In the field of modular construction, shipping container house and prefabricated container house are two options that have attracted much attention. People usually think that second-hand transformation is cheaper, but in reality, the price of shipping container to container house is often more expensive than prefabricated container house. Next, analyze the reasons behind it from the dimensions of production, construction, and use.
Material acquisition and production process: the cost of shipping container transformation is hidden
Prefabricated container houses adopt a standardized production model. In terms of raw material procurement, due to large-scale centralized procurement of steel, insulation materials, etc., more favorable prices can be obtained, effectively reducing costs. Its production process is mature, and with the help of professional production lines and equipment, efficient mass production is achieved, further diluting the production cost of a single product.
The core material of shipping container to container house is second-hand shipping containers. In recent years, with the increase in demand in the second-hand container market, the price of high-quality boxes has continued to rise. In addition, shipping containers are not designed for living. When they are transformed into container houses, the original structure needs to be dismantled, and the internal layout needs to be redesigned and transformed to meet the needs of residential functions. The renovation process involves complex cutting, welding, reinforcement and other processes, which require high technical skills of workers and significantly increase labor costs. In addition, in order to achieve the comfort and safety standards of living, additional insulation, sound insulation, waterproofing and other materials need to be added, which further increases the overall cost.
Construction method: the scale advantage of prefabricated container houses
Prefabricated container houses have completed most of the assembly work in the factory. When they are built on site, they only need to follow the standardized process for foundation treatment, box splicing and simple water and electricity connections, and the construction efficiency is high. Especially in large-scale projects, its modular and standardized construction method can quickly complete the combination of multiple boxes, greatly shorten the construction period, and reduce labor and time costs.
When building a shipping container house, it is difficult to achieve standardized construction because the original state of each box is different and the renovation situation is different. The construction team needs to deal with the actual situation of each box and adjust the installation plan, which not only increases the difficulty of construction, but also prolongs the construction period, resulting in a higher construction cost than prefabricated container houses.
Original use: Customized advantages of prefabricated container houses
Prefabricated container houses have been designed with living and use functions as the orientation since the beginning, and fully consider ergonomics, architectural aesthetics and various needs of modern life. It can be flexibly customized according to different usage scenarios and customer needs, and in the design and production process, it can optimize costs and maximize cost performance.
Originally, shipping containers were designed for cargo transportation, with fixed structures and spatial layouts. When they were converted into container houses, they were subject to many restrictions. In order to meet living needs, it is often necessary to make major changes to the box, and these changes may involve structural safety and other issues, requiring additional reinforcement and testing, which increases the complexity and cost of the transformation. At the same time, since its original design was not built for living, it is difficult to achieve ideal conditions in terms of space utilization and functional layout, and it is impossible to achieve efficient customization like prefabricated container houses, resulting in high costs.
How to choose: Weigh the cost performance based on needs
From the price point of view, the overall cost of shipping container houses is higher due to factors such as materials, processes and difficulty of transformation; prefabricated container houses have more advantages in price due to large-scale production and standardized construction. If you are looking for cost-effectiveness, need to build quickly, and have customized living space requirements, prefabricated container houses are a better choice. If you have specific container appearance requirements, or have special considerations for the sturdiness of the container, and are willing to bear higher costs, shipping containers can be used as an alternative, but the cost and feasibility must be fully evaluated before the transformation.
| Size | Container House Price Range | Shipping container house price range |
| 20HQ | $5,890-$15,000 | $8,000-$20,000 |
| 40HQ | $9,260-$20,000 | $12,000-$25,000 |
If you have other questions about the price structure of container houses, or want to know specific cases in different scenarios, please feel free to communicate with me.
