BUDGET SHIPPING CONTAINERS
From, ex GST 20ft used $2,20020ft new $3,30040ft used $2,60040ft HC used $3,40010ft used $4,35020ft hire $27/wk Updated 03/08/2026
20ft · ex GST · ex depot

20 Foot Shipping Containers

The one almost everybody should buy. Not because it is the best value per cubic metre — the 40ft is — but because every depot in the country holds 20fts in volume, a standard tilt-tray delivers one without any fuss, and it is the size everybody quotes, which makes it the size to compare prices on.

Prices last updated 03/08/2026

Price and specification

20 Foot Shipping Containers guide prices by grade
GradeFrom*Sold watertight?
Used — cargo-worthy$2,200Yes — checked wind and watertight
New — single-trip$3,300Yes — sealed
As-isPriced per unitNo — not sold watertight
Hire$27/wkYes — cargo-worthy grade

* What "from" means. Every figure on this site is a "from" price: the starting point for that size in that grade, in Australian dollars, ex GST, ex depot. It is not a quote. Condition, availability at your nearest depot and the grade you actually need all move it, and delivery is quoted separately because it depends entirely on where the container is going.

What moves this price

This is where the price transparency actually pays. A used cargo-worthy 20ft starts at $2,200 ex GST and a new single-trip starts at $3,300 — that $1,100 gap is the single most useful number on this site, because it is the real cost of buying a box nobody has used yet. Most people who think they need new do not; most people who buy as-is to save another few hundred wish they had not.

Grades matter, and this is where a cheap container gets expensive. Cargo-worthy is the grade we check wind and watertight before it leaves the depot. As-is units are cheaper again and are not sold watertight — they may carry a patched repair, a soft spot in the floor or a door seal that no longer seats, and we will tell you exactly what is wrong with one before you buy it. New single-trip units are sealed and unmarked. If a container has to keep rain off what is inside it, buy cargo-worthy or better.

Who buys a 20ft

Compare it against the other sizes

Shipping container guide prices by size and grade, ex GST, updated 03/08/2026
Size Internal L×W×H Capacity Used from* New from* Hire from*
10ft 2.83m × 2.35m × 2.39m 16m³ $4,350 $6,400 Ask
20ft 5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m 33m³ $2,200 $3,300 $27/wk
40ft 12.03m × 2.35m × 2.39m 67m³ $2,600 $5,500 Ask
40ft High Cube 12.03m × 2.35m × 2.70m 76m³ $3,400 $5,500 Ask

All figures ex GST, ex depot, updated 03/08/2026. 10ft, 40ft, 40ft High Cube have their own pages with full specifications.

20ft — common questions

How much is a 20ft shipping container?

A used cargo-worthy 20ft starts at $2,200 ex GST and a new single-trip 20ft starts at $3,300 ex GST, ex depot, as at 03/08/2026. Delivery is quoted separately against your address.

What are the internal dimensions of a 20ft?

Internally 5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m, giving about 33m³ of usable space. The door opening is 2.34m wide × 2.28m high, which is the measurement that actually decides whether what you are storing will go in. Tare weight is 2,200 kg approx.

Is a 20ft watertight?

In cargo-worthy grade, yes — every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it leaves the depot, and new single-trip units are sealed. As-is units are cheaper again and are not sold watertight, which is the one distinction worth being absolutely clear about.

What does it cost to deliver a 20ft?

It depends on the distance from the depot holding the unit, the truck the site needs and the access at your end. There is no honest single figure for it, so we do not publish one. We quote the delivery with the container, up front, against your actual address.

Get both numbers

The container price and the delivery price, quoted together against your address.

1 — The job

2 — You

We come back with a container price and a delivery price, usually the same day. Your details stay with us.

No-obligation quote

Get a delivered price for a 20ft

The published $2,200 is ex depot. Tell us the postcode and the access and we will add the only other number that matters.

Or skip the form and ring — you will get the same two numbers faster.

Call 1300 639 282
1300 639 282Get a price