How Secure is a Shipping Container used for Storage?

Converting a used shipping container into a storage unit can provide a lot of great benefits, and little weaknesses.  With a single entry point, all other sides of the steel container are very secure and difficult to penetrate.  However, the single door may require some attention.  The doors on used shipping container by themselves are not the highly secure; however with a few small enhancements they can provide a great amount of protection.

A shipping container spends a majority of its intended life either on ships, trains, trucks or in bonded warehouses.  All of these locations have insurance and strong security protocols in place.  Due to spending so much time in secure areas many second hand, most used containers aren’t equipped with a lockbox.  Lockboxes are not a necessary feature for intermodal shipping and come at an additional expense.

Without a lockbox, a container secured with a simple padlock provides some amount of protection.  What you need to consider is that the padlock is fully exposed.  With some effort a padlock can be cut off or damaged in other ways, not to mention being exposed to rain, snow, and ice could compromise the integrity of some locks.

The best, and easiest, way to increase the security of a shipping container being used for storage is to install a lock box.  Many depots or container yards have the ability to weld a lock box onto the doors of a shipping container.  Once welded in place the lock is housed safely inside of the steel structure and breaking it becomes much more difficult.  If you cannot find a company to weld a lock box onto your container, it’s possible to find bolt on lock boxes that can be installed almost anywhere, without requiring welding equipment.

Using a shipping container for storage is a great idea, and increasing the amount of protection that provides to you can cost less than $100, far less than the cost of replacing any items that are being stored in the unit.  If you have any questions about installing a lock box onto a new or used shipping container feel free to contact the staff of ContainerAuction.com and they’ll be happy to provide assistance and advice.

Shipping Container Doors With and Without a Lockbox

Shipping container doors with a lockbox

Shipping container doors without a lockbox