Are Shipping Container Homes Dangerous To Live In?

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Updated On: September 10, 2021

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Lots of people come to our site and see shipping container homes and fall in love with how incredible they look and also how affordable they are. But they always want to know if living in a shipping container home is safe.

We get emails from mothers asking if a shipping container home is safe for her family to live in. We also get emails from people who want to build a shipping container cabin to use in the wilderness and want to know if it’s safe from people breaking into it.

So today we’re going to look at exactly how safe shipping container homes are and whether you should be thinking about living in one.

Do Shipping Containers Contain Harmful Chemicals?

The most common safety question people ask is whether shipping containers have toxic chemicals? Many of these concerns come from a well-written article by Brian Pagnotta at Arch Daily on the advantages and disadvantages of living in a shipping container home.

The article highlights two key concerns:

  1. Wooden floors used in the majority of shipping containers are treated with hazardous chemicals such as pesticides
  2. Some shipping containers are coated in paint which contains harmful chemicals such as phosphorous and chromate

Brian rightly raises these concerns. But, like most things, there is more to this than first meets the eye.

If you are purchasing and building your home with new shipping containers, and you’re ‘ordering them direct’ from Asia, then you don’t need to worry about these concerns. You can just specify to the manufacturer that they don’t treat the floors and don’t coat the shipping containers with hazardous paint.

However, using new shipping containers to build your home does increase the cost. It also depletes the environmental kudos you would gain through constructing with used shipping containers.

Now we need to address second-hand shipping containers. If you purchase your containers second-hand, then there is a good chance that Brian’s concerns hold true for your containers. They will very likely have been treated with these harmful chemicals. What, if anything, can be done about that?

First, you can contact the original manufacturer of the container and inquire whether the floors have been treated with hazardous chemicals. To do this, use your shipping container’s unique identification number to track who manufactured the container. For more information about that, read this article here.

If your flooring has been treated with toxic chemicals, what can you do?

We spoke with Larry from Sea Container Cabin who converted his used shipping containers back in 2010. To protect himself from the chemicals sprayed on the wooden floor he used a non-breathable flooring underlayment (see below).

Shipping Container Home Flooring

Courtesy of Larry Wade

This underlayment was laid straight over the original wooden flooring. The tiles were then positioned on top of the underlayment.

If you want to be completely sure, you could even remove the original wooden flooring and replace it with marine plywood from your local hardware store.

Harmful Paint Coatings

Second-hand containers could possibly have coatings with chemical components that are toxic to humans in certain quantities. These coatings are used to protect the container from extreme elements, like years of direct sun and saltwater exposure while they are in transit across the ocean. It’s vital for containers when they are being used to transport cargo, but obviously not great when you are using containers to build homes. 

The danger is usually not from off-gassing but from physical contact with the coating. However, container coatings are not universally problematic and you’d need to find out what was actually used to determine potential risks.

If possible, you can attempt to contact the container manufacturer and find out exactly what coatings were used, then find the MSDS for them. In many cases, that’s difficult to do, and a lot of people just assume the worst in an abundance of caution.

For those who are concerned their containers may have been coated with harmful chemicals, you really have two choices: removal or encapsulation. Removal is just what it sounds like, removing the paint, typically with an abrasive like sandblasting. It’s a labor-intensive activity, and you’ll need a lot of safety gear to do it correctly as the coating is most dangerous when it’s being pulverized and removed.

Your other choice is encapsulation, which is essentially covering up the coating with something else. Encapsulation is already a common, proven commercial remediation technique for things like lead-based paint and asbestos.

With encapsulation, you’re essentially covering up the questionable coating with another coating so you’ll no longer be prone to touch it. It doesn’t require disturbing the coating underneath, so it’s much faster, easier, and cheaper.

For most people, we recommend encapsulation if you’re concerned about shipping container coatings. Check with the manufacturers of any products you plan to use for encapsulation to ensure they will bond appropriately, etc.

Are Shipping Container Homes Hurricane Proof?

We’ve received emails from several people who live in natural disaster hotspots, asking if shipping container homes can withstand hurricanes.

These questions are no doubt inspired by the photos we have seen of previous hurricanes, like Hurricane Katrina. In the photos you see wooden homes which have been completely annihilated by the wind; however, lying on top of the wood are completely intact shipping containers.

Shipping containers are designed to be stacked when fully loaded with over 26 tons of cargo in each container. It’s not surprising these containers stood up to a hurricane.

While we are not currently aware of any shipping container home which has faced a hurricane, we do know that shipping containers are better positioned to withstand hurricanes than many other types of construction.

We have already spoken about Todd Miller’s shipping container home in our Graceville Container House Case Study. For those of you not aware, he decided to build a shipping container home using 31 containers!

The home was placed on nine-meter deep micro-pile foundations, the piles were capped with concrete piers and the containers were then anchored down on top of these concrete piers. The house was featured on Grand Designs Australia.  While it’s hard to say any structure is completely hurricane-proof, as we never know the extent of future ‘super storms’, this home is very hurricane-resistant due to the foundations and anchoring used.

What is also interesting about this example is that he built his home in known flood plains in Queensland. The local planning authority approved the home to be built in this area because Todd’s plans showed that the home was floodproof.

Are Shipping Container Homes Secure?

We have received this question a surprising number of times. Often, the future owners are planning on using them as a cabin in the wilderness. Hence, they want to be able to leave their shipping container home for months on end without having to worry about whether someone has broken into it.

To answer this question, consider what a shipping container was originally built to do. Shipping containers are made to be an airtight, impenetrable storage solution used to transport goods around the world.

In fact, when shipping containers were first used in the 1950’s, the amount of lost or stolen cargo dropped significantly, as we discussed in A Complete History of the Shipping Container.

Before shipping containers, goods were placed on ships as break bulk cargo. This essentially means goods were either in sacks, crates or barrels. Light-handed laborers were known to steal these goods. At the time it was known as the cost of shipping. However, when shipping containers came on the scene, the number of stolen goods dropped massively. This was because shipping containers could be locked by the owner before they were even loaded onto the ship.

Shipping containers are one of the most secure storage facilities you will come across. However, when people convert the container into a home, they often cut away metal and change the structure of the container, which does lessen its security value somewhat. But a shipping container converted into a home is just as secure as a traditionally built home.

If you want to make your shipping container home even more secure because you plan to use it in a remote location, you should leave the original structure of the container intact.

To do this you would need to fit windows and doors behind the original shipping container doors. This way when you leave your shipping container home, you can also lock the original shipping container door to seal your container up.

When you are staying over in your cabin, you can leave the original shipping container doors open to let light in, yet you will still have your retrofitted windows and door closed, like a regular house.

Now that you know how safe shipping container homes are to live in, what are you waiting for? Let us know what you use your shipping container home for in the comments section below.

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52 Responses

  1. I’m interested to know if anything has been figured out about this. I’m planning on moving to st croix. And would love to build a large container home.

    1. We covered a lot of information in the article…can you be more specific about your question? Feel free to email us via the ‘Contact Us’ page if you’d rather.

  2. What if you use Killz for painting in the inside walls? Would that block VOC? Also, by cutting walls will that cause the spread of toxins or is it gas build up we are worried about?

    1. Several Killz products are marketed to help with odor-blocking/sealing, so they might be a good fit for this application. You’d need to check with them for specific product recommendations. There are other options as well from companies like AFM Safecoat.

      When you’re cutting a wall, you should be more concerned with breathing dust or burnt fumes during the cutting. Afterward, it’s not so much of an issue. Other than for freshly painted walls, the walls of a container aren’t typically off-gassing. The concern of toxins is more related to touching the wall than breathing the air around it. For the floor of a container, off-gassing is more of a concern because it’s a more porous surface and was treated with pest-resistant chemicals. But this too can be encapsulated or covered with a good coating.

  3. Hi my main concern for reading this post was not answered. I wanted to know are the containers safe in a heavy lightening storm since the exterior is all metal is there Special grounding or lightning rods required?
    Kindest Regards

    1. Just like other metal buildings, containers can be made to be completely safe in lightning storms. The building would need to be grounded, but there is nothing particularly “special” as compared to other metal buildings. For specifics, you’d need to review the electrical code in your area (probably a version of the NEC) or talk with a licensed electrician. The answer of how to do the grounding/bonding depends on things like your location, type of foundation and how your containers are attached to it, etc.

  4. Hi ,

    We are planing to have one shipping container in our land . We do not live on this property. We do come here a lot and trying to make the land ready for building future home. But coming here with lots of tools and trailer with ranger everyday is time consuming. So we planned to have a container on the property and keep all tools and ranger inside of the container. Will it be easy to get our ranger stolen while we are not on the property?

    1. Not sure what you mean by ‘ranger’…perhaps a Ford Ranger truck or Polaris Ranger UTV? If so, a container can be a good way to lock up your tools and equipment when you aren’t on site. If you haven’t already, check out our article on security options for containers, it sounds like exactly what you need to think about: https://www.discovercontainers.com/container-locks-security/

  5. Using spray foam to “protect” from chemicals just creates new chemicals for you to breathe in, right? Are there any non-toxic alternatives to spray foam that work the same way or accomplish the same thing?

    1. The article was a bit imprecise when talking about the paint in containers (and has been updated). There is little concern about off-gassing of paint vapors unless the container was painted in the past few days. With paint, assuming you have toxic paint in the first place, the concern is physical contact with it, not breathing it. Therefore, encapsulation (via closed-cell spray polyurethane foam, abbreviated ccSPF, or other materials) is one solution to keeping you from touching or disturbing the paint. Another is paint removal.

      For ccSPF, there is a bit of off-gassing that takes place immediately after application. This usually subsides within 24 hours (check with your manufacturer for specifics), so it isn’t an ongoing concern.

    1. If you live in an area with frequent thunderstorms and lightning strikes, and the container is the tallest object in the area, then a lightning rod is a probably good idea. Typically a lightning rod is on its own grounding rod. The container itself, as well as the wiring within, should normally be on a separate grounding rod. Best to speak with a local electrician or review the applicable sections of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code for your area though to get the exact standards.

  6. I’m interested in building a home on the Big Island of Hawaii and would like to use shipping containers. Do you know anybody that has done it in Hawaii? I’m wondering if I were to rent it out later down the road if I could legally do so? Love the article BTW.

    1. We know that there are some containers homes in Hawaii as we’ve heard of a builder that is based there. You’re really asking multiple questions though. Is it possible to have a container home in Hawaii? Yes, although we’re not sure what zoning and code requirements exist in your area. You’ll have to investigate that with your local government planning and inspection personnel. Is it possible to rent a home legally in Hawaii? Yes, as the prevalence of AirBnB and others clearly attests, although again you’ll need to investigate what the requirements are for this. But this has nothing to do with it being in a container.

  7. Hey Tom, you said you were writing an article on permitting in New Zealand, do you publish them on your blog, if not, where can we go to see your other works?

    Mike

    1. We don’t have any articles that are particular to permitting in New Zealand, although we do discuss permitting more abstractly in some other articles on the site. There is also a little more discussion on the topic in the ebook for sale on the site. There is a lot of variability, not just country to country, but city to city, in regulations, code enforcement, etc. It makes writing something particular to one geographic location very difficult.

  8. We owned a shipping container house consisting of three 40 foot containers. Two of the containers were parallel with a 15′ X 40′ concrete pad between them and a third container cantileving on one of the bottom containers and held up by a concrete pillar. It was beautiful, the bathrooms were outside and huge cutouts, we collected the rain water into a cistern. The three containers were welded together and again welded to the concrete pad, finally there was a metal staircase up to the third container which acted as a second floor, this staircase was welded the “third’ container and again to the concrete pad. This container home survived 190 mile winds in Irma and barely shifted, the homes is located in the Caribbean. 75% of the houses on the island its on lost their roof, it goes without saying that container homes are a force to be reckoned with if assembled correctly.

    1. Very impressive! Yes containers themselves are very resilient, and homes made from them are too if they are anchored well and have adequate structural support. If you have any pictures or additional info on the home, we’d love to see it. Email us via the Contact button at the top!

    1. That’s a difficult question to answer and depends on your design. An unmodified container would certainly do quite well in an earthquake. Once you start talking about making cuts for windows and doors, stacking containers on top of each other, ec. the situation becomes more complicated and an engineer would need to be involved. All things being equal though, a shipping container is a more structurally resilient starting point than traditional construction.

      1. I don’t see how openings such as windows and doors can be a problem during an earthquick. What eventually makes a construction collapse is the way the whole building structure is conceived and the materials used. Being containers made out of steel, there’s no risk at all the structure to collapse. What could happen at most is that if the steel panels aren’t sealed properly to each other, then they could fall.

        1. We agree, there is very little risk of outright collapse of a shipping container structure. However, with enough movement from an earthquake coupled with significant structural material removal due to the placement of windows and doors, you could end up with the container buckling or twisting, which could crack and displace some of the interior surfaces like walls and floors.

    1. Hey Sophia. I also live in NE Florida and I’m thinking of one of these. What did you decide? Are/did you build?

  9. Tom, we live in north part of Florida, east coast. We do get winds from hurricanes, thunderstorms.. is there a wind calculation on the storage containers?

    Thanks
    Fran

    1. Hi Fran.

      Send us an email and we will give you a report that we think will help you.

    2. Geeetings Fran. Like you i live in the NE Florida area. I am also considering building one of rhese homes. Did you and why or why not?

  10. Has anyone successfully got through permit/zoning for oceanfront in Florida. We live on a barrier island (west coast) and all houses must be constructed on pilings. Has anyone got around this because of the structural integrity? Has anyone done these on wood pilings/stilts?
    Thank You for the excellent info.

  11. Hey Tom,

    I just came across your website while doing a search on people living in shipping container homes in NYC. Do you know anyone in the city who has build/lives in one? I would love to profile them for a journalistic piece I’m doing! Thanks 🙂

    1. Hi Mariana,

      Thank you for getting in touch.

      We know of a few container homes in NY. Please email us and we can discuss this further.

  12. Hi, I would like to build a container apartment building 2 stories high in the Caribbean, the building codes are very strict based on the highest category hurricanes (category 5) 157 mph or higher. I will need to scientifically prove that container homes can withstand these winds to acquire my building permit. Do you know of any actual proof that I can present? Thanks

    1. Hi Suwini,

      While we don’t have firsthand knowledge of any container homes in a safari camp, we do know that containers are some of the strongest and most resilient buildings available, and you’d be hard pressed to find a traditionally built house that was as safe.

  13. I would like to know about window and door placement and who does this work please? Are there any containers already designed and ready for sale aas in a manufactured home? I am seeking a cottage 2 storys high to take advantage of a distant ocean view. Thank you so much. I am not sure where to begin my project. I also would like to create a flower garden located on the top plus an outdoor space for entertaining. Is this possible?
    Thank you!

    1. Hi Brenda,

      Thank you for getting in touch.

      You have two choices. You can buy containers with the windows and doors already fitted. Or, you can hire a contractor who will do this to your exact specification.

      Also, yes you can create a flower garden on the roof. Know that containers roofs are not meant to support much weight, so depending on how many flowers you’re planning to have, you may need some structural support. Also, we wouldn’t recommend putting soil directly on top of the container.

    1. Hi Loi,

      Are you referring to stacking the containers on top of each other?

      If so, then yes the containers can be stacked.

      1. Thanks tom.
        But is it ok if i make it high 3.9 m. how can i do it safety. because my land have dimesion 5mx18m, and I have to built a house have 3 floor, the 1st floor must high 3.9m, the second floor 3.4m. Pls tell me a advice

        1. Hi Loi,

          Are you referring to making the actual container 3.9m high? I would suggest the simplest way to do this is to stack containers and remove the floor of the stacked container to increase the height.

          Tom

  14. Just wanted to find out if you have to spray foam the top too because I believe that the drywall should be able to prevent these VOC from getting into your house and secondly most shipping container homes have HRV which is a very means for venting the home.

    1. Hi Kenneth,

      If you’re going to insulate at all, the roof is usually the most important part to insulate. Ventilation via HRV or other means can reduce the buildup of VOC’s and other harmful chemicals that may be presented or introduced into your home, but don’t prevent them from entering. We don’t consider drywall by itself to be an adequate barrier against chemical transport, and that’s already assuming you have good tape/bedding, caulking around electric/plumbing penetrations. The best way to block is via encapsulation with a suitable coating.

  15. I really enjoy reading your posts! I did a lot of research before starting my container home and I came across your website when I was already into my project. I’m a few weeks from completion on my single 40′ high cube container home. Thanks for all the resources and pictures! I drew a lot of inspiration from your posts!

    ~Ashley

  16. Thanks for this article which inspire me and make decide to make my own container home in New Zealand. Btw, do you know any information about what kind of permit need to be gained before this DIY container home building project starts in New Zealand?

    1. Hi John,

      That’s great news. As far as specific permit information, you’ll need to contact your local building officials.

  17. First of all thank you for all the information very helpful indeed, maybe I missed a post’d love to know if it is legal to build with container? Should the building permit? Where can I find information on this topic ? Thank you very much

    1. Hi Shimrit,

      Yes it’s completely legal to build shipping container homes; however, you need to check with your local building officials concerning permits, zoning, and other approvals.

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