Red soil, slope and standing water — where a container should actually sit
Why the flattest spot is often the wrong spot, what red basalt country does to an unsupported container, and how to choose door orientation once instead of twice.
20ft · general purpose
20 Foot Shipping Containers — Kingaroy & the South Burnett
The default, and for good reason. Roughly the footprint of a single garage, it takes a pallet-racked run down one side with a walkway beside it, and it is the size almost every South Burnett job lands on once the numbers are done.
- External
- 6.06m × 2.44m × 2.59m
- Internal
- 5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m
- Door opening
- 2.34m × 2.28m
- Capacity
- 33m³
Specification and guide pricing
| External L×W×H | 6.06m × 2.44m × 2.59m |
|---|---|
| Internal L×W×H | 5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m |
| Door opening W×H | 2.34m × 2.28m |
| Capacity | 33m³ |
| Tare weight | approx 2,200 kg |
| Holds | 10 standard pallets |
| Used cargo-worthy (checked wind and watertight) | from $2,200 ex GST |
| New single-trip | from $3,300 ex GST |
| Hire | from $27/week ex GST |
Guide pricing only, ex GST. The figure you actually pay moves with the grade, with what is available that week, and with the run out to your address. Ring (07) 4141 7699 for a real number rather than a range.
As-is units are the cheap end and they are not sold watertight. They are sold on condition, described plainly, and we will tell you what is wrong with one before you buy it rather than after. If the contents have to stay dry, buy cargo-worthy.
Why nearly every South Burnett order ends up a 20ft
It is the size that suits a working property. Fertiliser and seed off the ground and out of the weather, a lockable home for the welder and the compressor, feed and fencing gear that does not need to compete with machinery for shed space. One 20ft solves all of that for less than the price of a modest shed extension and it can be sold on if the operation changes.
Builders and trades take them for the same reason on a different timescale. A 20ft on a site at Taabinga or Kingaroy Heights is a lock-up that goes home when the job does, and it will not blow away in a westerly the way a site box will.
It is also the size the freight economics like. A tilt-tray places a 20ft in one movement without a crane, so the delivery component of the price stays low on any block with reasonable access. That gap widens the further out you are, which is why a 20ft out to Proston or Hivesville is a better-value delivery than the equivalent 40ft.
If you are undecided, this is the one to buy. It is the most common size on the water, which means the most stock, the sharpest pricing and the best resale. A used 20ft bought well holds most of its value for years, which is the argument that usually settles the buy-versus-hire question on a property.
Setting up a 20ft as a farm store or a site lock-up
The layout most properties settle on is racking or shelving down one side and a clear aisle down the other, with the heavy and frequently used gear nearest the doors. That leaves room for a sack trolley or a pallet jack on a firm floor. If a forklift is going to load it, keep the first metre inside the doors clear and put the pallets in end-on so the tynes are not fighting the corrugations.
For a building site the 20ft does a different job: tools and materials that walk if left out, a plan table, and somewhere to get out of the wind at smoko. A lock box over the padlock matters more on a site than on a farm, and so does placement — set it where the delivery truck and the concrete truck will not both need the same patch of ground. At the end of the job it is a single lift back onto a tilt-tray, which is the whole reason trades hire rather than build.
20ft Containers — common questions
What does a 20ft container cost delivered in the South Burnett?
Guide pricing starts at $2,200 used cargo-worthy and $3,300 new single-trip, both ex GST. The delivered figure depends on the grade and the run — a drop at Coolabunia is a different number to one out past Proston. Ring (07) 4141 7699 and you will get one figure with the cartage already in it.
Can I see the container before it is delivered?
Yes. There is no public yard, so ask and we will email photographs of the exact unit, serial plate in shot, before delivery. That is the point at which to say no if it is not right.
Is a cargo-worthy 20ft sold watertight?
Every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it is loaded — someone climbs in, shuts the doors and looks for daylight, sounds the floor and works the door gear. As-is units are the cheaper grade and are not sold watertight; the faults are described before you buy. If the contents must stay dry, buy cargo-worthy or new.
How much ground do I need to set a 20ft down?
About 7m by 3m of firm, roughly level ground for the unit itself, plus the room for the truck to line up and reverse. Four blocks or hardwood sleepers under the corner castings is the correct set-down, and it costs almost nothing to do properly. Sitting a container straight on red soil is how you get a twisted frame and doors that will not close.
Should I buy or hire a 20ft?
Work it out on how long you need it. Hire suits a building job, a renovation or a season; buying suits anything open-ended, because a used 20ft bought sensibly keeps much of its value and can be sold on later. The weekly hire rate is in the table above, with delivery and collection quoted separately. Tell us the likely length of the job and we will give you both numbers side by side.
Do I need vents in a 20ft?
For tools, feed, fertiliser or anything that dislikes moisture, yes — condensation is the usual cause of a damp container, not a leak. A pair of passive vents lets the warm moist air out, and keeping goods on pallets off the floor does the rest. Mention what is going inside when you ring and we will say whether it needs them.
Before you order a 20ft
New, cargo-worthy or as-is — which grade the job actually needs
What the three grades mean, what they cost, and how to work out which one your job needs without paying for condition you will never see.
No-obligation quote
Ready for a 20ft price?
One call covers grade, availability and the cartage to your address.
(07) 4141 7699Mon–Fri 7:30am–5pm, Sat 8am–12pm. If we are out on a run, leave a message or send the form and you will get a call back.