Container Condition Grades: A South Carolina Buyer's Guide

Why Condition Grade Matters

You can spend the same dollar on a unit that lasts 10 years or a unit that lasts 30 years. The variable is the condition grade. Grade also determines whether you can convert the unit, whether you can park valuable equipment inside without worry, and whether the visible cosmetics matter for your application.

The grade hierarchy below runs from most worn to most pristine. Containers are supplied and delivered by Container One, dispatched from depots at Charleston, Charlotte and Savannah.

Used (No Certification)

The lowest grade we sell. A used container that has been retired from active shipping but has not been certified to a specific standard. Expect:

• Surface rust on most external panels.
• Paint chipping, faded original branding, evidence of multiple repaints.
• Dents and dings on side walls and roof. None should be deep enough to compromise structural integrity.
• Floor wear: original plywood with industrial residue, possible burn marks, possible patches.
• Door hardware functional but stiff.

Best for: Rough storage on a working farm or jobsite, where appearance is not a factor and the unit will be locked and forgotten. Not recommended for storage of valuable, rust-sensitive, or moisture-sensitive contents without ventilation upgrades.

Photos to expect: Visible rust streaks, chipped paint, repaired patches. Doors close and seal but show wear. The unit is unmistakably second-hand.

Wind and Water Tight (WWT)

The most common grade in our inventory and the default choice for most buyers. WWT means the container has been inspected and certified to keep wind and water out. Specifically:

• Door seals checked and confirmed weatherproof.
• Roof inspected for holes, dents, and rust through-spots. Any found are patched and re-certified.
• Floor inspected and confirmed structurally sound. May show wear but no rot, no holes, no soft spots.
• Walls inspected and confirmed solid. Surface rust and cosmetic dings are acceptable.
• Lock boxes and door hardware functional.

WWT is not the same as cargo worthy. WWT confirms the container will keep your contents dry. Cargo worthy adds the structural certification needed for international ocean shipping.

Best for: General storage, contractor jobsite tools, farm equipment, household goods during a renovation, on-site materials during construction. It is the dominant pick across Charleston and the Lowcountry tri-county.

Photos to expect: External panels show some surface rust and cosmetic wear, but doors close cleanly, seals look intact, and the interior is dry. The unit looks used but functional.

Cargo Worthy (CW)

Cargo worthy is a structural certification, not just a cosmetic grade. A CW container has been inspected to the IICL (Institute of International Container Lessors) standard and certified safe for international ocean shipping. That means:

• All structural members (corner castings, side and end frames, undercarriage) inspected and confirmed sound.
• Walls, roof, and floor confirmed weatherproof and load-rated.
• Door hardware tested.
• The unit can be loaded onto a ship and sent across an ocean without further inspection.

For storage purposes, CW is functionally similar to WWT, with one practical difference: CW units tend to look slightly better, because the structural inspection is more demanding. Pricing sits between WWT and one-trip.

Best for: Buyers who plan to ship the container internationally at any point, buyers who want a documented certification for resale or insurance purposes, buyers who want better cosmetics than WWT without paying for one-trip.

Photos to expect: Cleaner overall appearance than WWT, with visible age but a more uniform exterior. Documentation accompanies the unit.

One-Trip (Sometimes Sold as Like-New)

A one-trip container has made a single ocean voyage, typically loaded from a manufacturing facility in Asia to a North American port. After unloading, the unit goes into the resale market essentially brand new. Specifically:

• Original factory paint, with minor scuffs from the single shipping journey.
• Floor in excellent condition, no industrial wear.
• Doors and seals tight, lock boxes pristine.
• Interior clean and dry, no residue.
• Minor cosmetic marks consistent with one ocean trip and one truck transfer.

The premium over WWT is meaningful but not enormous. For any conversion project, any food-adjacent storage, any high-visibility placement, or any clean-finish workshop or office build, one-trip is the practical starting point.

Best for: Conversion projects (offices, workshops, tap rooms, tiny homes), food-adjacent or sensitive storage, customer-facing placement, anyone who wants the cleanest container short of factory-new.

Photos to expect: Factory paint, sharp graphics, clean interior. Looks like a new container with light handling marks.

New (Factory New)

A factory-new container that has never carried cargo. Sold direct from the manufacturer without an ocean voyage. The premium over one-trip is significant and rarely justified for storage uses.

• Pristine factory paint, no scuffs.
• Floor untouched.
• Door seals never compressed.
• Full manufacturer warranty.

Best for: Buyers who require new-condition certification for compliance, museum or display use, certain government or institutional applications. Most private buyers in South Carolina should not pay this premium.

Warranty by Grade

Grade sets the warranty, and the warranty is the same everywhere in our network:

Refrigerated units are sold inspected and tested, with any service history we hold, and carry no separate refrigeration warranty.

The IICL Standard, Briefly

The Institute of International Container Lessors maintains the inspection standard used to certify cargo worthy containers. IICL inspectors check structural members, weatherproofing, door function, and floor integrity against a published criteria set. Most certifications you will see in South Carolina are IICL-5 or IICL-6.

You do not need to memorize the standard. The practical takeaway: a container sold as cargo worthy has been inspected by an IICL-trained inspector and meets a documented criteria set. A container sold as WWT has been inspected to a less demanding standard, focused on weatherproofing rather than structural certification.

How to Choose for Your Use Case

The match between use case and grade:

Inspecting Before You Buy

Whatever grade you select, the visual checklist is the same:

1. Floor. Walk it. Listen for soft spots. Look for water staining or rot. The floor is the most expensive component to repair after delivery.
2. Door seals. Close and lock the doors, then look for daylight from inside. None means the unit is wind and water tight.
3. Roof. If you can climb up safely, check for dents that pool water, rust through-spots, and obvious patches.
4. Corner castings. The eight corner blocks should be intact and free of major damage. They carry the entire load when the unit is lifted or stacked.
5. Side walls. Look for bulges, deep dents, and heavy rust patches. Surface rust is normal, structural rust is not.

We inspect every unit before delivery. If anything fails the checklist, we replace it before dispatch. You can request photos of your specific unit before it ships if cosmetics matter.

Delivery and Grade in South Carolina

Grade does not affect delivery timing much, though one-trip and cargo worthy units are sometimes constrained by inbound supply from the serving depot. Across South Carolina:

• Charleston, the Lowcountry tri-county and the sea islands, served from the Savannah depot about 109 road miles down the coast: typically 1 to 2 weeks.
• Columbia, Lexington and the Midlands, served from the Charleston depot about 104 miles up I-26: typically 1 to 2 weeks.
• Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and the Upstate, served from the Charlotte depot about 120 miles up I-85: typically 1 to 2 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Container Grades