40 foot shipping Container Cost

International container shipping starts from £1, 250 GBP up to £15, 000 GBP depending on a number of factors, primarily the volume of your goods + distance you need to move them. To get an accurate quote fill in the form above.

Removals to Europe are often done overland. Outside Europe, the most reliable and cost-effective means of shipping larger volumes of household effects is by sea in freight containers.

What you can fit in a 20 foot container

Transportation by sea can take several weeks. This is why it’s very important to plan your move well in advance so you can allow sufficient time for shipping. If you remember to do this, everything should proceed smoothly.

This guide to international container shipping costs in 2016 will explain how shipping fees are calculated and provide indicative costs for shipping your belongings to selected destinations worldwide in order to help you budget for this aspect of moving abroad.

20 foot VS 40 foot shipping containers

Where larger volumes of items are to be transported, the cost will normally be based on the ‘exclusive use’ of a container, i.e. the contents of the container are solely your property.

Everything you can fit in a 40 foot container

Where smaller volumes of items are to be shipped that may only partially fill a freight container, it may be more cost-effective to consider ‘groupage’ or ‘shared’ shipping. This is where a number of separate, smaller consignments for shipping to the same destination are consolidated into a single freight container. Whilst this may reduce the overall container shipping cost of your items, it will almost certainly increase the time for delivery as the container will not be shipped before enough consignments have been acquired to fill it.

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How are shipping costs calculated

International container shipping costs are always based on two elements: The cubic volume of goods to be transported and the distance from the originating port to the destination port.

Sea freight containers are generally available in two sizes-a 20-foot container or a 40-foot container. A 20-foot freight container will typically hold the contents of an average three-bedroom family home. If you’re shipping one or two vehicles with the contents of your house, you will definitely need a 40-foot container.

Other shipping costs to consider

International container shipping costs will almost certainly only account for a percentage of your total removal fee, as there are a number of additional factors which may affect the overall cost.

In theory, the international container shipping cost covers the transportation of the freight container from the ‘home’ port to the destination ‘port’. However, most people opt a ‘door-to-door’ service, whereby the removal company collects your possessions from your home, loads them into a container, transports the container to the freight ship and then delivers them from the container at the destination dock to your new home overseas. Obviously, going for this option will add to your removal fee.

You may also need to pay extra for insurance fees and any additional charges levied at the destination, such as customs inspection fees, import duty, or costs resulting from unconventional delivery requirements such as restricted access to a property, delivery to a high-rise apartment, etc.