Shipping containers have become known for a lot more than just shipping goods across great distances. In fact, lots of creative people have come to use them for many different activities, including reusing containers to build homes and even businesses. The idea of using a shipping container for a living or working space has taken the world by storm, and you want to join in on the wave.

That said, you may want more than one container to build the space that you need. Undoubtedly, you’ve thought about this and wondered if stacking shipping containers would be a good solution to the problem. After all, they stack rather well when shipping cargo across bodies of water; surely, they should be able to do the same for your needs.

Before you start piling up the containers, you need to know what’s the safe limit for containers so you can live and work peacefully in your container structure. This article has the answers that you are seeking.

How High Should You Be Stacking Shipping Containers?

How high you can stack your containers depends more on how you place them. Containers are created to be sturdy structures, but even they have their weak points that, when exploited, can damage the structure or make it collapse.

One of the most important things to know is that shipping containers are strongest at their four corners, where there are posts built into the corners to fortify them. By that extent, their weakest point happens to be along the middle of their long side, which has little structural support and can take less weight than any other region.

The smartest way to stack is to place containers exact length on top of each other. This way, all of the weight from the containers will press down evenly on each other’s four corners and provide maximum support. This way, you can stack many containers together with little problem.

If you have containers of different lengths, make sure you stack the smaller ones under the bigger ones. Contrary to what you might think, if the smaller containers are placed on top of the bigger ones (for example, two 20 ft. containers on one 40 ft. container), their combined weight would press into the weak midpoint of the big container and cause damage or even collapse.

Lastly, make sure you lock down your containers for maximum safety. No amount of good stacking can ensure protection from a hard storm or other natural disasters. So locking your units in place will protect them from shifting or falling off if these events occur.

Get the Containers You Need

Now that you know about properly stacking shipping containers, you can better determine how to build-up your containers to create a safer and more functional home or business.

Next, you just need a place to buy the shipping containers to start building your container structure the way you want.  At Equipment Management Services, we have everything that you need for a price that fits your budget. We offer both new and used containers, storage containers, mobile container offices, and even custom container modification services, so you have a one-stop shop for all your shipping container needs.

Check our site to learn more, or reach out to us to get the containers and services you need. We look forward to building together with you!