{"id":3414,"date":"2026-09-28T23:58:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.congeladoslamarsala.com\/blog\/?p=3414"},"modified":"2026-09-28T23:58:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:58:36","slug":"what-types-of-steel-are-used-in-steel-containers-4452-c3baf8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.congeladoslamarsala.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/28\/what-types-of-steel-are-used-in-steel-containers-4452-c3baf8\/","title":{"rendered":"What types of steel are used in steel containers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, fellow container enthusiasts and anyone who\u2019s ever stared at a massive steel box on a ship or a warehouse loading dock and wondered, \u201cWhat even is that thing made of?\u201d Steel Container<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For the last 12 years, I\u2019ve been running a small steel container supply company\u2014you know, the guys who ship these bad boys all over North America, fix up the dented ones, and send new ones to businesses that need reliable storage or shipping. I get so many questions from new customers, like \u201cWhy is my shipping container rusting in spots?\u201d or \u201cCan I use this for my outdoor workshop?\u201d And almost every time, the first thing I need to break down is the steel. Because let\u2019s be real: the type of steel we use makes all the difference between a container that lasts 20 years and one that needs replacing in five.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve lost count of how many times a customer has come to us thinking all steel is the same. Spoiler alert: it\u2019s not. I once had a guy who tried to cut open a container with a torch to turn it into a pool, and he was shocked when it took him twice as long as he expected\u2014turns out he was comparing our shipping-grade steel to some flimsy sheet metal he had at home. That\u2019s why today, I\u2019m pulling back the curtain on exactly what types of steel we use here at our company, why we pick them, and how each one fits different jobs. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n

First up, the workhorse of almost every standard shipping container out there: Corten steel. You\u2019ve probably heard us mention it before, but let\u2019s get into the nitty-gritty. Corten is short for \u201ccorrosion-resistant tensile steel\u201d\u2014sounds fancy, right? But what that actually means is it\u2019s a weathering steel, made with a mix of iron, carbon, and small amounts of copper, chromium, and nickel. Here\u2019s the cool part: when it\u2019s exposed to the elements, it develops that brownish-orange patina you see on old shipping containers. That patina isn\u2019t just rust\u2014it\u2019s a protective layer that seals the steel underneath, so it doesn\u2019t corrode any further. That\u2019s why shipping containers hold up so well crossing the ocean in salt air, or sitting in the sun and rain for decades.<\/p>\n

Wait, but hold on\u2014there\u2019s a common myth about Corten. Some people think you can paint over it, and that\u2019s fine, but a lot of folks think it\u2019s 100% rust-proof, and that\u2019s not true. It just rusts on the surface, and then stops. Our standard dry van shipping containers use Corten for almost everything: the side panels, the roof, the floor framework, the corner posts. It\u2019s strong enough to stack nine high on a cargo ship, flexible enough to handle being dragged off a truck, and doesn\u2019t cost a fortune compared to other steels. We went with Corten for our base model because it checks every box for regular shipping and storage. I\u2019ve seen containers we sold in 2010 that are still going strong out in Texas\u2014sunny, windy, and occasionally hailing\u2014and they don\u2019t have a spec of structural rust. That\u2019s the Corten doing its job.<\/p>\n

Next, let\u2019s talk about the stuff that keeps those containers from collapsing when you stack them: high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel. Wait a second\u2014isn\u2019t that the same as Corten? No, not exactly. HSLA steel is a broader category, and Corten is actually a type of HSLA, but we use a different grade specifically for structural parts. The corner castings, the crossbeams under the floor, the vertical posts that run the height of the container\u2014all that is HSLA. We use HSLA-80, to be specific. The \u201c80\u201d stands for its tensile strength, which is 80,000 pounds per square inch. For reference, regular carbon steel is around 60,000 psi. So HSLA is way stronger, without being way heavier. That\u2019s a big deal because shipping containers need to be light enough to move on trucks and ships, but strong enough to carry 60,000 pounds of cargo inside. If we used regular carbon steel for the corner castings, they\u2019d be heavier, which would cut into how much cargo a container could hold. And no one wants to pay extra in shipping costs just because the container itself is overweight.<\/p>\n

I remember when we first switched to HSLA-80 a few years back. We were getting calls from customers complaining that their containers\u2019 corner posts were bending when they stacked heavy equipment inside. The manufacturer we worked with at the time was using a cheaper HSLA grade, and it just wasn\u2019t up to par. We did months of testing\u2014loading 10,000-pound blocks into containers, stacking them seven high in our warehouse for a year, even putting them through our own simulated salt spray test. Once we switched to HSLA-80, those complaints stopped cold. It\u2019s tougher, more resistant to dents and bends, and it holds up way better under repeated stress. That\u2019s the steel you want if you\u2019re using your container for something heavy\u2014like storing construction materials, or as a temporary office for a job site.<\/p>\n

Now, what about the floor? Most people don\u2019t think about the floor of a container, but it\u2019s one of the most important parts. A container\u2019s floor has to hold thousands of pounds of pallets, forklifts, and whatever else you\u2019re hauling or storing. For standard containers, we use two main types for floors, depending on if it\u2019s a new build or a refurbished one. New containers use marine-grade plywood, but we supplement that with steel floor plates along the edges where forklift tires drive. Wait, hold up\u2014wait, is that steel? Yes, the floor edges. Because forklift forks are metal, and if you drive a forklift right on the edge of the plywood floor for years, it\u2019s going to wear through. So we add 1\/8-inch thick cold-rolled steel plates along the bottom two feet of each side of the floor. That\u2019s cold-rolled steel, by the way\u2014another type I haven\u2019t mentioned yet. Cold-rolled is just steel that\u2019s been shaped at room temperature, instead of hot, so it\u2019s smoother and stronger for its thickness. It\u2019s not as corrosion-resistant as Corten, but it\u2019s perfect for this job because it\u2019s cheap, easy to cut and weld, and it takes the abuse from forklifts way better than plywood.<\/p>\n

For our refurbished containers, we usually replace the plywood floor with a recycled steel floor\u2014cold-rolled, again. Why? Because a lot of refurbished containers are used for temporary storage at construction sites, where forklifts are constantly dragging across the floor, and the old plywood is just going to get ruined in a few months. Steel floors are way more durable for that kind of use, even if they\u2019re a little noisier when you roll a dolly over them. We always tell customers: if you\u2019re storing light stuff like boxes, go with the plywood floor. If you\u2019re driving forklifts or heavy equipment in there, get the steel floor upgrade. It\u2019s worth the extra $200, trust me.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about specialty containers, because not everyone wants a standard 20-foot or 40-foot dry van. We build a lot of specialized containers for things like refrigerated units, hazardous material storage, and even mobile clinics. Those use different steels, and for good reason. For refrigerated containers (reefers), the inner liners are made of 304 stainless steel. Wait, that\u2019s another steel grade\u2014stainless steel, which has at least 10.5% chromium, so it\u2019s super resistant to corrosion from moisture, food, or chemicals. If we used Corten for the inner liner of a reefer, all the condensation from the cooling unit would make it rust on the inside, and you\u2019d end up with stains on your produce or whatever you\u2019re shipping. 304 stainless is easy to clean, doesn\u2019t rust, and holds up to the constant temperature changes in a refrigerated unit. It\u2019s a little more expensive than Corten, but for reefers, it\u2019s non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s hazardous material containers. Those are a whole different ballgame. For containers that hold flammable liquids or corrosive chemicals, we use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lined steel, or sometimes 316 stainless steel. 316 stainless is even more corrosion-resistant than 304\u2014it has molybdenum added, which makes it stand up to salt, acids, and harsh chemicals. We had a customer a couple years ago who needed a container to store industrial cleaning chemicals, and the 304 stainless we quoted them on started to get pitted after a month of testing. Switched to 316, and it\u2019s been perfect for two years now. The downside is it\u2019s way pricier, so we only use it for specialty hazmat jobs.<\/p>\n

Wait, I should also mention what we never use. A lot of cheap container sellers out there use regular mild carbon steel for structural parts, just to cut costs. But mild steel rusts super easily, and it\u2019s way weaker than HSLA or Corten. We once had a customer bring us a container he bought from a guy online, and the corner posts were just regular steel\u2014they were so rusted, you could poke a hole in them with a screwdriver. He paid half what our containers cost, and it was falling apart after a year. That\u2019s the kind of junk we refuse to sell. For us, the steel type isn\u2019t a choice\u2014it\u2019s a promise. Our containers have to stand behind their work, so we don\u2019t cut corners on materials.<\/p>\n

I get it\u2014when you\u2019re shopping for a steel container, you\u2019re focused on size, price, and whether it\u2019ll hold all your stuff. Steel type might not be the first thing on your mind. But trust me, it matters. If you\u2019re buying a cheap container with mild steel, it\u2019ll rust out in half the time, and you\u2019ll end up spending more money replacing it. If you buy one with the right Corten and HSLA steel, it\u2019ll last you 20, 30 years, maybe even longer. We have customers who\u2019ve had our containers for 15 years, they use them for storage, and they still look almost as good as the day we delivered them.<\/p>\n

Let me leave you with a quick tip the next time you\u2019re checking out a container. Run your hand along the roof and side panels\u2014if it\u2019s Corten, it should feel slightly rough, not smooth like paint. Tap on the corner posts\u2014if they sound hollow or weak, that\u2019s a sign they used cheap steel. Check the floor edges where forklifts drive\u2014if there\u2019s no steel plate there, it\u2019ll wear through fast. These are small things, but they make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the market for a steel container\u2014whether it\u2019s a standard 20-foot shipping unit, a modified office container, a hazmat storage unit, whatever\u2014we can hook you up. We sell new and refurbished containers, deliver anywhere in the country, and we\u2019ll even help you pick the right steel type for your specific needs, no jargon, no pressure. Just reach out to our team to chat about what you\u2019re looking for. We\u2019ve got over a decade of experience, and we don\u2019t sell anything we wouldn\u2019t use ourselves.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t waste your money on flimsy, cheap containers that\u2019ll fall apart in a few years. Invest in a steel container made with the right materials, and you\u2019ll have a reliable space for all your stuff for decades to come.<\/p>\n

Push Back Racking<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ASM International. (2005). Atlas of Stress-Corrosion Cracking. Materials Park, OH: ASM International.<\/li>\n
  2. British Standards Institution. (2016). BS EN 10025-5: Hot rolled products of structural steels. Part 5: Technical delivery conditions for weathering steels. London: BSI.<\/li>\n
  3. International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO 1496-1: Series 1 freight containers \u2013 Specification and testing \u2013 Part 1: General cargo containers for general purposes. Geneva: ISO.<\/li>\n
  4. Corus Steel. (2010). Corten Steel: Properties and Applications. IJmuiden: Tata Steel Europe.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Nanjing Jinhui Storage Equipment Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Nanjing Jinhui Storage Equipment Co., Ltd. is one of the leading steel container manufacturers and suppliers in China, engaged in customized service. Feel free to buy the best quality steel container for sale here and get quotation from our factory. For price consultation, contact us.
    Address: NO.22, Ankang Road, Guli concentrated zone, Nanjing City, China.
    E-mail: export@jhrack.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.cn-rack.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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