Cargo-worthy, as-is and new
Grade is the most important word in a container quote and the least consistently used. Different sellers mean different things by the same term. Here is what we mean, and what to ask anybody else.
New single-trip
Built, loaded once for the voyage out to Australia, and sold here. Sealed, unmarked, original paint, clean floor, and doors that seat properly because nothing has ever been bent.
Technically it is a used container — it has carried one load. In every practical sense it is new. Worth the money when appearance matters, when it is going to be converted, when it will be seen by customers, or when it holds something that cannot tolerate any doubt about the seal.
Cargo-worthy
A used container still fit to carry cargo internationally. It has been surveyed, it will carry surface marks and repairs, and every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it leaves the depot.
Doors shut, lights off, look for daylight. If light gets in, water gets in.
For the overwhelming majority of storage jobs this is the right grade and the right value. It keeps weather out, it locks, and it costs a fraction of new.
As-is
Cheaper again, and not sold watertight. An as-is unit might have a patched repair, a dent that has opened a seam, a soft spot in the plywood floor, a door seal that no longer seats, or surface rust that is more than cosmetic.
None of that makes it a bad purchase. It makes it a specific purchase. As-is is genuinely good buying for site hoarding and fencing, for a workshop under somebody else's roof, for a base that is going to be cut up and modified anyway, and for storing things that do not mind a bit of moisture.
Grades matter more than anything else in a container quote. Cargo-worthy is the grade we check wind and watertight before it leaves the depot. As-is units are cheaper again and are not sold watertight — they may carry a patched repair, a soft spot in the floor or a door seal that no longer seats, and we tell you exactly what is wrong with one rather than let you find it on delivery day. New single-trip units are sealed, unmarked and have made one loaded voyage. If the container has to keep rain off what is inside it, buy cargo-worthy or better.
The five questions to ask any supplier
What grade is this exact unit?
And is it checked wind and watertight, or is it as-is?
Can I have photographs of the actual container?
Not a stock image. The specific unit you are being sold.
What is the floor like?
It is the most expensive thing to fix and the first thing to go on a container that has carried something wet.
Do the doors seat and lock properly?
And has anything been repaired at the door end?
Is there a lock box fitted?
And will the padlock you intend to use actually fit inside it?
A supplier who can answer all five about a specific unit is selling you a specific unit. A supplier who answers in generalities is selling you whatever is nearest the gate.
Grade questions
What does wind and watertight actually test?
The doors are shut and the container is inspected from inside for daylight — at the roof, the corners, the seams and around the door gasket. If light gets in, water gets in. It is a rain test, not a submersion test, and it says nothing about water coming up from underneath.
Is a cargo-worthy container watertight?
Every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it leaves the depot. That claim is scoped to that grade deliberately — as-is units are not sold watertight, and any supplier applying a blanket watertight guarantee across the whole yard regardless of grade is telling you something that cannot be true.
Is as-is worth the saving?
For the right job, absolutely. Hoarding, fencing, a base for a conversion, storing things that do not mind a bit of moisture. For anything that has to stay dry inside, it is a false economy and we will say so.
How old is a typical cargo-worthy container?
Usually somewhere between eight and fifteen years out of the shipping fleet. Age matters far less than history — a fifteen-year-old unit that carried dry freight and lived on deck can be in better order than a ten-year-old that carried something wet.
Get a price for the grade you actually need
Tell us what is going inside and we will tell you which grade the job needs — including when it is the cheaper one. Every enquiry answered within one business day.
Or skip the form — 1300 263 976