The container industry loves its acronyms. Here's what they actually mean when you're standing in the yard with a budget.
Every container for sale in Australia sits somewhere on a ladder of grades, and the sticker price tracks the ladder closely. Understanding four rungs is enough to buy well.
Built overseas, loaded once for the voyage here, then sold. Effectively a new container: crisp paint, perfect seals, spotless floor. You pay the premium for lifespan (25–30 years) and looks. If the container will be seen by customers, converted into a workspace, or kept for decades, this is the rung.
Retired from shipping but certified fit to carry cargo: structurally sound, doors working, wind and watertight. Expect honest dents and faded paint. For general storage this is the sweet spot of the ladder — most of what we sell is here.
One rung down: no longer certified for shipping, but sealed against weather — which is all a storage container has to do. A WWT unit that's been checked properly (stand inside, shut the doors, look for daylight) is the smart-money buy for paddock and backyard storage. Ours start around $2,200 for a 20ft.
The bargain rung, and the one that stings careless buyers. "As-is" can mean cosmetic ugliness — or it can mean holed roofs, rotten floors and doors that need a crowbar. Some as-is units are genuine bargains for the right job (think: farm shed for hay, where a pinhole doesn't matter). Just never buy one sight-unseen. We occasionally have as-is 20-footers from around $1,600 — ring us and we'll tell you honestly what's wrong with them.
Converting or fronting customers: new. Storing things you love: cargo-worthy or checked WWT. Storing hay: as-is is fine. Not sure: ring 0418 179 002 — we answer seven days, and we'll talk you down a grade if it saves you money for the same result.
One call, one delivered number, seven days a week.