Technical Resource

Shipping Container Carports: Two Containers and a Roof

Two containers set apart with a roof between them give a covered bay and two lockable stores in one structure. It is one of the most common things people build with containers, and most of what goes wrong comes from the roof, the anchoring and the permit rather than from the boxes.

The layout

Two walls, one roof

The usual design sets two containers parallel, several metres apart, and spans a roof across the gap. The containers are the side walls and stay usable as secure storage for tools and parts. The bay between them shelters vehicles, a boat, machinery or hay.

Variations follow the same logic: a single container with a lean-to roof along one side, or two containers set in an L to close one corner of a yard. Whatever the layout, the roof bears on the containers, so the containers and their foundation decide what the roof can do.

Spans and roofs

Roof kits and engineered trusses

Commercial roof kits are steel trusses and sheeting designed to fix to the top of two containers. They are sold for fixed gap widths and lengths matched to 20ft and 40ft units. Wider spans, heavy snow areas and custom layouts call for trusses designed by an engineer.

A container carries load through its corner posts and top rails. The corrugated side walls between the corners are not designed for concentrated loads, so trusses should land at or near the corner posts, or on a beam along the top rail, exactly as the kit maker specifies.

Clearance

Check the height before the container type

The eaves of the roof sit at the height of the containers: 8'6" for a standard container and 9'6" for a high cube, plus whatever the base adds. The pitch of the roof adds height towards the centre of the bay.

Cars and pickups fit under standard eaves. Motorhomes, tall trucks and farm machinery are often taller than a high cube and need a raised truss or containers stacked two high. Stacked containers must sit corner casting on corner casting, locked together.

Wind, snow and anchoring

The roof turns the structure into a sail

An empty container is heavy, but a roof between two of them catches wind from below and from the side. Uplift can lift sheeting, rack the trusses or slide a container off its supports.

Anchor each container at its corner castings to the foundation, with anchor plates, piers with embedded plates or ground anchors, and fix the roof to the containers exactly as the kit requires. Snow load depends on the local code; the span, the anchoring and the snow load should be checked by the roof supplier or a local engineer.

Foundation

Two containers, one level

Each container needs firm support under its four corners, on concrete piers or a compacted gravel pad. The two containers must also sit level with each other: a difference in height between the two tops twists the roof and strains every fixing.

Permits

A roof usually changes the answer

A standalone container is often treated as temporary storage. Once a roof joins two containers, many jurisdictions treat the whole as a building or accessory structure, with a permit, setbacks and engineering requirements. Check with the county or municipality before ordering anything.

Buying the containers

Which containers to buy

Two 40ft units give the longest covered bay; 20ft units suit a single-car or tractor bay. High cubes give an extra foot of clearance. Buy both containers of the same height: a standard and a high cube side by side leave a 12-inch step under the roof.

Cargo-worthy or wind-and-watertight grades are the economical choice for the walls. One-trip units make sense where appearance matters or the containers will be painted and fitted out. MG-Atlantic supplies the containers, in pairs or in larger lots; the roof comes from a kit supplier or a local builder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Container carports, answered

Yes. Two containers set parallel, several metres apart, with a roof spanning the gap, give a covered bay and two lockable stores. The roof comes from a roof-kit supplier or a builder, and the containers must be anchored and set level on a proper foundation.

It depends on the roof, not on the containers. Kits are sold for fixed gap widths, and wider spans need engineered trusses. The kit maker or a local engineer sets the limit for your wind and snow loads.

Often, yes. A single container may be treated as temporary storage, but a roof joining two containers usually makes it a structure under local rules. Check with the county or municipality before ordering.

It is better not to. A high cube is one foot taller, so the roof would sit on two different heights. Buy two containers of the same height.

Anchor each container at its corner castings to the foundation and fix the roof to the containers as the kit specifies. A roofed structure catches wind like a sail, so anchoring matters more than for a standalone container.

Explore