What Type of Steel Are Shipping Containers Made Of?

What Type of Steel Are Shipping Containers Made Of?

Shipping containers and the majority of their components are made of metal. But not just any metal is used for their crucial parts, walls and doors. Instead, most shipping containers are constructed from high-quality Corten steel.

Corten Steel

Also called “weathering steel”, Corten steel is forged by combining several steel alloys and doesn’t need to be painted to resist corrosive damage. This makes Corten steel a particularly good material for shipping containers and their surfaces, which are often exposed to corrosive elements or materials like saltwater.

Corten steel is also valuable because it’s extremely easy material to use for welding and shaping. While it’s still good to paint shipping containers if possible, the nature of Corten steel means that any rust that does form shouldn’t penetrate lower than the initial layer of paint.

Shipping container walls, frames, corner castings, and other major metal components will almost universally be made from Corten steel.

Other Shipping Container Materials

Certain components in a shipping container may also be made with additional materials. For instance, shipping container floors are often made with either bamboo or marine-grade plywood.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is the less common of the two options. However, you can still find it in many older shipping containers since bamboo is extremely durable and is resistant to mildew. Furthermore, many shipping container structures and restaurants appreciate bamboo flooring for its aesthetics. It’s easy to tell whether a shipping container’s floor is made of bamboo or another type of wood since bamboo floors have woven patterns.

Marine-Grade Plywood

Most modern shipping containers use marine-grade plywood, which has recently become much cheaper and more available for manufacturers. Most marine-grade panels are infused with insecticides to stop insects from chewing through the material over the course of a long voyage.

Such plywood is also water-resistant to a limited degree, although some floorings will include additional water-resistant coatings to boost this effect. Marine-grade plywood is durable, flexible, and easy to install in new shipping containers, making it a prime choice for folks constructing their own containers for shipping or other purposes.