Which accessories make a shipping container usable: locks, vents, shelving and more
Start with a lock box and a heavy padlock, then vents, because theft and condensation are the two things that actually go wrong with a container in south Mississippi. After that, add lights, shelving and a leveling jack depending on how you use it.
First: lock and vents
A lock box covers the padlock so bolt cutters cannot reach it. It is the cheapest fix for the most common loss. See the best lock for a container.
Vents stop the sweating that ruins stored gear. Two louvered vents for a 20ft, four for a 40ft, and a solar fan if it holds hay, tack, a car or electronics. See container vents.
Then: light, shelves, level, ramp
Solar lights need no wiring; see solar lights for a container. Shelving brackets hang on the corrugation without drilling; see shelving without drilling.
A bottle jack keeps the doors working as the ground settles; see how to level a container. A folding ramp gets a mower, hand truck or compressor over the door sill.
Or start from a project
If you know what the box is for, each of our packages bundles the right parts for one use, and each comes with a free plan. What you can build with a container shows all of them.
Everything here ships by parcel and bolts on, apart from vent openings. Weld-in doors and windows are freight items we quote with the container. Browse it all on the accessories page.
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.
Keep reading
- What should you check when your shipping container is delivered? — A delivery checklist for a shipping container: doors and seals, the daylight test, floor, roof, the grade you paid for, and what to do if something is off.
- How do you prep the ground for a shipping container? — How to prep the ground for a shipping container: gravel pad or corner blocks, drainage, what to avoid, Yazoo clay in the Jackson metro, and the truck's run.
- Do I need a permit for a shipping container in Forrest County? — Shipping container permit rules in Forrest County, MS: Hattiesburg and Petal setbacks, historic districts, the floodplain, and the county outside town.
- How long can you rent a container before buying makes more sense? — How long can you rent a container: month-to-month terms have no ceiling, but past about a year a used container you own costs less and resells when done.
- Storing a boat on its trailer in a 40ft container on the Gulf Coast: width, height, vent and moisture — Storing a boat in a 40ft shipping container on the Gulf Coast: door width and height limits, trailer and T-top clearance, salt air, moisture and storms.
Across the Pine Belt
Hattiesburg · Petal · Laurel · Ellisville · Purvis · Sumrall · Columbia · Collins · Seminary · Wiggins