20ft vs 40ft: which container should you buy?
Most people buying one container for storage should buy the 20ft — it holds roughly a one-car garage, fits almost any lot, and is the easier box to resell later. Buy the 40ft if you are storing equipment, pallets or a whole large household, or planning a workshop, and only if your site has about 130 feet of straight run for the truck.
Side by side
20ft — 160 sq ft of floor, 20' x 8' x 8'6" outside. Roughly a one-car garage. Whole-home contents from a 2-3 bedroom house, jobsite tools, seasonal inventory, a feed room. Needs about 110 ft of straight clearance to set down. See the 20ft used wind-and-watertight.
40ft — 320 sq ft, 40' x 8' x 8'6". Roughly a two-car garage. Equipment, pallet storage, a 4+ bedroom household, a workshop with room to walk. Needs about 130 ft of straight clearance. The 40ft high cube adds a foot of headroom and is the common pick for a workshop.
The 40 is double the floor for well under double the money, because the truck trip costs the same either way. On price per square foot it wins every time. That is why people who have the room buy the 40 and never regret it, and why people who do not have the room should not try.
Your driveway usually decides it
A tilt-bed backs in straight and slides the box off the back, so it needs the truck length plus the container length in a straight line: about 110 feet for a 20, about 130 for a 40, plus 15 feet overhead with no limbs or service drops. A 40 cannot be turned once it is on the ground. On a tight town lot in Hattiesburg or Petal, the 20 is not a compromise — it is the only box that will arrive.
Two 20s also beat one 40 when you want storage in two places, when you may move one later, or when you want to sell one off down the road. A single 20ft is the easiest container to resell in the Pine Belt because it fits the most lots.
Think about the next ten years, not this month
You are buying this box, not borrowing it. Ask what will be in it in five years. A 20 bought for a renovation becomes the lawn equipment shed; a 40 bought for a business becomes the workshop. Buy for the longer use if the site allows it, and add the vents and lock that make it liveable either way. See containers for sale — delivered price by ZIP
Which size for a workshop?
A 20ft fits one wall of shelves and a small bench, which is enough for a tool room. A 40ft fits a 16 ft shelving wall, a bench at the far end and room to roll a mower or motorcycle in, and it is what most people want for a real shop. See the workshop and its free plan.
Buying a container?
Longleaf sells used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft shipping containers, delivered by tilt-bed across the Pine Belt. Enter your ZIP for the delivered price — it comes straight from the supplier feed and already includes the haul. Locks, vents, shelving and lights are on the accessories page. We sell; we do not rent.
- 20ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $2,885 delivered
- 20ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $3,635 delivered
- 20ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $2,470 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft High Cube One Trip (new) — from $4,925 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,210 delivered
- 40ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $6,355 delivered
- 40ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,160 delivered
Keep reading
- What does a storage container actually cost to buy? — Storage container cost to buy, explained: how size, grade, high cube and your distance from the depot set the delivered price, and what moves it up or down.
- Insulating a container office for Mississippi heat: furring, foam, what width is left, and permits — How to insulate a shipping container office for Mississippi heat and humidity: spray foam vs rigid board, the room left over, cooling, power and permits.
- How much room do you need for a container delivery? — Container delivery access: 110 ft of straight run for a 20ft, 130 ft for a 40ft, 15 ft overhead, 22 ft to unload, firm ground, and what stops a tilt-bed.
- Rent or buy a shipping container? — Rent or buy a shipping container: the rough break-even, what owning actually includes, when a short-term rental is the right call, and when buying wins.
- Shipping containers for sale in Hattiesburg, MS: what a delivered 20ft or 40ft really costs — Shipping containers for sale in Hattiesburg, MS: used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft boxes, what sets the delivered price, what it includes, what to check first.
Across the Pine Belt
Hattiesburg · Petal · Laurel · Ellisville · Purvis · Sumrall · Columbia · Collins · Seminary · Wiggins