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Used Conex Boxes — Kansas City
Rail-retired steel with a decade of proof it doesn't leak — inspected at four failure points, warrantied for life against holes.
Ten Years of Ocean Duty Is the Sales Pitch
A used conex spent a decade crossing oceans and riding double-stacked trains through every climate on earth — and it's still watertight, which tells you more about the box than any brochure could. That service history is precisely what you're buying: 14-gauge corten steel, marine door seals, and a floor built for forklifts, at a price thousands under new. The dents are cosmetic history. The dryness is guaranteed — literally, with a lifetime wind-and-watertight warranty on every unit we sell.
Used Grades, Plain English
- Cargo-worthy (CW): meets marine survey standards — sound frame, floor, doors, seals. The default recommendation for anyone storing things they care about.
- Wind & watertight (WWT): dry and secure, more cosmetic wear, no survey certification, lower price. Rational for back-lot and farm duty.
- As-is: not sold here as storage. If a unit ever needs disclosure, defects go on the quote in writing — but our stream is deep enough that we simply pass on bad boxes.
Full definitions with what-to-inspect photos live in the grades guide.
KC's Used Market Advantage
Used inventory is a local commodity — its price reflects how many boxes retire nearby. With the country's busiest rail hub retiring them constantly, the metro's used supply stays deep, competition stays real, and grade inflation stays checkable: any seller claiming CW should welcome the four-point inspection above. We do. Current working ranges (used 20s from ~$1,900, used 40s from ~$2,500 delivered) are kept honest on the prices page.
Used vs. One-Trip: the Two-Minute Version
Function is identical when honestly graded — both stay dry. One-trip buys appearance, maximum remaining decades, and a clean canvas for modification; used buys the same storage for $1,500–$2,500 less. Split the difference across multiple boxes: the visible unit new, the workhorses used. The full comparison lives at new vs used conex.
Used Conex Questions
What should I check on a used conex before accepting it?
Four points decide everything: roof (no water-holding dents), floor (solid underfoot, no chemical odor), door gaskets (rubber still pliable, doors latch one-handed), and corner castings (crack-free). We photograph all four before shipping and you re-check them at the truck.
How many more years does a used box have in it?
Kept on drained footing with functioning gaskets, a cargo-worthy unit routinely serves 15–25 more years in yard duty. The retirement killer isn't age — it's sitting in standing water. Ties or gravel solve that for pennies.
Why do used prices bounce around week to week?
The supply side is literally freight traffic: when the rail pipeline releases boxes in bulk, prices soften; when imports slow, they firm. It's also why our quotes lock for 5 days — you're insulated from mid-week swings once quoted.
The Dents That Matter and the Dents That Don't
A used box's cosmetics scare buyers out of good deals, so here's the field guide. Harmless: wall dings, faded paint, surface rust patches, door-panel scrapes, patched-and-primed old repairs — a decade of honest work, zero functional cost. Worth checking: roof dents that could pond water (climb up or ask for the roof photo), floor soft spots (walk the length), gasket cracking (pinch the rubber). Walk away: cracked corner castings, racked frames that hold doors out of square, chemical-odor floors. The four-point inspection sorts them in five minutes, and the grade on your quote already did the sorting once — the check at the truck just confirms nobody's grading drifted between depot and driveway.