The American construction industry is truly vast, and every year, construction crews are hard at work building office buildings, apartments and hotels, houses, libraries, and more. Many different construction materials are used to erect these structures, and recently, another building material has entered the industry: storage containers. These distinctive shipping containers are metal boxes used to store many tons of goods by ship across the world’s trade lanes, and millions are in use today. However, many other steel shipping containers have been retired and are sitting around in storage, doing no good to anyone. The good news is that more than ever, American industries are collecting these old steel cargo containers and giving them new life as office containers for sale, portable concession stands, and more. Such office containers for sale can be useful for industries that make use of mobile offices, and these small, price friendly offices can make for a good buy. Who wants these petite buildings, like office containers for sale? And what is there to know about steel shipping containers and recycling?
On Steel Shipping Containers
The average American consumer or small business won’t see these large metal boxes in everyday life, but these steel containers are everywhere and they are important for global trade along the ocean’s routes. Such container boxes can also vary in size, with some of the smallest being only 40 feet long, and the longest models may reach a length of 1,300 feet or so. What goes in them? Nearly anything, from cars and foodstuff to books and paper and electronics. Such boxes are hoisted onto ships by crane and shipped around the globe, but not all existing containers are actually being used this way. It is believed that around 17 million of these metal boxes can be found around the globe, but only six million are being used this way. The rest are on standby or have been set aside, not being used at all.
To avoid waste, these metal boxes can be reclaimed. Since they are made of steel, a very useful metal, many of these old shipping containers are simply melted down for their steel and recycled. After all, steel ranks as one of the most rigorously recycled materials in the world, with a 90% recycle rate. But that is not the only route to take. Old, abandoned steel shipping containers can be repurposed into a building, and they are a sturdy, ready-made box that makes such conversion quite easy. This may include small homes, fast food restaurants, office containers for sale, and more.
New Life for Steel Boxes
Once a steel shipping container is reclaimed, the new owners may decide what to do with them. In the early 2010s, innovators along the West Coast started making fast food restaurants and coffee shops out of them, with these petite new shops acting as a resource-friendly novelty to draw in the crowds. This conversation may involve fabricating an existing box with more flooring, plaster walls and lighting, and of course, cutting holes for windows and smaller holes for plumbing pipes, electric wires, and gas pipes and the like. In this way, a small and cozy mini-cafe can be made.
That’s not the only option. These old containers can also be converted into houses, and a house may be made of just one steel box or may be made of several fused into one. Boxes may have some walls cut away so that they can combine their internal area, making for a larger structure. Making a 2×2 arrangement allows for a decent-sized house, and for art’s sake, some boxes may protrude and allow for extra room. Such houses may look as much like modern art as residential property.
Don’t forget office containers for sale. Who wants to buy them? Construction companies often make use of pre-fabricated, mobile offices during a construction project, and the idea is that mobile devices can be brought to any construction site while it is in progress. Crew managers, lawyers, and more can be right there on the scene during construction, and their office may be furnished with fabricated walls, lighting, windows, furniture, carpets, and anything else that can fit into that space.
