Can you bury a shipping container?
Shipping containers are made of corten steel, a type of steel known for its strength, weather resistance, and weldability. This makes them exceptionally strong and durable.
People bury shipping containers for a mix of practical and survivalist reasons by creating hidden, secure, or insulated spaces. However, this requires serious reinforcement, drainage, waterproofing, and ventilation.
Burying a shipping container is increasingly popular for certain DIY, off-grid, or emergency preparedness projects, but they come with serious structural and safety caveats. If not, it will be dangerous.
Thus, how can you bury a shipping container safely? Find out the answer in this article!
Contents
Can You Bury a Shipping Container
Yes, you can bury a shipping container. Using buried shipping containers is an innovative way to build secure, concealed, or climate-controlled spaces.
However, doing so without serious structural reinforcement can be a danger to you.
Bury a shipping container only if you reinforce and waterproof it properly. Burying it also requires you to add proper drainage, ensure ventilation, and access.
Not without a reason, though they are strong, shipping containers’ side walls will likely collapse from lateral earth pressure, and the roof will cave in under soil and moisture weight. Moreover, rust and water intrusion will destroy it over time.
As a better alternative, you can put the container inside a concrete enclosure instead of burying the container directly. This way, the container is safe, protected, and still usable.
Common Use Cases for Buried Shipping Containers
1. Emergency Bunker / Survival Shelter
An emergency bunker or survival shelter is used as a protection during disasters (natural or man-made). Having this made from a buried shipping container will make you own a concealed, secure, and customizable space.
This features air filtration, food storage, bunk beds, radio communications, escape hatch. However, it still needs ventilation, waterproofing, and reinforcement to be safe.
2. Underground Storage
Creating an underground storage space using a buried shipping container is an innovative solution for secure, insulated, and weather-resistant storage. You can use this to store tools, supplies, and food (e.g., for preppers or farms).
A shipping container underground storage features temperature stability, hidden location, theft prevention, as cooler underground temperatures are ideal for some supplies. But it requires careful planning and proper engineering to be safe and durable.
3. Root Cellar
Creating a root cellar from a buried shipping container is a practical off-grid storage solution. It is used to utilize the container’s durability and the earth’s natural insulation to store vegetables, fruits, and preserves at stable, cool temperatures.
The container’s steel structure resists pests, rodents, and weather. Then, the insulation, earth around the container, keeps temperatures steady (ideally 50-60°F).
4. Wine Cellar or Aging Room
A buried shipping container is a creative, cost-effective wine cellar or aging room. This usage leverages the container’s durability and the earth’s natural insulation to provide a stable environment ideal for wine storage.
Underground placement keeps the temperature steady, typically around 55°F, ideal for wine. Moreover, earth insulation helps maintain 60-80% humidity, preventing cork from drying. This option is typically cheaper than building a traditional wine cellar.
5. Underground Workshop or Studio
A shipping container underground workshop or studio is a secure, insulated, and discreet space that maximizes land use. It offers protection from weather, noise isolation, and can be customized for a variety of creative or practical uses.
Underground setting muffles outside noise and contains sound inside. Moreover, the earth naturally regulates temperature, reducing heating/cooling costs.
6. Septic or Water Tank Housing
Using a buried shipping container to house a septic system or water tank can be a practical, space-saving solution, but it requires careful planning to ensure safety, durability, and code compliance.
This is useful for space efficiency, as you can consolidate equipment underground, freeing surface space. Moreover, the underground surface will protects tanks and pumps from vandalism or animals.
Structural Challenges
Shipping containers are not designed to withstand lateral earth pressure. Burying one without reinforcement can lead to catastrophic failure (walls buckling inward). Here’s what you need to do to avoid such things:
1. Reinforce Side Walls (Against Earth Pressure)
Shipping container side walls are thin (~1.6mm corrugated steel), and they will buckle under soil load. It will need internal bracing, such as welded steel square tubing or I-beams, horizontally/vertically along walls.
To make it stronger, add external concrete walls around all sides, creating a bunker-like shell. Also, add an earth retaining structure by installing precast concrete panels or building a block basement around it.
2. Reinforce Roof (Against Top Load)
The roof panels of a shipping container are not rated for soil or live loads (vehicles, people). To make them more sturdy, weld the steel I-beams across the top every 12-24 inches.
Then, pour a reinforced concrete slab on top of the container roof after framing it with rebar and formwork. After that, use steel decking and backfill with gravel, then concrete.
3. Waterproofing the Container
Containers are not watertight against groundwater or condensation. For the solutions, you can do these tricks:
- Apply rubberized bitumen or EPDM membrane.
- Use liquid rubber coatings or heavy-duty tar.
- Seal seams and corners with flexible caulking or welding.
- Install geo-membrane liners around the entire container before backfilling.
4. Drainage System
For a buried shipping container, a good drainage system is very much needed. This is because water buildup around the container causes rust, leaks, or hydrostatic pressure.
The problem can be avoided by installing French drains, a perforated pipe wrapped in gravel, around the base. However, you can also use a gravel backfill layer to allow water to drain and include a sump pump system if you’re in a high water table area.
5. Ventilation & HVAC Access
Lack of airflow underground leads to condensation, mold, and poor air quality. To deal with the ventilation and HVAC problems, install vertical air vents or shafts to the surface. Then, include an exhaust fan or ERV/HRV system.
6. Foundation / Floor Support
Direct contact with soil can cause the container base to rust or shift. Follow these tricks to avoid it:
- Pour a concrete slab foundation.
- Lay the container on concrete footers or piers with gravel beneath.
- Add a plastic vapor barrier under the container.
Conclusion
So, can you bury a shipping container? Yes, you can. However, you must get an engineer involved in doing so, as structural calculations are needed to ensure the walls/roof can take loads. Also, do not bury it directly; always surround the container with a reinforced enclosure (like a concrete basement).
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