How much does it cost to hire a storage container in the UK?

If you are pricing storage container hire, the first thing to know is that there are two very different products behind that phrase. A shipping container is a 20 or 40 ft steel box that arrives on a lorry with a crane. A Door To Store unit is a steel storage unit that arrives flat-packed on a van and is assembled by hand where you want it. Ours cost from £35 a week plus VAT to hire, with installation from £120 plus VAT, and the delivery cost is where the two products part company.

Our container hire prices, 2026

Billed every four weeks, four weeks minimum, no deposit. Pay six months up front and installation and collection are half price; twelve months and they are free. Book online for 10% off the hire.

Why delivery is the number to watch

A shipping container needs a HIAB lorry to deliver it, hard standing that can take the weight, and a clear swing for the crane. That rules out most driveways, every back garden and any street with overhead cables, and the haulage each way is charged on top of the hire.

Our units come on a van. Two people carry the panels through a side gate or down a passage and build the unit on a firm, reasonably level surface. Transport is included within 30 road miles of Luton and £2 plus VAT per mile each way beyond that. One customer needing storage for a full rewire could not get a prefabricated unit in because of overhead cables; a flat-pack unit built on the spot solved it.

What you get for the money

• A weatherproof steel unit in eight sizes from 2 × 2 m to 4 × 6 m, all built from the same 2 m modules.
• Two built-in deadlocks on the door and your own keys.
• Assembly and, at the end, dismantling and removal. Nothing is left behind and no fixings go into your property.
• Access whenever you like, because the unit is on your own ground.

Absorpoles, at £25 each, are the one add-on we recommend for anything stored over winter.

What pushes the price up or down

Size

The 2 × 2 m and 2 × 4 m cover clearouts and single-room refits. The 2 × 6 m and 2 × 8 m take a flat or a small house. The 4 × 4 m and 4 × 6 m are the walk-in sizes builders and larger households take.

Distance

Inside 30 road miles of Luton transport is included. Beyond that the quote adds mileage each way, worked out from your postcode. For central London addresses the Congestion Charge is added per visit; there is no ULEZ charge because our van is compliant.

Paying up front

The weekly rate never changes, but the fixed fees fall to half on a six-month hire and to nothing on twelve months.

Storage container hire compared with self storage

Self storage across the UK averaged £27.40 per square foot per year in the Self Storage Association’s 2026 report, about £53 a week for a 100 sq ft room. Our 2 × 6 m unit, at 120 sq ft, is £80 a week. The difference is the van hire, the insurance and the trips you do not make, plus having your things fifteen steps from the back door. For a short hire of a few boxes, self storage wins. For furniture, tools or stock over weeks or months, most of our customers find the delivered unit cheaper once everything is counted.

Common questions

How much does it cost to hire a storage container per month?

We bill every four weeks. Our smallest unit is £140 plus VAT for four weeks; the largest is £560 plus VAT. Installation and collection are one-off fees on top.

Are there hidden fees?

No. The quote shows hire, installation, collection, transport and any London charge as separate lines, and that is the total.

Do I have to sign a long contract?

No. Four weeks is the minimum and the hire rolls on until you give 7 working days’ notice.

Can I hire a container for two weeks?

The minimum charge is four weeks, but you can have it collected sooner if you are finished.

What sizes can I hire?

Eight sizes from 2 × 2 m (40 sq ft) to 4 × 6 m (240 sq ft). Our calculator shows what fits in each.

Get a quote in under a minute, or call 0800 043 9302.