Price Guide

    How Much Does a Shipping Container Cost in the USA?

    The price of a shipping container in the US depends on its size, its grade and the city it sits in. These are the indicative ex-depot ranges we publish for 18 US cities, reviewed September 2026. They are ranges, not offers: the written quote fixes the price of a given unit.

    Written quote within one business day: depot, grade, unit price and delivery.

    Indicative prices

    At a glance: national ranges by size and grade

    GradeIndicative range, ex-depotCities
    40HC Brand New2,350–3,725 USD14
    40HC IICL2,100–2,600 USD2
    40HC Cargo Worthy1,550–2,600 USD3
    20DC Brand New1,800–2,950 USD8
    20DC Cargo Worthy800–1,400 USD2
    20DC As-Is800–1,100 USD1

    Ranges reviewed September 2026. Indicative, not an offer.

    By city

    40ft High Cube (40HC): ranges by city

    CityGradeIndicative range, ex-depot
    Tampa, FLBrand New2,350–2,750 USD
    New York, NYBrand New2,400–2,800 USD
    Chicago, ILBrand New2,550–2,950 USD
    Houston, TXBrand New2,650–3,050 USD
    Boston, MABrand New2,900–3,300 USD
    Memphis, TNBrand New2,950–3,250 USD
    Charlotte, NCBrand New3,100–3,500 USD
    El Paso, TXBrand New3,100–3,500 USD
    Atlanta, GABrand New3,150–3,550 USD
    Jacksonville, FLBrand New3,150–3,550 USD
    Dallas, TXBrand New3,200–3,600 USD
    Phoenix, AZBrand New3,300–3,700 USD
    Salt Lake City, UTBrand New3,300–3,700 USD
    Denver, COBrand New3,325–3,725 USD
    Houston, TXIICL2,100–2,500 USD
    Baltimore, MDIICL2,200–2,600 USD
    Baltimore, MDCargo Worthy1,550–1,950 USD
    Houston, TXCargo Worthy1,600–2,200 USD
    Denver, COCargo Worthy2,200–2,600 USD

    By city

    20ft Standard (20DC): ranges by city

    CityGradeIndicative range, ex-depot
    Houston, TXBrand New1,800–2,200 USD
    Baltimore, MDBrand New1,850–2,250 USD
    Mobile, ALBrand New1,900–2,300 USD
    Memphis, TNBrand New2,000–2,400 USD
    New York, NYBrand New2,000–2,400 USD
    Columbus, OHBrand New2,200–2,600 USD
    Charlotte, NCBrand New2,250–2,650 USD
    Phoenix, AZBrand New2,550–2,950 USD
    Houston, TXCargo Worthy800–1,200 USD
    Cleveland, OHCargo Worthy1,000–1,400 USD
    Houston, TXAs-Is800–1,100 USD

    What moves the price

    Grade comes first: a Brand New (one-trip) unit costs well above a Cargo Worthy one of the same size, and an As-Is unit sits at the bottom. The city comes next: containers are cheapest where imports leave empties behind, on the coasts and at the large rail hubs, and dearer inland, where each unit has been moved there.

    Timing matters too. When imports peak, depots fill with empties and used grades get cheaper; when exports pull boxes out, prices rise. The ranges here are reviewed every month for that reason.

    What a quote should include

    Compare quotes on the same basis. A complete quote from us states:

    • The depot and city the unit leaves from
    • Size, grade and, on request, photos of the unit
    • The unit price, ex-depot
    • Delivery to your site, priced separately, and the truck it needs
    • Payment terms and the release process at the depot

    Delivery cost

    Delivery is quoted per site: distance, site access and the truck (tilt-bed or chassis) set the cost. Where we publish it, Houston: Local delivery (50 miles) 250–500 USD, Crane delivery +300–600 USD. Elsewhere it is quoted with the unit.

    Avoiding scams

    A price far below these ranges, a seller who will not name the depot, or a request to pay by gift card or crypto are warning signs. We name the depot and the release process in every quote.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Frequently asked questions

    Across the US cities where we publish indicative ranges, a 40ft high cube runs 2,350–3,725 USD in Brand New, 2,100–2,600 USD in IICL, 1,550–2,600 USD in Cargo Worthy, ex-depot (reviewed September 2026).

    Across the US cities where we publish indicative ranges, a 20ft container runs 1,800–2,950 USD in Brand New, 800–1,400 USD in Cargo Worthy, 800–1,100 USD in As-Is, ex-depot (reviewed September 2026).

    Containers are cheapest where imports leave empties behind (ports and large rail hubs) and dearer inland, where each unit has been moved there. Grade and the month also move the price.

    No. Prices are ex-depot; delivery is quoted per site, from the distance, the access and the truck it needs.

    No. They are indicative ranges, reviewed monthly. A written quote, within one business day, fixes the price of a given unit.

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