the price you pay, delivered. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are covered on the same free delivery, though ferry sailings mean they take longer to arrive.
How long is a quotation valid?
Each quotation states its own validity period, commonly 7 to 14 days. Container markets move, so we cannot hold a price open indefinitely.
Choosing a container
What size container do I need?
A 20ft container gives about 33 cubic metres, roughly the contents of a three-bedroom house or about 10 to 11 pallets on the floor. A 40ft gives about 67 cubic metres, or roughly 20 to 21 pallets. If in doubt, most customers who agonise between the two are better served by a 20ft plus good shelving. See the Buyer’s Guide, or our detailed guide to what size shipping container you need.
What is a high cube?
A container with the same footprint as a standard unit but roughly 300mm more height — about 2.69m internally rather than 2.39m. Choose one if you intend to insulate and board out the inside, install racking, or work standing up in it.
What do the condition grades mean?
New/One-Trip is effectively new; Cargo-Worthy is used but certified fit for shipping; Wind and Water Tight is used, dry and functional but not shipping-certified; As-Is is sold with declared faults. Our Condition Guide explains each in detail, and our guide to new versus used containers covers how the grades behave in practice.
Will a used container be rusty?
It will have surface rust, dents, patch repairs and mismatched paint. That is normal on a box that has spent a decade at sea and is not a defect. What matters is that it is structurally sound and, for Cargo-Worthy and Wind and Water Tight grades, dry inside.
Can I view a container before buying?
Yes, at the holding depot by appointment. Please never turn up at a depot unannounced — they are working yards with heavy plant moving. Contact us to arrange a viewing.
How long will a container last?
A well-sited container on a firm, level, drained base will typically last 20 to 30 years or more in the UK climate. The things that shorten that life are standing water underneath, poor ventilation and untreated damage to the paint system.
Delivery and access
How long does delivery take?
Typically 3 to 7 working days from cleared payment to mainland England and Wales, 5 to 10 to the Scottish Central Belt, 7 to 14 to the Highlands, and 2 to 4 weeks to the Scottish islands, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Specialist and modified units take longer. See Delivery Information.
What access do you need?
For a standard tilt-bed delivery, allow roughly 20 metres of straight, firm approach for a 20ft container (about 30 metres for a 40ft), around 3.5 to 4.5 metres of width, and about 4.5 metres of overhead clearance. The lorry must also be able to turn round and leave. Our guide to delivery access, craning and ground preparation works through this in full.
What if my site is too tight for a tilt-bed?
We can usually deliver by HIAB — a lorry-mounted crane that lifts the container over walls, hedges and fences and places it precisely. It needs firm ground for the outriggers and clear airspace overhead. Tell us about the site on the quote form and we will specify the right vehicle.
Can you put it exactly where I want it?
With a HIAB, generally yes within the crane’s reach. With a tilt-bed, the container ends up where the lorry can slide it, in line with the approach. If precise placement matters, say so before you order.
What do I need to prepare?
A firm, level base — concrete, compacted hardcore, blocks or railway sleepers under the four corners. Clear access with cars moved. Someone over 18 on site to direct placement and sign. Nothing fragile buried in the route: drains, soakaways, septic tanks and new paving do not survive a 44-tonne lorry.
What happens if the lorry cannot deliver?
The delivery is aborted and a re-delivery charge applies. Delivery is free, but a wasted journey is not — the haulage cost has already been incurred. Aborted deliveries are almost always avoidable, which is why we ask detailed access questions first. Be candid about a difficult site — it costs you nothing at the quotation stage.
Do you deliver to the Scottish Highlands and islands?
Yes, and at no extra cost — free delivery covers the Highlands and the islands too. Highland mainland deliveries take longer to schedule because of distance and driver hours, and island deliveries go by ferry, so dates depend on sailings. Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles are all served. See our delivery areas for the regional notes.
Can I collect the container myself?
Yes, from the holding depot by prior appointment, provided you arrive with suitable transport. Depots will not load onto unsuitable trailers, and you are responsible for securing the load.
Planning, siting and use
Do I need planning permission for a shipping container?
Usually not for a container used as temporary storage that is not fixed to the ground or connected to services — it is generally treated as a chattel rather than a building operation. You are more likely to need permission if the container is permanent, converted into habitable or commercial accommodation, connected to services, stacked, or sited at a listed building, in a conservation area, National Park, AONB or the Green Belt. Rules differ between England, Wales and Scotland, and your local planning authority has the final say. Also check your deeds or lease for restrictive covenants, which are enforced separately from planning. Our guide to planning permission for shipping containers in the UK covers each situation in detail.
Can I live in a shipping container?
Not without planning permission and compliance with building regulations. A container conversion used as a dwelling is a building for both purposes. We are happy to supply the container; the consents are for you and your architect or planning consultant.
Will condensation be a problem?
It can be. Warm moist air meeting a cold steel roof produces “container rain”. Manage it with extra ventilation, a raised and drained base, desiccant, and by never storing damp items. For anything genuinely moisture-sensitive, budget for insulation.
How secure is a container?
Very, when set up properly. Fit a closed-shackle padlock in a welded lock box, position the doors against a wall or fence where practical, and consider a lock guard. A container with an exposed hasp and a cheap padlock is the weak point, not the steel.
Orders and after-sales
Can I cancel my order?
If you are a consumer buying at a distance, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give you a 14-day cancellation right, subject to the exceptions in those Regulations. Business purchases are governed by our Terms and Conditions. Once haulage has been booked, cancellation charges may apply. See our Returns Policy and Refund Policy.
What if the container is not as described?
Tell us straight away, with photographs, and we will put it right — repair, replace, price adjustment or return, depending on the circumstances. Consumer purchases carry the statutory protections of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, including that goods must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. See our Warranty Policy.
Do you modify containers?
We can arrange common modifications — personnel doors, windows, extra vents, lock boxes, shelving, racking, repainting, electrics and insulation — through our fabrication partners. Modified units are quoted individually and take longer than stock containers.
Do you buy containers back?
Sometimes, depending on condition, location and current demand. Contact us with photographs, the postcode and the age of the unit and we will tell you whether we are interested.
Where to look in the catalogue
If your question was really “which one do I buy”, start with storage containers for on-site lock-ups, shipping containers for standard ISO boxes, modified containers for anything with doors, power or insulation already fitted, site cabins for welfare and office space, or reefer containers for chilled and frozen storage.
Still stuck?
Read the Buyer’s Guide and Condition Guide, browse the shop, or request a quotation. For anything else, email info@blueportcontainer.com.