10ft10ft Shipping Containers
Room is tight — a narrow side path, a setback that leaves almost nothing, or you just want a locked spot for the mower, a compressor and the tool racks.
Used from$4,350
New from$6,400
Darwin, NT
Shipping containers Darwin
Darwin containers come from stock held at a depot in the Berrimah area, topped up off the wharf at East Arm. The run into the suburbs is short. What matters is the wet season, the humidity, what the council and a certifier expect for a container staying through cyclone season, and getting a truck into established suburban blocks.
- Stock held at
- A Darwin depot in the Berrimah area
- What sets the date
- What is at the Berrimah depot, which is topped up off the wharf at East Arm, and your access. Confirmed when you order.
- Usual truck
- Tilt-tray for most 10ft and 20ft drops; side loader or crane truck for tight or elevated-house blocks; 40ft into industrial yards
Every enquiry gets a reply within one business day.A person from our team writes back, not an autoresponder. Anything that arrives on a weekend or public holiday is answered on the next business day.
The Top End, answered straight.
What Darwin uses containers for
Darwin's industrial areas — Winnellie, Berrimah and out toward East Arm — use containers as secure stores, parts rooms, and dry storage for contractors on defence, port and infrastructure work. Tradespeople use them as site stores on renovations and new builds across the northern suburbs.
At home it is the stuff a Darwin house has nowhere to put: camping and fishing gear, the boat's spares, furniture during a renovation, and the contents of a house when people are between postings or leases. Plenty of Darwin households move in and out on work transfers, and a container on the block while the next place is sorted is a common arrangement.
Where the stock is, and seeing it first
We are not a Territory business and have no office, yard or staff in Darwin. NT stock is held at a third-party depot in the Berrimah area, which is kept topped up off the wharf at East Arm. Your container is loaded there and trucked to you.
If you want to look it over first, we can arrange an inspection at the depot. Otherwise we send photographs of the specific unit on request, before delivery. Quotes and bookings are handled by phone with our sales team.
Grade moves the price more than size does, and it is what decides whether a unit is sold watertight — the full rundown is on the grades page.
The range
Containers we deliver to Darwin
Guide prices in AUD, ex GST. Delivery is quoted with the container.
10ft
20ft20ft Shipping Containers
There is roughly seven metres of flat, straight ground for it, and you want the size most people end up glad they picked.
Used from$2,200
New from$3,300
40ft40ft Shipping Containers
The site is roomy, the truck can get a long straight run at it, and storage per dollar is what counts.
Used from$2,600
New from$5,500
What to check before you order in Darwin
Darwin deliveries follow the seasons more than the calendar. Work through these before you order.
Is it the wet season?
From around November through to April the Top End gets heavy storms and monsoonal rain. Lawns, backyards and unsealed access turn to mud a loaded truck cannot cross. If your spot is on grass or dirt, a dry-season delivery is simpler. If it has to be the wet, choose a spot the truck can reach on hard ground.
Is it staying through cyclone season?
Darwin is in a cyclone region. If the container is staying, ask the City of Darwin and a building certifier what they expect, including whether it needs tying down and how. We do not supply ratings or tie-down certification, and we will not promise how a container behaves in a cyclone.
How will you deal with humidity inside?
The build-up and the wet bring months of heavy humidity. A sealed steel box sweats, and mould grows on anything organic — leather, fabric, cardboard, timber furniture. Fit vents, use moisture absorbers, keep goods off the floor and away from the walls, and check it regularly through the wet.
Is the house up on stilts?
Many older Darwin homes are elevated, with the space underneath used as living or storage area. Access past them is often narrow, and the house or its eaves can sit right where a tilt-tray needs to lift. A photo of the approach tells us whether it needs a side loader or a crane.
What is growing overhead?
Tropical gardens grow fast. Palms, mango trees and frangipanis reach over driveways, and power lines run through them. The tilt bed rises well above the cab. Look up along the whole route in.
Is the grade right for the wet?
For anything that must stay dry, buy cargo-worthy or new — the grades sold wind and watertight. As-is units are not sold watertight, and through a Darwin wet season that difference shows up fast.
Darwin
Build-up, wet and dry: timing a delivery
The Top End does not run on four seasons. The dry is the easy time for deliveries: firm ground, clear skies, predictable days. The build-up brings heat and humidity that sap everyone. The wet brings storms, water lying in low spots and ground that will not hold a truck.
If the container is going onto hardstand, a driveway or a concrete pad, the wet makes little difference to the drop. If it is going onto grass or dirt, tell us. We may suggest a different spot, a load of road base under the truck's path, or a date once the ground has firmed up.
On the ground
Heat, sun and a box you have to open
A container in full Darwin sun gets extremely hot inside. It is fine for hardware and outdoor gear. It is no place for electronics, batteries, paints, medicines, food or anything that softens in heat. Shade makes a real difference, so the shaded side of a building is worth a lot.
Insulation plus a whirlybird or vents changes the inside dramatically. If you plan to work in it — a workshop, a site office — insulate it and think about air-conditioning, because an unlined box in the build-up is not a workplace.
Worth knowing
Storm water, drainage and low ground
Parts of Darwin's suburbs sit low and take water in a heavy storm. A watertight-grade container keeps rain out from above, but floodwater comes in at the door seals, and an empty container can float. Put it on the highest ground available, raise it on solid pads, and do not keep anything important at floor level.
Watch where the roof and yard water goes, too. A container sitting across a drainage path sends the next downpour toward the house or the neighbour's fence. Leave the natural fall of the block alone and let water pass under or around it.
What a Darwin delivery needs
On a suburban block, a tilt-tray places a 10ft or 20ft if it has a straight run, firm footing and clear air above. Established suburbs such as Nightcliff, Rapid Creek and Parap have mature gardens and elevated houses that can squeeze the approach.
Industrial yards in Winnellie and Berrimah handle 40ft units easily. Tell us about gates, security procedures and any limits on when trucks can come in.
What getting it to you costs
Delivery is quoted with the container for your address. The depot is close to town, but the truck your site needs and the conditions on the day make more difference than the kilometres. You get one figure on the quote.
Around Darwin
We also deliver to Palmerston, Humpty Doo, Howard Springs, Casuarina, Winnellie, Nightcliff.
Straight answers
Questions from Darwin
Do you have a Darwin yard?
No, we have no premises in the NT. Stock is held at a third-party depot in the Berrimah area, topped up off the East Arm wharf. You can arrange to inspect a container there, or ask for photos before delivery.
Can a container be used as a cyclone shelter?
No. Do not shelter in a shipping container during a cyclone. Follow the official emergency advice for your area.
Does a container need tying down in Darwin?
It may. Ask the City of Darwin and a building certifier what applies to your site and how long it is staying. We do not certify tie-down and will not promise anything about wind performance.
How do I stop mould inside?
Airflow, moisture absorbers, nothing stored damp, and goods kept off the floor and away from the walls. Check it through the wet and air it out on dry days.
Can you deliver during the wet?
Yes, where the truck can reach the spot on firm ground. If the spot is soft, we will talk about alternatives or a better date.
Can I hire one while I am between houses?
Yes. Tell us roughly how long, where it is going and what is going in it, and we will price hire and purchase so you can compare. Hire containers go out in cargo-worthy condition or better.
Get a price
Tell us about the Darwin job
Give us the suburb, the access and what is going in it, and we will price the container with delivery from the Berrimah depot. Every enquiry gets a reply within one business day.
Rather talk? Call us on 0477 410 500, Mon–Fri 7:30am–5pm, Sat 8am–12pm