Shipping Container Inspection Checklist

Updated 2026-09-13

A condition grade is a description; the container in front of you is the fact. Twenty minutes with a torch, a phone camera and this list will tell you whether the two match — at the depot before you commit, or on site before the driver leaves.

Work in the order below — identity, outside, inside — and take photos as you go. If something turns out to be wrong, the pictures taken before anyone moved the unit are the ones that settle it. Bring a strong torch, a screwdriver to probe suspect rust (ask first if the unit is not yet yours), a second person for the light test, and your order showing the container number, size code and agreed grade.

1. Identity: number, code and CSC plate

Start at the door end: everything else is judged against what this unit is supposed to be.

The container number matches the quotation, delivery note or invoice, and its check digit validates — see how to read a container number.
The size/type code matches the order: 22G1 for a standard 20ft, 42G1 for a standard 40ft, 45G1 for a 40ft high cube.
The CSC plate, normally on the left-hand door, is present and legible, and its maximum gross mass matches the MAX GROSS painted on the door. Read the date of manufacture and the next examination date or ACEP reference. See the CSC plate guide.
Where it is a combined data plate, note what it records about the timber treatment of the floor — worth knowing before you store food or feed, or fit the container out as a workspace.

2. Doors, gaskets and locking bars

The door-end photographs on used containers and new containers show the cam-operated locking bars, handles and hinges this section is about.

Both doors open fully, close and lock without being forced. Stiff is normal on used stock; seized is not.
Every locking bar turns, and its cams engage in the keepers at top and bottom.
With the doors shut, the gap between them is even from top to bottom. Doors that close out of line or have to be forced together point to a racked (out-of-square) frame — a structural problem, not a door problem.
Gaskets run unbroken round both doors, with no tears, missing sections or flattened, hardened lengths. Close a door on a sheet of paper at several points; where it pulls out without resistance, the seal is not working.
The door sill and the bottom of the door frame are free of heavy corrosion. Water sits there, and sill corrosion is common on used units.

3. The light test

Step inside, have your second person close both doors, and give your eyes a minute to adjust. Pinholes, split seams and gaps in the seals show as points or lines of daylight that are invisible from outside. Photograph each one, then find it from outside.

Safety first: a standard container cannot normally be opened from the inside. Never do this alone, and agree beforehand that the doors open the moment you ask.

Daylight is a strong signal, not the whole assessment: a seal that lets no light through can still let driven rain in.

4. Roof

View the roof from above where the depot allows — a platform, a ladder or an adjacent stack — under the depot's safety rules. Do not climb onto a roof on your own initiative.
Dents are normal on used units. A dent that holds water (ponding) is not harmless: it keeps the steel wet, rusts from the top and eventually perforates. Look for standing water, rust staining in dished areas and patches welded over earlier holes.
From inside, run the torch along the underside of the roof. Rust bloom, bubbled paint or water marks usually sit directly beneath a dent or a hole.
A bent or split top side rail or door header is structural, not cosmetic.

5. Floor

The floor is the expensive failure on a used container and the easiest to miss. Standard dry containers normally have a 28 mm plywood floor on steel cross members; the floor photographs on new containers and used containers show unmarked plywood and a floor that has carried cargo.

Walk the whole floor, including the corners and the area just inside the doors where forklifts turn. Soft spots or flex underfoot mean rotten or delaminated plywood, or a damaged cross member beneath.
Delamination shows as veneer layers lifting or separating, usually at board edges and joints. Scuffs and gouges are normal; layers coming apart are not.
Holes, cut-outs, patches and missing or raised floor fixings.
Stains and smell: oil, chemical residue or patches that stay damp. Shut the doors for a few minutes, then open them and breathe in. Strong chemical, fuel or fumigant odours are hard to get out of plywood and rule a container out for food, feed, textiles or a workspace, whatever its grade.

6. Frame: corner castings, posts, rails and cross members

Corner castings at all eight corners: no cracks, welded-over repairs or distorted openings. Containers are lifted and stacked from these, so a damaged casting is structural however good the rest looks.
Corner posts and bottom side rails straight when you sight along them, without kinks, splits or holes.
Cross members: where the container stands on blocks and you can see safely, look along the underside with a torch. Surface rust is expected; heavy scale, holes and bent or missing members are structural. Never go underneath a container that is being lifted.
Forklift pockets, where fitted: not crushed, torn or rusted through.

7. Rust: surface or perforation?

Every used container has rust; the question is which kind. The photographs on used containers show what normal looks like: surface weathering, discoloured paint, welded repair plates and repainted panel sections.

Surface rust — orange discolouration where paint has worn. Cosmetic.
Scale — rust that flakes off in layers; the steel underneath is thinning. Probe it with a screwdriver: if the tip goes in or a hole appears, count it as perforation.
Perforation — a hole through the steel, or a panel that gives under pressure. Look hardest where water collects: roof dents, door sills, bottom side rails and the lower edges of the corrugations.

What each grade should — and should not — pass

Judge the unit against the grade you bought, not against a perfect container. Full definitions: container conditions.

One trip: original factory coating over the whole unit, light handling marks, a generally clean interior and floor, and a CSC plate you have confirmed rather than assumed. Scratches, small dents and colour differences between units are within the description; patch repairs, repainted panels or a stained, gouged floor are not. See one-trip containers.
Cargo worthy: frame square, doors operating and sealing, floor sound, no holes, splits or through-corrosion, corner castings undamaged, cross members free of structural corrosion. Acceptable repairs, dents and mismatched paint are consistent with the grade. Check the CSC plate separately. See cargo worthy containers.
Wind and watertight: sound structure, doors closing against their seals, no holes or perforation in roof, walls or doors, no signs of water getting in. Dents, surface rust, previous repairs and an absent or expired CSC plate are all consistent with WWT. See wind and watertight containers.
Refurbished: judge the finish against the work the offer says was done, and the structure against the underlying grade stated alongside it.
As is: there is no standard to test against. Check the unit against the faults described in the offer and go through this whole list; assume nothing about doors, floor or watertightness.

Photos to take

Keep the date stamp on, and take them before the driver leaves or the unit is moved.

The door end, square on, with number and size code legible, plus a close-up of the CSC plate
Both sides and both ends, full length
The roof, from as high as you can safely get
The interior with the torch on, and again with the doors closed to show any daylight
Every defect twice: close up, and from far enough back to show where it is

If the container arrives damaged

Inspect before the driver leaves, not the next morning, and write what you can see on the delivery note — or the CMR consignment note on a cross-border delivery — for the driver to sign:

The container number, date and time
What the damage is and where — "hole approx. 3 cm, roof, second panel from the door end", not "damaged"
Whether it looks fresh (bright metal, scrapes matching the vehicle) or older (rusted edges, weathered paint)
That photos were taken, and the driver's name and signature

A general "received subject to inspection" says very little; a specific description of a specific defect is what allows a claim to be dealt with.

In Germany the law also puts a clock on this. Under § 438 HGB, visible damage not reported to the carrier at delivery is presumed not to have been there, and damage that was not visible must be reported in text form within seven days. Between businesses, § 377 HGB requires the buyer to inspect goods and report defects without undue delay, or the goods count as accepted. Which rule applies depends on the contract; either way, inspect on the day and report in writing.

Then send us the photos and the delivery note straight away. If you would rather see a unit at the depot first, say so when you request a quote — where an inspection can be arranged for a specific unit, the offer says so.

Frequently asked questions

What should I look for when buying a used shipping container?

In order of what is expensive to put right: the floor (soft spots, delamination, contamination), the frame (corner castings, posts, cross members, doors that close square), the doors and gaskets, then holes or perforating rust in the roof and walls. Dents and surface rust are normal on used stock. If the container will be shipped, add the CSC plate and its examination date.

How do I check a container for leaks?

Stand inside with a second person outside, close the doors and look for daylight through the roof, walls and door seals. Then look for evidence of past water: rust staining under roof dents, water marks on the walls and dark, damp patches in the floor. Moisture inside a sound container can also be condensation, so read the pattern — drips under a single dent point to a hole, dampness across the whole roof points to condensation.

Is rust on a used container a problem?

Surface rust is not; it is normal on used stock and can be brushed back and painted. Scale that flakes off in layers means the steel is thinning. A hole through the steel is perforation: in the roof, walls or doors it is inconsistent with wind and watertight, and anywhere structural it is inconsistent with cargo worthy.

What should I do if the container is damaged on delivery?

Before the driver leaves, photograph the damage, write it specifically on the delivery note — what, where, and the container number — and ask the driver to sign. Then send us the photos and the note straight away. Anything you only find later should be reported in writing as soon as you find it.

Can I inspect a container at the depot before delivery?

Say so on your enquiry. Whether a specific unit can be inspected depends on the unit and the depot; where it can be arranged, the offer for that unit says so. Where it cannot, photographs or a survey record may be available instead.

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How to Inspect a Shipping Container Before You Accept It