20 Different Uses for a 40 Foot Shipping Container
When looking for flexible container options, 40’ containers are the best option for various uses, buildings, modifications, and more. The 9’6” height with 40’ length is a great option when you want to insulate the interior or customize your container for a variety of projects and uses while still having plenty of height without it feeling claustrophobic. 40’ containers can be used as stand alone projects or combined to create an endless array of options. You are truly limited only by your imagination—and the laws of physics—when it comes to using containers for various projects. So, what can you use a shipping container for outside of, well, shipping? Explore 20 different uses for a 40 foot shipping container below.
Shipping Containers for Entrepreneurial & Commercial Spaces
Since you already know all about using containers for shipping purposes, we’re starting the list with shipping containers used for entrepreneurial and commercial spaces. Whether you need extra space for manufacturing, retail, offices, or anything else, 40’ containers are a fantastic option in the commercial industry.
1. Industrial Modification Space
When you think of industrial spaces, you might not think of shipping containers, but they are surprisingly useful in the field. Shipping containers create a perfect space for your equipment in the field or at your customer’s location. You can engineer that space to be whatever you need it to be to accomplish your goals. Insulating, finishing off the container with various materials to meet different needs, building in anchors and developing the appropriate openings to fit a wide variety of needs are only the start of the kinds of modifications that industrial container modifications so diverse and so precise.
For industrial modifications, shipping container cubes can be created to be on the move, or to stay put once they are installed onsite. They can be single-container projects, or connecting multiple containers together.
Related Case Study: How Super Cubes Transformed Shipping Containers for Elgin Air Force Base
Shipping container is heavily insulated so the test equipment inside it will stay at room temperature as the aircraft is tested at extreme temperatures
In another industry use case, Super Cubes was a finalist in the National Portable Storage Association in 2023 for housing a shrimp farm.
Regardless of whether you need a container cube for extra space, storage, or other project, they are a highly customizable option that is simultaneously mobile in the industrial modification space.
2. Retail Space
For an easily moveable retail space, 40’ shipping containers offer a spacious and highly customizable option. They offer a secure, durable space that’s perfect for an affordable retail shop or smaller-scale commercial space.
One company ultimately chose a shipping container for their electric bike rental company because it offered an affordable, mobile option for their small business. With a few modifications, the traditional container cube was adapted to include a door to retrieve the bikes as well as an awning for customer service and transactions.
Related Blog: E-Bike Rental Shop in a Container on Lake Minnetonka
Another retail space in Las Vegas opened up a “container park” of retail spaces set in shipping containers. Small business owners in the area rented out the spaces to showcase their goods and services in the local area. Note, Super Cubes did not participate in this project.
Yet another business decided to home their small restaurant within a shipping container. Similar to a food truck setup, the space allowed room to create their food masterpieces without having to pay hundreds of thousands for a commercial space.
Shipping containers offer numerous benefits in the retail and commercial space to home small businesses at a fraction of the cost.
3. Art Gallery
Not only can our cubes be used commercially, but they can also be used to home affordable art galleries. There are many examples of containers being both the art and the gallery.
4. Container Office
Another fantastic way to use 40’ shipping containers is to create office spaces. Whether you want the entire cube to yourself or if you want to partition off pieces of the space for multiple offices, it’s an excellent way to create extra space to accommodate new employees. Another option could be to use part of the container cube as an office and use the other portion for storage. Regardless of your end goal, forty-foot shipping containers are a great option to provide flexibility and durability in your office space.
Shipping Containers for Non-Profit Use
On top of all the retail and commercial uses, shipping containers are also great for non-profit use. Whether used for schools, facilities, emergency services, or anything else, 40’ shipping containers offer a versatile option for almost any non-profit organization.
5. Mobile Clinics & Emergency Shelters
Perfect for mobile clinics, emergency shelters, and other medical relief situations, forty-foot container cubes offer a durable, secure space to offer protection and help both workers and patients feel at ease.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, one client used Super Cubes containers to offer emergency medical relief to those in need. Since the containers were so easily transported, they were a great option for housing medical supplies, exam rooms, labs, and anything else that was useful.
6. Stage for a Theater
With the superb amount of space in 40’ shipping containers, they make a worthwhile stage for a theater on a budget. If you are looking for a space without a huge budget, container cubes offer a durable, mobile space for any theater or play.
Related Blog: Shakespeare in Shipping Containers
7. Schools & Classrooms
If your community needs extra space for schooling and other classes, a shipping container is a valiant option. With a spacious interior and durable exterior, container cubes offer just the right amount of space for a small classroom, school, or workshop area. Whether you need a space for weekly classes, Wednesday night youth group, or other hobbies, containers have just the details you need to make it happen on a budget.
8. Sports Facilities & Storage
For sports facilities and related storage, 40’ shipping containers unlock an array of benefits. From adding extra storage space for equipment to providing a bonus area for your sport, container cubes are a great help.
Super Cubes modified a shipping container for a client by adding a door and window to change it into a hockey warming house.
Related Blog: Hockey Warming House Container
Other options for the cubes could be a workout space complete with all the weights and machines necessary or simply a storage area for extra sports equipment.
9. Churches & Places of Worship
Great for gatherings, churches, and places of worship, 40’ shipping containers offer an affordable extension to any space. Whether you need an extra area for a youth group, to show off your culture, or for anything else, containers are a fantastic way to gain a large space for less.
Related Blog: Shipping Container Turned “Unity Art Sukkah”
Whether you need a prayer room or other place of worship, containers offer flexibility to help you get the space you need to accommodate your beliefs.
The Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County; turned this 40’ container a sukkah, a greenery-topped hut Jewish people constructed for the holiday of Sukkot, the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles. They invited the community to paint hearts and Star of Davids on the container on one side and local artist Zach Smithey painted the other side. You can read more about this wonderful project in this blog.
Shipping Containers for Modified living
Outside of retail and non-profit organizations, shipping containers are a fantastic option for modified living spaces. There are so many instances where people have created tiny homes, extended their property, and more. If you have an idea for an extra space, 40’ shipping containers are a valiant option.
10. Livable Spaces
There are so many great ideas for living spaces when it comes to shipping containers. While a single shipping container offers a decent amount of space, combining two proves to be even better for large living space needs. The cubes are a wonderful addition to backyards as a guest house, pool house, and so much more.
Some of our favorite shipping container living spaces include:
- Container homes
- Tiny homes and vacation spots
- Container homes
- Additional dwelling units
- Guest houses
- And more
Whatever you have in mind for a home or extra space, forty-foot container cubes offer an affordable, durable option for your next living space.
Shipping Containers for Outdoor Use
Container cubes are frequently used for shipping because they are so durable and weatherproof, so it makes sense that they also work for long-term storage. With their waterproof, sealed exterior, 40’ shipping containers offer an extra large space for your outdoor toys, lawnmowers, snow blowers, vehicles, boats, and anything else you’d need to store long-term.
11. Larger Storage Spaces
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.
12. Garage Space & Vehicle Storage
One of the best uses for a 40’ shipping container is for vehicle storage. If you have a line of antique cars, a summer beauty, or simply have too many vehicles for your garage space, a shipping container is an easy option to add space and organize your vehicles. You can easily combine multiple shipping containers for even more storage and add a garage door on the long side for easy access. However, it’s important to keep in mind that while you can technically fit a vehicle in a single cube, it’s not recommended because it’s harder to open the door when it’s inside the shipping container. Either way, a container cube is a great option for all kinds of vehicles.
13. Winter Equipment Storage
Whether you have a business with extra equipment or simply have a surplus of larger vehicles to store in the winter, shipping containers provide a great option. You can easily adapt the cubes to have a partially open top to store salt and sand for your snow removal business, store summer equipment, or simply provide extra space for your seasonal vehicles.
14. Mushroom Farm & Gardening
Mushroom farms consist of a controlled environment which is why 40’ shipping containers are perfect for the project. With a waterproof exterior and moisture-resistant environment, cubes offer just the right control for mushroom farming.
On top of mushroom farming, container cubes can also be a great garden if you modify them accordingly with the appropriate insulating, water-proof materials inside and venting.
15. Shrimp Farm
One of the weirdest and coolest ways of using a shipping container is adapting it to be a shrimp farm. We’ve seen people create houses and pools out of shipping containers, but this project was even more unique because it housed shrimp, not people. So, if you have a shrimp farm dream waiting to come true or any other water-related space, a forty-foot container might be a great option.
Shipping Containers for Transportation & Storage
We’d be remiss to mention that shipping containers are also great for . . . shipping. As traditional as this is, there’s a reason these 40’ containers are referred to as shipping containers—because they are one of the best options for it.
16. Shipping Overseas
If you need to ship overseas, a 40’ shipping container is your best option for balancing durability and affordability. The 40’ container is the better deal price-wise when you are shipping containers.
17. Additional Warehouse Space
For company and warehouse space, shipping containers offer a durable space that lasts for decades against normal wear and tear. Containers can be set side-by-side making it a flexible option to add more storage as necessary.
You can also get creative like this customer of ours who set up containers to not only butt up to his building, but to do that on 2 levels with easy access so each team has their own container. It has cut down on teams “borrowing” equipment from each other without asking and being able to track their equipment more efficiently.
Related Blog: Double-Decker Containers Add Extra Warehouse Space
Miscellaneous Uses for 40’ Shipping Containers
In case you didn’t find enough creative uses for your 40’ shipping container, we also have a few miscellaneous ways we’ve seen them in action.
18. Farming
Other than gardening, shipping containers are a phenomenal barn for animals that doesn’t cost an outlandish amount to build and keep updated. If you’re looking for something fast, easy, and durable, containers are one of the best options on the market.
Related Blog: Additional Storage Solutions On Your Farm
Where to Buy 40’ Shipping Containers
There are so many uses for 40’ shipping containers—from storage to extending your home or business and so much more. If you’re hoping to invest in a shipping container for your business or home needs, Super Cubes can help you find and modify your container to your exact needs. With years in the business, we can help you get the most out of your shipping container.
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.