The 20 foot shipping container is one of the most popular container options. This container has ideal external dimensions of 20’ long, 8’ wide, and 8.6’ high. Its internal height and width are slightly less than the external due to the wall thickness:
Length: 19.4’
Width: 7.8’
Height: 7.10’
Volume: 1,170 ft³
With a footprint of about 160 square feet (approx. 6m x 2.4m), it can be transformed into a wide variety of practical and creative uses.
Because of its manageable size, availability, and structural integrity, this size is also popular for conversions, such as:
Contents
20 Foot Shipping Container Conversion
1. Tiny Home / Cabin
While compact, a 20 foot shipping container provides enough space for a bedroom/living space, kitchenette, and a small bathroom if designed efficiently. It is a fully livable unit with a bed, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and insulation.
To make it a little bit more spacious, you can utilize vertical space by adding loft beds, shelves, and wall-mounted storage. Also use multifunctional furniture like fold-out tables, storage sofas.
2. Office Space / Studio
Converting a 20 foot shipping container is a practical and cost-effective solution for remote workers, freelancers, artists, designers, construction site offices, and backyard home offices.
An office/studio container is perfect for construction sites, backyard offices, or creative studios. This size will be a compact office for one or two people. Inside the office/studio container, you can feature a desk, windows, insulation, lighting, and HVAC.
3. Pop-Up Café / Food Stall
It is possible to convert a 20 foot shipping container into a pop-up café or food stall.
In fact, many mobile food businesses prefer containers over food trucks because they offer security, a semi-permanent structure, customizable layouts, strong branding appeal, and mobility (but with more space than a trailer)
This is ideal for mobile or pop-up food businesses. Moreover, this can also be equipped with serving windows, counters, refrigeration, and kitchen equipment.
4. Music Studio / Podcast Booth
Building a music studio or podcast booth using a 20 foot shipping container is a great idea if you’re looking for a compact, mobile, and sound-isolated creative space.
This type of conversion is already being used by many musicians, producers, podcasters, voiceover artists, and audio engineers.
To block outside noise and prevent sound leakage, you will need to install double-wall construction with an air gap, mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) on walls, acoustic sealant around edges, and a floating floor for vibration isolation.
5. Toilet/Shower Block
A toilet/shower block made out of a 20 foot shipping container is a proven and practical solution used in construction sites, remote camps, outdoor events, disaster relief zones, or glamping.
This size gives enough room for multiple toilets, sinks, and showers (partitioned).
6. Storage Unit
Shipping containers are often used “as-is” for storage. A 20 foot one is actually one of the most ideal structures to convert into a secure, weatherproof storage room.
The size gives you ~160 sq. ft. of usable space, with ~1,170 cubic ft of volume. This is perfect for tool storage, business inventory, agricultural supplies, seasonal household items, and construction materials.
Built from corten steel with lockable doors, a container storage is resistant to break-ins and weather. Moreover, this is much cheaper than building a brick-and-mortar storage shed.
7. Classroom / Training Room
It’s increasingly common to convert a 20 foot shipping container into a classroom or training room. You can find it easily in rural areas, emergency/disaster relief education, temporary school expansions, and vocational training centers.
This container size comfortably fits 6-10 students (desk-style layout), 1 teacher/trainer workstation, basic audio-visual equipment, whiteboard, screen, and projector.
8. Retail Shop / Kiosk
You can convert a 20-foot shipping container into a fully functional retail shop or kiosk, and it’s a growing trend in both urban and rural areas. A shipping container retail store or kiosk is portable, meaning you can easily move it by truck/crane for seasonal or pop-up locations.
These are ideal for pop-up stores, boutiques, food product kiosks, tech/accessory shops, farmers market stands, and tourism or ticket booths.
9. Mobile Clinic / Lab
Mobile clinic/lab is an ideal solution for remote healthcare delivery, mobile disease testing labs, first-aid stations, telemedicine hubs, field research labs, and disaster relief units.
This type of clinic is portable & rapidly deployable, meaning you can easily transport it to remote or crisis locations. Moreover, it is hygienic and customizable. Therefore, it is easy to outfit with medical-grade finishes.
10. Sauna or Spa Unit
Converting a 20-foot shipping container into a sauna or spa unit is a popular trend in wellness tourism, glamping sites, and home retreats.
Shipping containers are strong, compact, and weather-resistant, making them ideal for creating a mobile or stationary sauna/spa experience with modern comfort, style, and energy efficiency.
Container’s steel body is perfect for outdoor spa environments. Moreover, its compact space heats quickly and retains warmth well when insulated.
A 20-foot container can comfortably house a 2–6 person sauna (electric or wood-fired), a changing area or relaxation zone, and a shower unit or cold plunge tank.
Conclusion
Modifying shipping containers offers several unique advantages.
After acknowledging what shipping container construction to build, buy used shipping containers from Tradecorp! With years of experience, Tradecorp is a reliable provider of sales, purchase, rental, and modification services.
We also offer you a wide range of construction customization, like additional doors, windows, insulation, and electrical systems.
We will help you find the perfect container solution for your construction needs at a reasonable price. Fill out the contact form on our page to get shipping container construction for sale at Tradecorp. We will respond to your inquiry promptly.
