“Custom shipping containers” can mean three very different things: a new container built to your spec at the factory, an existing container that gets cut and fitted with new doors or windows, or a flat-pack pop-up unit you assemble on site. Each one comes with its own cost, timing and rules. Pick the wrong route and you can end up with a box that can no longer ship overseas, or an office the building department won’t sign off on.
Lummid has been in the wholesale container market since 2000, and custom orders and custom builds are part of what we sell to resellers, contractors, government buyers and businesses buying in volume. Here are ten things to settle before you place a custom order.
Planning a custom order? Request a wholesale quote or call (888) 471-9099.
Three ways to get custom shipping containers
| Factory custom build | Modified container | Modular pop-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A new container built to your spec and fully modified at the factory before it ships | An existing container cut and fitted with doors, windows or other changes | A flat-pack steel unit assembled where it will be used |
| Shipping approval (CSC plate) | Can keep it when the design is approved as built | Can lose it if the change voids the original approval | Built for storage, not for shipping cargo overseas |
| Best for | Volume orders, offices shipped in finished, units that may ship loaded | Changes to units that will stay on site | Small sizes (7 to 20 ft) where a full container won’t fit |
| Timing | Made to order | Depends on the market and the work | Ships flat and goes together on site without heavy equipment |
10 things to know before you order
1. Decide whether it will ever ship loaded
Every container used in international transport needs a valid CSC safety approval plate. Under the Convention for Safe Containers, the owner must remove that plate if the container has been modified in a way that voids its original approval. An owner who makes structural changes also has to report them to the approval authority, which may require retesting before it recertifies the box. Lummid’s own 10ft modded units show how this works: they are cut down from 20ft containers, so they are not CSC plated, but they make good storage units. If a unit might ever ship loaded or be exported, have the changes built and approved at the factory, or settle how the plate will be handled before anyone cuts steel.
2. Start from the right base box
Size and height drive everything else. Lummid sells 20ft, 40ft, 40ft high cube, 45ft and 53ft containers, new (one trip) and used, and new containers can be custom built to your specifications. Used 20, 40, 40HC and 45HC units can be refurbished: steel brushed, repainted to your color, joints and door hinges greased. For offices and racking, a 9’6″ high cube gives you a foot more height than an 8’6″ standard box.
3. Choose the doors first
Doors decide how you load and use the box, so settle them before anything else. Lummid’s specialty containers include double door (tunnel) containers with cargo doors on both ends, open side containers where the whole side opens or four individual side doors do. A 4-door unit is one open room inside. If you need separate spaces, Lummid can build in divider walls or sell you a moveable divider wall. In some markets Lummid also does modifications locally, such as adding man doors and roll up doors. Mark the size and position of every door on a simple sketch and send it with your request.
4. Offices: insulation, power and windows
Lummid sells 20, 20HC, 40 and 40HC mobile offices, insulated with electrical, windows and doors, in a standard layout or built to your spec. When units are built and shipped from Asia, Lummid can have them fully modified at the factory, so an office arrives with its insulation, windows and doors already in place. Lummid’s 20HC mobile office, for example, is CSC plated and ships in a 20ft high cube configuration, insulated and with conduit run so the electrical can be finished on site to your specifications. Get the wiring plan, the window and door positions and the insulation in writing with the quote.
5. Check local building rules before people work inside
A container that becomes an office or a shop can fall under the building code. California added a section for intermodal shipping containers used as buildings (Section 3115) to its building code in 2022. Shasta County, for example, requires a building permit for cargo containers and a registered design professional for container buildings. Rules vary by city and county, so call the local building department before you order. Keep the container’s data plate and paperwork, because code officials use them to confirm how the container was built and inspected.
6. Colors and branding
Lummid offers custom colors, including camo for certain builds, and repaints refurbished used units to the color you ask for. Military style bicons, tricons and quadcons come in standard or custom colors. If you are building a fleet, send the same paint color code with every order so the units match.
7. Government and military requirements
For contracts that require containers built outside of China, Lummid offers TAA (Trade Agreements Act) compliant boxes, standard or specialty. Lummid’s military containers also include bicons, tricons and quadcons, 20ft offshore half heights built to DNV 2.7-1 and ISO 10855, 20ft high cube hazmat side opening units and ammo grade containers. Put the exact spec or contract clause in your request.
8. For small sizes, look at pop-ups
Lummid’s modular pop-up containers come in 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19ft sizes, ship flat and go together on site without heavy equipment. Two people can set one up, no forklift needed. In Oakland, 10ft units come as a kit or fully assembled and ready for pickup.
9. Custom means made to order
A custom build is made for your order, so it takes longer than buying a container that is already sitting at a depot. Units built and fully modified in Asia also need time to ship. Lummid’s tricons and quadcons, for example, are built to order. Ask for a build and delivery schedule with your quote, and order early if you have a project deadline.
10. Send a complete spec
The more complete the request, the more accurate the quote. Include:
- Size and height, new or used, and how many units
- Doors: type, size and position
- Windows, insulation and electrical, if any
- Color or paint code
- Whether the units will ever ship loaded or be exported
- Delivery location and the date you need them
- Contract requirements, such as TAA compliance
FAQ
Does modifying a container void its CSC plate?
It can. Under the CSC convention, the owner must remove the plate if a modification voids the original approval, and structural changes have to be reported to the approval authority, which may require retesting before recertification. If you need a plated unit, ask for the changes to be built and approved at the factory.
Is a pop-up container the same as a shipping container?
No. A pop-up is a flat-pack steel storage unit that is assembled where it will be used. It suits storage in tight spaces where a 20ft or 40ft container won’t fit, but it is built for storage, not for shipping cargo overseas.
Can a container office be shipped finished?
Yes. Lummid’s 20HC mobile office is CSC plated and ships in a 20ft high cube configuration, insulated and with conduit run so the electrical can be finished on site.
Get a quote
Need custom shipping containers for resale, a fleet or a project? Lummid sells wholesale to resellers and bulk buyers and works out of depots across the U.S. and Canada. Send us your spec and we will come back with a quote. Request a wholesale quote or call (888) 471-9099.
Sources
- UK Treaty Series No. 6 (1996): Amendments to the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) 1972
- BIC: CSC safety approval plate
- California Division of the State Architect: IR 31-2, intermodal shipping containers (2022 CBC)
- Shasta County: Intermodal shipping container FAQs
- STRUCTURE magazine: Safe building with shipping containers