Railway sleepers ( or suitable treated timber equivalent ) and shipping containers, especially when used for storage, are a great combination. The underside of a container is sometimes the weak link of a box because water is most likely to come into prolonged contact with it, which can create a great environment for rust. So you need a way to keep your container off the ground and help prolong it’s life for as long as possible! Water makes metal rust more quickly, so you want to keep your container as dry as possible – or at least reduce the amount of time that it is spent wet. The cross members, which hold the floor up are a key part of the container and if heavily rusted, will mean that a container has to be scrapped.

A sleeper may seem like a strange partner for a container, but it’s ideal for holding the container above the ground giving it a better chance of staying dry, away from the wet ground. Two timber sleepers cut in half are needed. Simply place half a sleeper at each corner of where the box will be when it is lowered into place. Make sure that the container is level, especially at the door end. Containers sit on castings at each corner so there is already some protection from water, but grass, soil and mud can get the better of it and more elevation is needed especially if your are not keeping your container on concrete or asphalt.

Our new build containers have fully undersealed floors.

Sleepers are available from many local DIY stores or garden centres, it’s a small but worthwhile investment to make for your shipping container.