17 Different Uses for a 20 Foot Shipping Container
Per the namesake, you might think that shipping containers are used primarily for shipments. While this is true, 40’ and 20’ shipping containers are extremely versatile and are great for so much more. From home design and outdoor use to transporting goods and being used for entrepreneurial projects, these 20 foot shipping containers for sale are a better choice than you might think. Our team at Super Cubes has been managing and selling containers for years and has loads of knowledge (see what we did there?) on the subject. If you’re wondering what else these nifty containers are used for, keep reading to explore 17 different uses for a 20 foot shipping container.
Shipping Containers for Home Design
Home design is the ultimate way to use shipping containers outside of cargo shipments. Here are a few of the best ways to use containers as part of your home.
This solar-powered 20’ high cube hotel room packed in a bedroom, bathroom and small living space
1. Tiny Home or Guest House
On top of additions and container homes, 20 foot shipping containers are a great option for tiny homes and guest houses. With 7’10 or 8’10” interior ceilings, 7' 8.5" interior widths and 19' 4.5" interior lengths, it’s the perfect amount of space for a small living area. 20’s make a good man cave, she-shed, pool house or guest house. We had a customer build this hotel room that had a bed area, small seating area and bathroom that was all off-the-grid, powered by solar. The space was very carefully designed to make the most of every square inch to fit it all in.
For a little more space, but still pretty small, the 40’ high cubes are 8’10” interior ceilings, 7' 8.5" interior width and 19' 4.5" interior lengths and 39' 4.5" length. That would allow for a kitchen area or more living space.
You can see a variety of examples of container homes in our blog.
This 3-container home is made from a 40’ high-cube open-side and two 40’ high cubes by RAEVEN Architecture
2. Container Homes and Building Additions
The use of containers in building homes has grown in popularity over the past 20-30 years. 20' containers are used for this as are 40' containers. So, have the techniques to make the most out of containers. In addition, the National Portable Storage Association came together to get ISO shipping containers approved as part of the 2021 and 2018 International Building Code® and International Residential Code®, provided that the containers used are AC462 containers. That means that they come from a source that is certified to comply with the provisions of the International Council Code - Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). This is a very specific accreditation that only a certain number of companies in the US have. Super Cubes is not accredited, but partners with accredited companies to provide these containers. If you have questions about AC462 containers, please give us a call.
7- container home after containers are set in place. Customer had their own general contractor do all of the modifications.
Super Cubes can help you with the container and building of your container home. We do not design homes, nor do we have them ready to go, so you will need to have your own designs in order for us to help you with pricing. We can talk to you about how this process works. Please call us as that is the best way for help you for where you are in the process.
3. Vacation Homes
Container vacation homes sometimes are the perfect solution to getting a vacation home onto your preferred plot of land for your vacation or retirement spot. If you make them with a limited number of containers, a lot of the heavier work can be done before the containers come out to the land. The site still does need to be prepped and suitable for a home as well as being zoned appropriately. In more difficult situations, you may end up needing a crane or more creative solutions to get the container into place. However, containers are so flexible to provide a wide range of solutions.
Shipping Containers for Outdoor Use
Outside of building homes and additions, shipping containers are also great for outdoor use. From extra storage space to room for your activities, here are the best uses for outdoor containers:
4. Storage and Garage Space 
Outside of shipping, containers are great for storage and garage space. Whether you need to store extra totes and hobbies or need an extra toy shed or space for your vehicles, shipping containers are a fantastic option. With the extra large ceiling, width, and length, you’ll have the expansive space you need to store your stuff. You can store your summer car, lawn mower, ATVs, motorcycles, kayaks, hibernate your boat in the winter, and so much more.
5 Ways Homeowners Use Shipping Containers as Storage
5. Gardens, Greenhouses, and Nurseries
When you think of greenhouses and gardens, you might think light and airy — which is NOT associated with a shipping container. However, containers are great for gardens, greenhouses, and nurseries. You can easily add skylights, windows, and vents to ensure your plant babies are warm and getting the nutrients they need. Alternatively, other people are embracing the dark and using them for mushrooms! This affordable option also ensures you have a huge space for storing your garden tools on top of it.
6. Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, and Saunas
Another fun theme for shipping containers is as a sauna, swimming pool, or hot tub. The sauna requires a bit of careful insulation and planning to make sure that everything is carefully fire-proofed and water-proofed to ensure a tight, safe environment for a sauna.
The pool and hot tub require the assistance of professionals. Don’t attempt this on your own. Containers are not designed to handle the incredible pressure of water pushing out on the walls of the container with nothing to counterbalance that. Additionally, the container needs to be sealed up tightly and protected from rusting. Luckily, Super Cubes can help you with this. It is one of the services we offer. The container pools come pre-made. There are 2 sizes (20’ and 40’) and two different finishes (tiled and commercial liner). Heaters are extra. Customers are responsible for prepping their area, including running electricity to the pool for the pump, LED lights and bubbler.
Shipping Containers for Transportation
Of course, we can’t forget the most popular method for using shipping containers: transportation. We’ll do a quick runthrough to let you know a few common ways to transport cargo with these flexible cubes.
7. Overseas Shipments
Shipping containers are a durable option for sending shipments overseas. Cargo is secured inside and then the container is moved around by truck, rail and ship from you to its international destination.
8. Moving Houses
Some companies specialize in using 20 foot shipping containers to help people move from home to home. They rent them out for this purpose.
Super Cubes does not rent containers. Super Cubes does not move full containers.
Shipping Containers for Entrepreneurial Needs
Do you have dreams of running your own business? Most people have come up with an idea or two in their lifetime. Containers can be just that right size for a new business.Using a 20 or 40 foot shipping containers, you have virtually unlimited possibilities for making your entrepreneurial dreams come true.
9. Shops
Shipping containers are a phenomenal way to create space for boutiques and shops without having to rent an expensive space or build anything costly. Containers are a fraction of the cost (depending on how you do it) while still providing space for any of your shop’s needs. If you are not insulating it, you save a ton of money, but you can also get fancy like we did with this on this electric bike rental shop with its flip up and down doors.
10. Restaurants
Small restaurants in a scenic area pair extremely well with shipping containers. Containers can be a great way to create a walk-up restaurant or stand. Adding in a concession window in the side of it provides a secure window for serving customers that locks up tight at night and has room for a kitchen inside. Using a 20’ container allows you to move that from location to location for different seasons.
Concession windows offer a great way to serve customers from your container.
A Super Cubes container was used in a restaurant and bar as decor.
11. Office Space
A quick fix for a lack of office space is buying a shipping container. You can set a container office down on your company’s property for additional office space, provided you are zoned for it, or even add it to your personal property if you are just starting out. We have even had customers create container offices to add into their warehouse space to split up open areas into more work space. The benefit there as that they didn’t need to insulate the container in order to do that. With some modifications and materials to add comfort, you’ll have an affordable addition to your office.
Shipping Containers for Other Uses
Outside of the main categories, we have a few more ways that you can use shipping containers that we wanted to mention.
12. Hunting Cabins and Campers
Plopping a shipping container down in the woods makes for an ideal hunting cabin.One helpful option many hunters like is to split the container with a partition wall. The end closer to the container doors becomes storage for ATVs and other outdoor equipment. Then they add in an access door and windows in the other part to create the cabin area. We have DIY kits for the doors, windows and partitions - including a partition with a door in it so you can move between the 2 sections of the container. We can also do the modifications for you before the container comes out to you. You buy a chassis to put under it, you have a DIY camper.
One of our customers camouflaged this container themselves
13. Yoga/Art Studios, Workshops, and Gyms
Finding a 20 foot shipping container for sale is one of the best ways you can find space for your favorite hobby. From yoga and art studios to workshops and gyms, containers provide ample space for activities. Adding huge windows for sunshine and wiring the container with electricity will let you be in touch with nature while keeping cool. Sliding glass doors can be framed into the end of the container just inside the container doors so you have the container doors open for light and still have the doors open and close from the inside.
14. Non-Profit Organizations and Government Agencies
20’ containers make great containers for various non-profit uses. We have had customers use them as seating for a recreation of Shakespeares’s Globe Theatre - the Container Globe, a hockey warming house for a high school hockey team, storage for sail boats for a sailing school, schools, a community college, churches, sheriffs departments, National Guard units, and local sport teams.
Hockey warming house
Video of Container Globe
15. Disaster and Emergency Shelters
Containers can be anchored into the ground, depending on your location, as shelters during tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather. You need to work with a specialist to make sure that your anchoring fits your particular situation appropriately so that the container will stay put during high winds and other extreme weather. Additionally you will need to add a door, ideally one that swings into the container so that you can open it even if debris falls in front of the door and additional ventilation.
Please note that burying containers is far more complicated as the walls are not set up to handle the pressure of the earth pushing in on the walls of the container while it is buried, the moisture of the earth or the additional moisture during heavy rains and other issues. We do not recommend tackling that on your own unless you have worked through the structural and material engineering issues with a structural and material engineer.
Shipping Containers for Industrial Use
Shipping containers have many industrial applications. Super Cubes has helped many different companies precision container modifications projects.
16. Housing for Equipment
20’ containers are commonly used as housing for the equipment that businesses need to set up and transport to their customers’ locations. Often these are complicated set-ups that have very specific requirements - the container needs to be temperature controlled, openings need to be made in the container to allow for electric and other materials to go through the wall of the container at very precise locations because space is at a premium and the equipment location has been calculated down to the cubic half inch. Depending on the customer, they can take many forms.
20’ containers were used to house testing equipment in extreme temperature testing conditions
Super Cubes has helped with many of these types of projects. We generally work with engineering teams to work through these requirements through several versions of the plans to make sure that everything is worked out correctly and involve the customer throughout the building process. We have made a series of 20’ containers used to test military and civilian aircraft and road vehicles at Elgin AFB in extreme temperatures. We have made containers to house various water, electric and natural gas projects. We have also worked with customers to create various labs and mobile offices as well.
17. Containers Used to As Part of Industrial Project
Some customers use the container as the building block for the project itself. That was the case with the shrimp farm we helped build in Las Vegas. While that was primarily made from 40’s, there were some 20’s included. You can see in the picture below how we prepped the containers for the customer by cutting off the tops of them. We also added in some additional work needed and prepped the surface of the containers so the customer could add their special coating to them. The customer then built their building around the containers including burying the containers most of the way up to counter-act the force of the water pushing out on the container walls.
Shrimp farm made from containers
Find Out More About What Makes a great Modification Partner
No matter what you have in mind for your container, be sure that you are getting the container you want and need. Be sure to check out some of our other blogs to help you out:
How to Choose the Right Shipping Container
8 Shipping Container Vendor Signs to Watch Out For
Six Questions for a Smooth Container Delivery
Super Cubes is a family-owned business located in Minneapolis, MN, that provides containers anywhere in the continental US. We offer personalized service for individuals and businesses, providing high-quality containers at competitive prices. With nationwide facilities, we can modify and deliver containers close to you. Contact our experienced team for your next container project.