How container delivery is priced
Container condition, delivery distance and site access all affect the total. We quote the container and transport together for your location before anything is booked.
What moves a delivery quote
| Where it is going | What that means for the cartage |
|---|---|
| Metro, close to the depot holding your unit | The shortest run we do. A standard tilt-tray where the access allows one. |
| Regional, a few hours out from the depot | Still a day run, but the truck is on the road longer and the quote reflects it. |
| Long haul, interstate or well inland | Often a shared or backloaded run. Flexibility on the date genuinely helps here. |
| Remote, or anywhere with awkward access | Quoted per run against the address, because nothing about it is standard. |
One call gets you the actual delivered number. A 40ft costs meaningfully more than a 20ft over the same distance, and tight access needing a crane truck costs more again. We do not publish a single national delivery price, and you should be suspicious of anyone who does. Delivering a 40ft into a laneway in inner Melbourne and delivering a 20ft onto a hardstand outside Rockhampton are not the same job and cannot honestly carry the same number.
The six things that move the number
- 01Distance from the depot holding your unit
Not distance from a head office. The container comes off the nearest depot that has your size in your grade, and that is sometimes not the nearest depot to you.
- 02Which truck the site needs
A standard tilt-tray is the cheapest way to put a container on the ground. A crane truck (HIAB) costs more per job and gets into places a tilt-tray never will. Tight access is the single biggest swing in the whole delivery price.
- 0320ft against 40ft
A 40ft is a bigger vehicle, a longer run-in and often a different licence class. Expect meaningfully more than a 20ft over the same distance.
- 04Access at your end
Gate width, length of straight run, overhead wires and branches, and whether the ground carries a loaded truck after rain. Photographs settle all of it faster than measurements.
- 05Whether it is a dedicated run or a backload
A container going out on a truck that is already heading your way costs less than one that is not. Flexibility on the date is worth real money, especially on long runs.
- 06Return trips
For hire, collection is a second delivery. We quote both up front rather than surprising anyone at the end of the term.
What the truck needs from your site
Your site sets the truck. The delivery team looks at the ground under it, the straight approach to the spot and the clearance above it — photos usually tell them more than a tape measure.
- Straight run, 20ft
- ~20 m
- Straight run, 40ft
- ~30 m
- Width at the pinch point
- ~3.5 m
- Clear air above the spot
- ~4.5 m
- Ground
- Firm enough for a loaded rigid truck, after rain as well as before
Where any of that is marginal the answer is usually a crane truck rather than a refusal. It costs more and it works.
Quick access check
1 of 3. How wide is the tightest point the truck has to get through?
2 of 3. How much straight run is there at the placement spot?
3 of 3. Anything above the spot — wires, branches, an awning?
A guide, not a quote. Photographs of the gate, the approach and the spot settle it properly.
What the container itself costs
The container and its delivery both belong in your quote. Compare the complete cost for your location.
Each quote confirms the container, delivery and GST for your job. Availability, condition and site access are checked before booking.
Delivery questions
How much does shipping container delivery cost?
It depends on how far your address is from the depot holding your unit, which truck the site needs and what the access is like at the drop point. We do not publish a delivery figure, because any number we published would be wrong for most addresses. Ring 1300 639 282 with your postcode and the size you want and you will get the delivered number, quoted with the container rather than added afterwards.
Why won't you publish one delivery price?
Because a 20ft onto a level hardstand twenty minutes from a depot and a 40ft lifted over a fence into an inner-city laneway are not the same job. One national figure would mean overcharging the first customer or under-quoting the second and adding to it later. Neither is honest.
Tilt-tray or crane truck — which will I get?
A tilt-tray backs up to the spot, raises its deck and lets the container slide down onto the ground. It is the lowest-cost option and needs roughly 20 metres of straight approach. A crane truck (HIAB) picks the container up and swings it over whatever is in the way, so it costs more per job but reaches spots a tilt-tray cannot.
How much room does the truck actually need?
As a starting point for a 20ft on a tilt-tray: roughly 20 metres of straight approach, about 3.5 metres clear at the narrowest gate or gap, and 4.5 metres or more of open air over the drop spot. A 40ft needs more of each.
What if the truck arrives and cannot place it?
Nobody wants a wasted trip, so we ask for photos up front. Three are enough: the entrance from the street, the path the truck will take, and the drop spot itself. Attach them to the enquiry and the delivery team can confirm the vehicle before the quote is final.
Can I collect it myself?
If you have the equipment and the depot allows it, ask when you enquire. Most people do not — a 20ft is around 2.2 tonnes empty and needs the right gear at both ends — but for those set up for it, it removes the freight from the total entirely.
Get the delivery figure for your actual address
Not an estimate — the number for your postcode, your access and your size, quoted with the container.
Prefer a chat? Give our team a call.
Call 1300 639 282