The whole list, on one page, with a date on it. This is the page the rest of the site is built around — if a figure is not here, we do not have one.
Prices last 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 |
* 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.
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.
The gap between used cargo-worthy and new single-trip in a 20ft is $1,100. That is the largest single lever in the table and it has nothing to do with size. Below cargo-worthy sits as-is, cheaper again and not sold watertight.
A used 40ft at $2,600 holds double what a used 20ft at $2,200 holds. Volume per dollar improves as the box gets longer, right up until the 10ft — which breaks the pattern completely because it is fabricated rather than shipped.
Containers come off the nearest depot that has your size in your grade. Port-side depots in Brisbane and Melbourne hold the most; a less common spec means either a wait or a longer freight leg, and occasionally both.
Depot stock turns over. A "from" price is the entry point for a grade, not a guarantee that the cheapest example of that grade is available on the day you ring.
Quoted with the container and against your actual address, because a metro drop and a long inland run are not the same job. What moves it is set out in full on the delivery page.
Under about a year, hire usually wins. Past that, buying usually does. A 20ft hire starts at $27 a week ex GST — see container hire.
Ex-depot prices with vague delivery is the oldest trick in this market, and it is why so many people end up paying well over the number that got them to pick up the phone. We publish the container price separately from the delivery price because they are genuinely separate things — but we quote them together, before anything is booked, so there is one figure to say yes or no to.
| 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. |
A 40ft costs more than a 20ft over the same distance, and a crane truck for tight access 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.
Budget is a price-transparency brand, not a discount claim. We publish what we charge so you can compare it against anyone else. We do not claim to be the cheapest in the country, and we will not pretend a cheap unit is a good unit when it is not.
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. Delivery is quoted separately. Those figures were last set on 03/08/2026.
A used cargo-worthy 40ft starts at $2,600 ex GST and a new single-trip 40ft at $5,500. A 40ft high cube — 300mm more internal height — starts at $3,400 used and $5,500 new.
Because a 10ft is not a shipping size. It does not come off a vessel at that length — it is cut down from a larger unit and the end rebuilt, so you are paying for a fabricator's hours rather than for steel. A 10ft starts at $4,350 used against $2,200 for a 20ft. If your block takes a 20ft, buy the 20ft.
No. Every figure on this site is ex GST, which is the convention in this trade because most buyers claim it back. Add 10% for the GST-inclusive figure.
No. Delivery is quoted separately because it genuinely depends on the address, the access and which depot is holding your unit. We quote it with the container, before anything is booked, so you get one delivered number rather than a freight bill later.
Whenever they move, and the date they were last set is shown at the top of this page and in the strip under the site heading. Today that date is 03/08/2026. A price page with no date on it is a price page nobody is maintaining.
Not necessarily, and we would rather say so. A "from" price is the starting point for that size in that grade. Condition, what is standing in the depot nearest you that week, and the grade the job actually needs all move it. What we will not do is advertise a number nobody ever pays.
Ring and ask with the detail in front of you — quantity, size, grade, and where they are going. Multiple units on the same run change the freight maths more than they change the container maths, and the freight is usually where the saving is.
That is the number that actually matters, and it takes one call or one form to get it.
Or skip the form and ring — you will get the same two numbers faster.
Call 1300 639 282