Can you put a shipping container on grass?
You can set a container on grass, but you should not leave one you own sitting directly on it. The truck needs firm ground to reach the spot at all, and a container parked on turf for years holds moisture under the floor and rusts from the bottom up — so put it on blocks, a gravel pad or a concrete strip at each end.
What the truck and the box need, by size
| 20ft | 40ft | |
|---|---|---|
| Straight run for the truck | about 110 ft | about 130 ft |
| Width of the path | 12 ft | 12 ft |
| Clear height (driving / unloading) | 15 ft / 22 ft | 15 ft / 22 ft |
| Gravel pad (ideal) | 25 × 10 ft, 4 in. deep | 45 × 10 ft, 4 in. deep |
| Corner support | 4 solid blocks under the castings | 4 solid blocks (6 on soft ground) |
| Empty weight on those corners | about 4,850 lb | about 8,250–8,600 lb |
The full checklist with photos: container delivery access. Prices for your ZIP are on the containers page.
The truck is the first constraint
Before the container matters, the tilt-bed has to get to the spot. A loaded delivery truck will sink into a wet lawn, and after a week of Pine Belt rain even a lawn that feels firm underfoot can rut or bog. Gravel, packed dirt, concrete or asphalt will take it; soft turf, freshly filled ground and anything near a septic field will not. A failed delivery is billable, so if you are unsure, give it a few dry days or lay gravel first.
Ask the driver to set the box where they can actually reach, not where you wish they could. See how much room delivery needs.
Blocking, pads and drainage
A container carries its weight on the four corner castings, not the floor. That means it only needs support at the corners: a solid concrete block or a treated 6x6 under each one lifts the floor off the ground, lets air move underneath, and keeps the box level so the doors swing and latch. This is the single cheapest thing you can do to make a used container last.
Better is a gravel pad — a few inches of crushed stone over the footprint, graded so water runs away. Best, if the box is permanent, is a pair of concrete strips or piers at the ends. Whatever you pick, make it level: a container that is twisted even an inch will fight you at the doors every day.
Pick high ground. A spot that puddles after a summer storm is the wrong spot regardless of what is under the container. Water sitting against steel in this humidity becomes rust, and rust on the underside is the one you do not see until it is a hole.
Level it after delivery
The driver sets the box; levelling it is your job. A 6-ton bottle jack under a corner casting and a few blocks does it in an afternoon, and there is a leveling jack on our accessories page. Do it the first week, before the box is loaded. See containers for sale — delivered price by ZIP
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
- Do you need a permit for a shipping container on your property? — Shipping container permit rules in the Pine Belt: how cities treat a permanent container like a shed, when the street needs a permit, and who to call first.
- Container on your property vs a storage unit across town — Buying a storage container vs renting a storage unit: where owning a box on your land wins, where a climate-controlled unit across town is the better answer.
- Will a shipping container damage my driveway? — Will a shipping container damage a driveway: why the truck, the slide-off and four loaded corners are the risk, and how to protect concrete or asphalt.
- How much does a shipping container weigh? — Shipping container weight: empty tare for a 20ft and 40ft, the maximum gross rating, why a loaded box never nears it, and what the weight means for your pad.
- Are shipping containers really watertight? — Are shipping containers watertight: what wind-and-watertight, cargo worthy and one-trip guarantee against rain, and why condensation still needs vents.
Across the Pine Belt
Hattiesburg · Petal · Laurel · Ellisville · Purvis · Sumrall · Columbia · Collins · Seminary · Wiggins