Inspect the equipment · Australia guide
Inspect a used shipping container before buying
Condition names describe a seller’s offer; they do not replace an inspection of the unit you will receive. Record defects and unresolved questions before paying.
Reviewed
By the ContainerFox editorial team. Research, limits and corrections.
Read the plain-text guide (Markdown)
Match the photos to the actual unit
Ask for the container number, current photographs, storage location and written condition description. Establish whether the quote reserves that unit or allows a substitute. Request the relevant inspection record if freight use is intended.
One-trip containers can have handling marks. Wind-and-watertight storage condition is different from a current cargo-worthy inspection, and neither makes a container an approved occupied building.
For international transport, the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) concerns container safety approval, examination and maintenance. Request the actual unit’s Safety Approval Plate, identification and current examination information, and have the ocean carrier confirm acceptance for the proposed shipment. A CSC plate or a seller’s grade alone does not prove current condition, and it does not authorise the container to become a building at an Australian site.
Your project record · no automatic assessment
Keep a used-container inspection and receipt record
Record what is known about this unit and what needs follow-up. This is a buyer's evidence checklist, not a structural survey, certification or an acceptance verdict.
Start with what you know; leave the rest unknown. Entries stay in this tab until you choose to copy, download or open the quote form. Refreshing clears them. Do not enter confidential or sensitive information.
Include units with your measurements: mm/m for lengths, m² for areas, m³ for volumes, kg for masses and °C for temperatures. Your free-text notes keep the units you entered when the display preference changes.
Container number if allocated; otherwise the order reference and agreed condition category.
Keep a dated copy before purchase and another on receipt.
Distinguish actual-unit evidence from example stock pictures.
Include weather and any areas that could not be inspected safely.
Dry storage, sensitive goods, planned conversion or international transport; specify loads separately.
Who receives discrepancy reports, the agreed reporting process and promised repairs.
Checks and evidence to keep
Record who said what, the date and a document or photo reference. “Evidence noted” does not verify a claim; explain any “not applicable” choice.
9 checks unknown or unverified; 0 marked for follow-up. These counts do not score the project or decide whether to proceed.
Preview: notes carried into the quote form
Review this text before continuing. You can edit it in the form; opening the form does not submit a request.
402/1,200 characters.
View or select the complete record
The summary is added to the quote-form URL when you follow the link and may appear in browser history. Container quantity is left for you to check in that form. This tool sends no enquiry, email or supplier notification.
Review doors, seals, steel and flooring
Check hinges, locking bars, gaskets and whether the doors operate without excessive force. Review visible corrosion, roof dents, weld repairs, corner fittings, floor damage and staining. Ask about repairs and previous cargo where relevant.
Do not climb on a roof or go beneath a suspended unit to inspect it. Unknown cargo, cleaning or fumigation history requires a hazard assessment before entry or cleaning. Absence of odour, residue or a warning label does not establish a safe atmosphere. Depending on its condition and use, a container may fall under confined-space requirements; a competent person must assess the hazards and applicable workplace rules before entry.
For workplace activities, check the state or territory safety regulator and the legislation covering the work. Safe Work Australia publishes model WHS codes; local approval gives them their jurisdictional status. Victoria uses its OHS framework. Assess hazardous atmospheres, fumigation history and any confined-space classification before entry; do not assume that opening the doors makes a container safe.
Write down the acceptance criteria
Record required repairs, who performs them, when they will be checked and what happens if the delivered unit differs from the agreement. Specify whether paint, locks, transport and unloading are included. Keep dated photographs and a handover record.
Questions before buying a used container
Does fresh paint prove good condition?
No. Check the steel, repairs, seals and floor, and obtain a written condition description for the actual unit.