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Refurbished Shipping Containers

We breathe new life into second hand shipping containers, transforming them into reliable solutions for storage, transport, or custom projects. Each of our refurbished containers undergoes a thorough restoration process, ensuring it meets your standards for both performance and appearance. 

Perfect for businesses or personal use, our refurbished containers combine cost-effectiveness with exceptional quality.

Refurbished Shipping Containers

What are refurbished shipping containers?

Refurbished shipping containers are repainted and restored used containers, offering a practical and affordable solution when a new container isn’t in the budget. Perfect for projects where appearance matters, these containers are thoroughly inspected and repaired to suit a variety of needs. Whether for storage, transport, or creative conversions, refurbished containers combine durability, functionality, and style to deliver exceptional value.

What goes into refurbishing a shipping container?

Refurbishing a shipping container involves more than just a fresh coat of paint – it’s about restoring its strength, practicality, and appearance to make it as good as new. The process typically involves:

  • Thorough inspection: Identifying structural issues such as dents, rust, or leaks.
  • Surface preparation: The container is carefully rubbed down to remove dirt, grease, rust, and old paint for a smooth finish.
  • Repainting: A fresh coat of high-quality paint is applied for both aesthetic appeal and protection against the elements.
  • Servicing: The doors and hinges are thoroughly checked, oiled, and adjusted to ensure they open and close smoothly. Any suspicious or damaged parts on the doors are identified and replaced to maintain full functionality.
  • Floor maintenance: The floor is inspected, and any necessary repairs are made to ensure it is in good order. This may involve screwing down any loose parts to maintain strength.
  • Structural examination: The container is carefully examined for any holes, dents, or other structural issues, which are then repaired to ensure the container’s integrity.
  • Comprehensive assessment: Beyond just cleaning and painting, a full structural inspection is conducted to ensure the container is in good working condition and ready for use.

Popular used shipping containers for refurbishment

Why buy a refurbished shipping container from Universal Containers?

When you choose a refurbished shipping container from Universal Containers, you can trust that every unit has been carefully restored to provide reliability and security. Each container is inspected for quality and fully restored to ensure it meets your project’s needs.

Quality assurance

We are committed to delivering the highest quality refurbished shipping containers. Each container undergoes a thorough inspection and refurbishment process to ensure it’s durable, structurally sound, and ready for use. You can rely on us for high-performance, long-lasting solutions.

Competitive pricing

We offer unbeatable value with our competitively priced refurbished shipping containers. You get a cost-effective, high-quality product that’s been restored to excellent condition, ensuring you don’t have to compromise on durability or performance while staying within budget.

Fast delivery & installation

We know how important it is to stay on schedule, which is why we prioritise quick delivery and installation of your container. Our team works efficiently to get your container to you on time and set it up exactly where you need it, ensuring a smooth and seamless process with minimal disruption to your project.

Unmatched customer support

Our commitment to exceptional customer service is evident in every step of your purchase journey. Whether you need help selecting the right container for refurbishment or need expert guidance throughout the process, our dedicated team is always available to assist you, ensuring a smooth, stress-free experience from start to finish.

We’ve been refurbishing shipping containers for 40 years. We can design and fabricate any bespoke specification for your used container. Contact our team with your needs and requirements and we’ll make it a reality.

Explore our full range of shipping containers

Don’t just take our word for it

Find out why our customers love us and our products

Our containers in action

See some of the ways our amazing customers are using their containers.

Case Study: Shipping Container Museum & Workshop Case Studies
Case Study: Shipping Container Museum & Workshop

In the pursuit of enhancing their museum and workshop facility, the Locomotive Society sought a creative solution to provide a welcoming space for their members, while adhering to the historical aesthetic of their railway centric environment.

Case Study: Garden Center Case Studies
Case Study: Garden Center

Universal Containers embarked on an exciting project to enhance a garden centre’s retail experience by supplying and customising two shipping container cabins. The goal was to seamlessly link these cabins on-site and transform them into a vibrant and functional gift shop.

Case Study: Outdoor Catering Unit Case Studies
Case Study: Outdoor Catering Unit

A restaurant had been operating successfully for several years. However, due to increasing demand and limited space within the restaurant premises, the owners decided to expand their operations by introducing an outdoor catering unit.

Case Study: Shipping Container Ticket Office Case Studies
Case Study: Shipping Container Ticket Office

The local rugby club had been using a small, outdated ticket booth that no longer met their needs. The club’s management sought a more efficient and visually appealing solution that could accommodate their growing fan base.

Case Study: Chemical Store Shipping Container Conversion Case Studies
Case Study: Chemical Store Shipping Container Conversion

The client, an Industrial Chemical Storage Company specialising in chemical production and storage, faced the challenge of storing hazardous chemicals on their premises while adhering to stringent health and safety regulations.

Dropside Shipping Container Conversion Shipping
Dropside Shipping Container Conversion

Universal Containers take pride in continually pushing the boundaries in product development within the shipping container industry.

32ft × 10ft Stacked Cabins
32ft × 10ft Stacked Cabins

These 2 large 32x10ft cabins were built for a British transport company. They requested a large space to act as a welfare facility for drivers and staff in the peak district. Due to the customer’s specific requirements, one unit was not large enough so we suggested 2 units, however floor space was an issue on-siteContinue reading “32ft × 10ft Stacked Cabins”

32×10 Green Office Offices
32×10 Green Office

This particular office unit was completed for a North-West-based container hire company.

20×10 Gas Bottle Store
20×10 Gas Bottle Store

Custom Built Atex Coshh store for storing gas bottles. This unit was custom built with corrugated steel panels 20ft long x 10ft wide. It had a fully ventilated floor from galvanised steel mesh, as well as 4 aluminium louver vents in the walls. We also fitted galvanised box section racks with chains on to holdContinue reading “20×10 Gas Bottle Store”

Corrugated 32×10 Office / Store room
Corrugated 32×10 Office / Store room

Corrugated steel cabin 32ft x 10ft with adjustable jacklegs anti vandal steel personnel door and anti-vandal aluminium sliding windows in steel shutters. Painted externally in non-corrosive container paint in a vibrant red. Internally with walls where lined in a cost-effective melamine faced chipboard and fully insulated throughout in Rockwool. The floor had hard wearing vinylContinue reading “Corrugated 32×10 Office / Store room”

20ft Multi-Bay Unit
20ft Multi-Bay Unit

Standard shipping container transformed into a bespoke storage unit. With multiple purposes across many industries. For example, self-storage companies or engineering companies for members of staff to lock tools away when not in use. The unit was split evenly into 8 small rooms approximately 5ftx4ft each by steel partition walls for security. Each room withContinue reading “20ft Multi-Bay Unit”

10ft Generator Housing Container
10ft Generator Housing Container

10ft container conversion for an off-grid company custom built to house a very large generator. The customer wanted a unit with multiple apertures and louver vents to allow for ventilation, they wanted all openings to have cover hoods to help stop water coming in. The Universal CAD team had a meeting with the client toContinue reading “10ft Generator Housing Container”

40ft × 12ft Truck Stop Shower Unit Site Accommodation
40ft × 12ft Truck Stop Shower Unit

This 40ft x 12ft custom built flat panel cabin was a container conversion project completed for Eddie Stobart’s site.

Are Shipping Containers the Solution to Homelessness? Site Accommodation
Are Shipping Containers the Solution to Homelessness?

Within today’s economic climate, many of us face struggles surrounding our finances.

Cladded Container Bar
Cladded Container Bar

A simple 20ft container converted for a customer who needed a unit for 2 uses, sometimes required as just a basic store and other times as an office space. We fitted 2 windows with steel security shutters and fitted an anti-vandal steel personnel door for easier access, especially when being used as an office, butContinue reading “Cladded Container Bar”

20ft Cladded Store
20ft Cladded Store

Storage container for Sliver cross baby in Skipton, our client wanted a cladded container to be used to store stock in their Skipton depot. As the unit was cladded externally in high graded larch cladding, we used a used 20ft container to help keep the cost down (as the container condition wouldn’t be seen) toContinue reading “20ft Cladded Store”

Looking for a completely custom solution?

We have a wide range of base containers that can be customised to your needs, however we realise that sometimes you need something completely ‘Outside the box’.

Contact us and one of our experts will be in touch to help design the container of your dreams