20ft Shipping Container
Approx. 33.2 m³
The standard 6.06 m ISO dry container: 33.2 m³ of volume, up to 28 t of payload, and the easiest size to move by road almost anywhere in the world.
Region
Shipping Containers for Asian Buyers
Supply from European depots to Asian destinations — worth checking carefully, because the global equipment flow generally runs the other way.
- New & used
- Single & bulk orders
- Named destination port
- Delivered pricing
It is worth being straightforward about this region. Containers are built in Asia, and the dominant global flow of equipment runs from Asia towards Europe and North America. Buying a container in Europe for delivery to Asia therefore runs against the current, and for a standard dry box it is frequently not the economic answer.
There are real exceptions, and they are the enquiries we can serve well.
When a Europe-origin purchase does make sense
- Backhaul economics — headhaul capacity from Europe to Asia is often cheaper than the reverse, and on some trades that offsets a large part of the difference.
- Specialist equipment — flat racks, open tops and reefers that are available in Europe now and not available locally on your timescale.
- Loaded shipments — where you are buying the container to load European goods into it and ship them as shipper-owned equipment, the purchase is in the right place by definition.
- Project supply — equipment procured against a European supply chain and shipped as part of a project consignment.
When to buy locally instead
If you need standard 20ft or 40ft dry containers for use in Asia, and there is no European cargo to load into them, buying closer to the point of use will normally win. We would rather say that than quote a price that wastes both sides' time.
Ports commonly named on Asian enquiries
- Southeast Asia — Singapore, Port Klang, Tanjung Priok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City
- South Asia — Karachi, Nhava Sheva, Chittagong, Colombo
- Central Asia — inland destinations served by rail via European gateways, quoted case by case
How supply and shipment are put together
Overseas supply separates into two questions that are often confused: which container you are buying, and how it reaches the destination you named.
Destination
You name the discharge port or the inland destination, and the specification.
Supply option
Suitable availability is assessed against that destination and against what can actually be booked to it, which is not always the nearest source of stock.
Shipment
Ocean freight on agreed Incoterms, with the responsibilities on each side written down before anything moves.
Quotation
Container, origin handling and freight to the agreed point, with destination charges identified rather than buried.
Buying a container and shipping cargo in it are two different transactions
A container bought as equipment and a container booked as freight are not the same movement, and conflating them is where overseas enquiries usually go wrong. Tell us which one you need. If the unit is to carry your cargo on the same voyage, that changes the condition requirement, the CSC position and the booking — and it is far cheaper to establish before the quotation than after it.
Containers supplied to Asia
Specialist types
New or used
Both are supplied to every market we quote. The choice is about what the container has to do once it arrives.
New / one trip
- Appearance matters at the destination
- Long-term ownership is intended
- The unit will be converted or modified
- Recent production is preferred
Used
- Storage is the primary purpose
- Budget is the deciding factor
- Cosmetic condition is secondary
- Cargo worthy or wind and watertight meets the requirement
What decides an overseas quotation
Four variables carry most of the cost and nearly all of the risk of a surprise.
Discharge port
The named destination port, which determines the routing, the sailing options and a large part of the freight cost.
Incoterm
Where our responsibility ends and yours begins. This decides who pays destination handling, and it is worth agreeing explicitly.
Destination charges
Terminal handling, documentation and any local charges at discharge. We identify them rather than leaving them to arrive later.
Inland leg
Delivery beyond the port is a separate arrangement in most markets, and is quoted as such where it can be arranged at all.
European logistics gateways
Major container gateways that may be relevant to supply or to international logistics, depending on the transaction. Listing a port here says where equipment concentrates in this trade — it is not a statement that we operate there.
Port delivery options- Hamburg
- Rotterdam
How a gateway fits the movement
- Supply point
- Road or terminal move
- Gateway port
- Ocean freight
- Destination
What we need in order to quote
Five things. A named destination port is worth more than any other single line on an overseas enquiry.
Container
Quantity
Destination
Terms
Commercial
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to buy containers in Europe or in Asia?
For standard dry containers used in Asia, almost always Asia — that is where they are built. Europe wins for specialist equipment available now, for shipper-owned loads originating in Europe, and where backhaul freight economics favour the direction.
Can you ship containers to inland destinations in Central Asia?
Rail routings from European gateways exist and are quoted case by case. Give us the final destination and we will say whether it is practical before going further.