Shipping Containers Used for Sale: Modern Day Green Building Blocks

It is now common to see the sign: “Shipping Containers Used for Sale” due to the number of used containers no longer in service. Used shipping containers for sale are not hard to find.

What use can one make of these used steel shipping containers? Their uses are many. Here are just a few ideas and actual projects:





  • High tech data centers. Both Microsoft and Sun Systems have advertised their portable data centers housed in used shipping containers.
  • Construction offices. They’re just the right size for a couple of drafting tables and they are easy to move on and off a construction site.
  • Portable art exhibits. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art and other museums are using shipping containers to store and make available for display various community art projects. They are especially popular for outreach to children.
  • Museums
  • Artist studios
  • General purpose offices
  • Medical clinics
  • Emergency housing
  • Cabins and hunting lodges
  • Affordable housing
  • Upscale housing
  • Swimming pools
  • Aquatic habitats
  • Youth centers
  • Shopping centers
  • Bars and restaurants
  • Snack stands
  • Portable restrooms
  • Emergency supply depots
  • Military training and administration centers
    • Military field hospitals
  • Military strategic deployment
  • Military barracks
  • Student housing
  • Apartment buildings and condos
  • Live/work space
  • Classrooms
  • Farmers market
  • Flea markets
  • Septic tanks
  • Rocket launchers

Here are some great sites to stimulate the imagination on shipping container uses: sourcejuice.com, containercity.com, notcot.com, firmitas.org.

The uses are limitless and for many years to come it will be common to see ads that read: “Shipping Containers Used for Sale.”






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