US Shipping Container Price Index: October 2026

What used and new shipping containers cost right now in 38 US metro areas and 4 Canadian cities. The index is built from 2,180 prices published by 42 US sellers, compares the same size and grade in every market, and is updated every month. Free to use with a link.

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What the October 2026 data shows

• The national median for a used 20ft container is $1,672. The lowest prices are in Savannah ($1,200), Houston ($1,274) and Chicago ($1,280). The highest are in Las Vegas ($2,887), Denver ($2,700) and Portland, Oregon ($2,522).
• Big import gateways and rail hubs such as Savannah, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles are cheapest, largely because empty containers collect there after imported goods are unloaded. Buyers in metros far from the main import routes, such as Las Vegas, Denver and Salt Lake City, pay the most, largely because every container has to travel there first.
• Size matters less than you might think. A used 40ft high cube costs $2,192, only 31 percent more than a used 20ft, for twice the footprint. That works out to about $6.85 per square foot of footprint, against $10.45 for the 20ft.
• Going new adds 61 percent on a 20ft ($2,700 new against $1,672 used) and 73 percent on a 40ft high cube ($3,800 against $2,192).
• Cargo worthy containers cost about 6 to 13 percent more than wind and watertight ones of the same size.
• Few standard height 40ft containers are built new today. A new 40ft high cube ($3,800) therefore costs less than a new standard 40ft ($4,148).
• In Canada, a used 20ft costs C$1,660 in Toronto, C$1,680 in Vancouver, C$2,300 in Calgary and C$2,422 in Edmonton. The main entry points for containers are the cheapest places to buy in Canada too.

Prices by condition grade

Sellers set their own condition grades, but the main grades mean much the same across the US. Wind and watertight (WWT) containers keep the weather out and may show dents and rust. Cargo worthy (CW) containers are fit to carry cargo by sea and are usually in better shape. New, or one trip, containers have made a single voyage from the factory.

National medians, USD at the depot. * Few standard height 40ft containers are sold new, so this figure is the median of 4 sellers rather than of metro areas. Our guide to used shipping containers explains what to check for each grade, and the 20ft and 40ft guides cover sizes and specs.

Other sizes and special containers

These containers are sold by fewer companies, so each figure is the median of the sellers’ own national median prices rather than a median of metro areas. Types with fewer than four sellers are not shown.

USD, October 2026. Double door containers have doors at both ends, side door and open side containers open along one long side, and reefers are refrigerated containers with a built-in cooling unit. Used reefer figures include working units only.

Rental prices

Monthly rental rates published by national rental and sales companies. Delivery and pickup fees come on top, and terms differ by provider, so short rentals often cost more per month.

USD per month, October 2026. Our guide to shipping container rental explains the extra fees and when buying costs less than renting.

Canada: prices in Canadian dollars

Fewer Canadian sellers publish prices online, so the Canadian part of the index is smaller: 114 prices from 12 sellers, collected on the same day. City values are shown where at least two sellers publish a price. All figures are in Canadian dollars at the depot, before delivery and taxes.

The Canada-wide figure also includes yards in smaller and more remote markets, which charge more than the big-city depots above. The Canadian figures rest on few sellers, so treat them as a guide rather than a precise benchmark.

How the index works

The index measures asking prices that sellers publish on their own websites and on marketplaces. On October 10, 2026 we collected 3,653 price points from container sellers, equipment dealers, marketplaces and rental companies in the US and Canada, and kept 2,527 after the checks below. Each price was recorded with the page it came from, the exact text that shows it, the size, height, condition grade and location.

1. Every price is classified by size, height (standard or high cube), condition (wind and watertight, cargo worthy, other used, or new one trip), special type and location. Locations are grouped into metro areas, for example Long Beach with Los Angeles and Tacoma with Seattle.
2. Prices that would distort a like-for-like comparison are removed (see below).
3. For each metro and container type (size, height, and used or new), we take each seller’s median price. The grade table uses the same steps for each condition grade.
4. The metro value is the median across sellers. It is published only when at least two independent sellers have prices, so one company’s price list never sets a metro value on its own.
5. The national value is the median of the metro values. Where fewer than ten metros qualify, it is the median of each seller’s national median instead, and the page says so. The ranges on the national cards show the 25th to 75th percentile of the metro values.

What is left out

• Prices that include delivery. Most remaining prices are stated as depot or pickup prices, and where a seller does not say, delivery is quoted separately
• Price ranges without an exact price, and prices on request
• Out-of-stock items, auctions without a final price, and private sellers
• Modified containers such as offices, homes and pools
• The same container listed on several pages, which is counted once
• Price lists that could not be verified or looked automatically generated, and prices outside a plausible range for their size and grade
• Averages and indexes published by other companies, which are used only as a cross-check
• Listings posted on the shipping-containers.com marketplace itself, so the index stays independent

Limitations

• These are asking prices, not final sale prices. Buyers can often negotiate, especially on larger orders.
• Large online sellers publish far more prices than local yards. In this edition, four large online sellers supplied 94 percent of the prices behind the metro values, and 24 of the 37 used 20ft metro values rest on these four companies alone. Taking each seller’s median limits their weight, but local yards are under-represented, especially in smaller markets.
• Each seller defines its own grades, so two cargo worthy containers can differ in age and appearance.
• Prices exclude delivery, which often adds $350 to $750 within 50 miles of the depot, and sales tax. Our guide to shipping container transport cost covers delivery in detail.
• Some sellers charge the same price in many cities, which narrows regional differences.

Cross-check

As displayed on October 10, 2026, a public market tracker published by another US container seller showed national averages of $1,755 for a used 20ft, $2,152 for a used 40ft and $2,251 for a used 40ft high cube. Our medians of $1,672, $2,100 and $2,192 are 2 to 5 percent lower. That seller is also part of our data, and the two figures are calculated differently.

Where the prices come from

This edition draws on 42 sellers, equipment dealers, marketplaces and rental companies in the US and 12 in Canada that publish prices online, from national online sellers to local yards. We do not name individual sellers. Listings on the shipping-containers.com marketplace are not included.

Updates and corrections

The index is updated in the first week of every month with newly collected prices. Earlier editions stay in the archive below. If you spot an error, please contact us and we will correct it and note the change here.

Archive

National medians from every edition of the index, in USD at the depot.

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