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What is the Best Type of Door For a Shipping Container?

Thursday 15 August 2024
Updated: Friday 16 August 2024
Filed in: General

If you picture a shipping container in your head we can guarantee you'll visualise it with standard corrugations and vertical locking bars. These are the original ISO doors that shipping containers are manufactured with, but you might be surprised to find out we offer five different door types when you buy from Containers Direct.

There is no definitive answer to the question "what is the best type of door?", but we can say it all hinges on what you want to use your container for, who's using it how often do you require access to it, and a little bit of personal preference.

Shut that door!

While there is nothing wrong with retaining original shipping container doors (S2) on containers for storage, some users find them a bit cumbersome and awkward to use. This is because they are designed to withstand long, heavy duty journeys across sea and land, where they will be locked and not opened again until they arrive at their final destination. Also sea crossings and handling at ports can be very rough, so the doors are designed to be very tough and with little thought for the end user. Once shipping containers are retired from shipping lines and sold off to the storage and conversion market the necessity for heavy corrugations and three long locking bars becomes less essential and can cause an inconvenience to the new owner if they are regularly having to wrestle with the shipping container door to open and close it just to grab a few boxes.

See our other designs of shipping container doors which are more user-friendly without compromising on security:


S1 doors

  • Description: 3mm steel panels, lightweight, single locking bar
  • Advantages: Reduced weight makes them easier to use than shipping container doors. Fabricated from thicker 3mm steel rather than 1.6mm used for standard container doors.
  • Recommended for: Storage containers for schools, clubs and domestic storage, where you require frequent use.
  • Recommended extra - compressed door seals: One of our most popular and highly recommended optional extras for our S1 doors. These are attached to the inside of the container door and compress to form a watertight seal when the door is closed.

    • S2 doors

    • Description: Original shipping container cargo doors, corrugated steel panels, external rubber seals and two locking bars.
    • Advantages: Excellent security and guards against all forms of water ingress without the need for extra modification.
    • Recommended for: Heavy duty storage, especially construction sites, or where access is required less frequently.

    S3 doors

    • Description: Steel panel doors, lightweight, two locking arms, internal compressed door seals. These doors are unique to Containers Direct!
    • Advantages: Combines the best features of S1 and S2 doors.
    • Recommended for: Storage of items easily damaged by moisture e.g. paperwork, fabrics, furniture.

    S4 doors

    • Description: ROLLER SHUTTERS DOORS. Open upwards, fully welded galvanised steel, manual or electric operation. Can also be added to the long side of the container, and wider roller shutters are available upon request.
    • Advantages: More space for loading/unloading, especially if using forklifts.
    • Recommended for: Conversions used for business units e.g. warehouses, market stalls, garage workshops.

    Special door types

    Our range of doors above are not just suitable for storage containers, they are also found on shipping container conversions, which may feature more than door, or a mix of door types. For example, roller shutter doors are commonly used for portable garage conversions and pop-food stalls. Much of our conversion work include special door types:

    S5 Doors

    • Description: PERSONNEL DOORS. Made from steel, 10 point locking system, rubber sealed, thermal insulation.
    • Advantages: Convenient for daily use, aesthetically pleasing and professional appearance, very secure.
    • Recommended for: Containers for very frequent use, office conversions, pop-up shops and catering conversions as well as business premises conversions.

    Patio doors

    For bespoke conversion projects, we offer a variety of domestic style patio doors and bi-folding doors to enhance the aesthetics of the container, and make pedestrian entry smooth and easy. These look great on container garden rooms when combined with wood cladding.


    Side doors

    Side doors provide convenient access to both ends of your container, making them ideal for storage. This means you don't have to rummage to the very back to find the first thing you put into your container. Also a nice addition container conversions where side access fits the job of the container better. For example a personnel door in the side is a standard feature of our ModiBox® offices.

    View the ARCHIVES

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