Shipping Container News
Shipping containers come in just about every RAL colour, usually sprayed ex factory in China to match the original owners or customers corporate livery. The original paint will often be the best and last a long time as the bare metal would have been shot or sand blasted back to Swedish Standard SA 2.5 to remove any oil, grease or loose debris. A zinc rich primer and topcoat would then be applied offering a degree of protection from corrosion and impact damage.
With containers for sale in large quantities of all sizes and colours it can sometimes be a little confusing trying to decide which colour to go for. Generally speaking if the box is destined for use in a rural setting then dark green will usually blend in. Green also seems to be very popular with self storage companies in London. Another popular choice seems to be white, particularly when having conversion work carried out. White is a very bright, clean colour and looks great when just sprayed. However as most containers are sprayed in a dark colour to begin with they will generally need two coats in order to prevent discolouration. White will not look good for long, over time with the weather, debris from trees, bird fouling and air pollution the paintwork can be left looking stained and tired. In addition any tiny rust areas, even pin holes or scratches will bleed with rain and leave orange streaks down the sides of the box.
Sometimes the most unappealing colours are the best, so perhaps ignore the most obvious choices when considering buying freight containers. One of the most popular colour choices of the large companies running fleets of hundreds of thousands of units is the dark red/brown colour. This will help conceal any superficial corrosion and does not seem to suffer as badly from exposure to the elements with regards to cosmetics when compared to lighter colours.