Container Mounted Shelter
NZ'S FAVOURITE SHELTER
SmartShelters' Container Shelters are the original container shelters, and we are the only New Zealand shelter company with genuine full New Zealand certification and compliance.
Container Mounted Shelters are a practical and cost-effective solution that utilize shipping containers as a sturdy and stable subframe. This innovative design allows for a wide range of applications, offering both flexibility and durability. Whether for temporary or permanent use, these shelters are easy to install, making them a favorite for industries that require adaptable infrastructure.
If you need a top-quality on-site workshop, garage, service bay, secure equipment storage or general storage, our Container Shelters stand out as the first choice on New Zealand’s best-managed work sites. They’ve been the favourite for years.
- Comprehensive engineer certification to the latest building code: AS/NZS 1170.2:2021
- 12-year warranty on both frame and cover. The warranty provides comprehensive coverage in the event of failure and covers all aspects of the material, framing and construction. The longest warranty in the market
- We have a 100+ year history and won’t disappear overnight.
- We make all our shelters right here in our factory in Auckland, New Zealand.
Common applications:
Bulk storage
Manufacturing
Temporary workshops
Ports
Mining/Quarrying
Logistics
BUILT BRILLIANTLY
These shelters are perfect for protecting valuable equipment, creating covered workspaces, or adding extra storage capacity. They’re especially useful for sites that demand quick, reliable shelter solutions without compromising on quality or durability.
Built to withstand tough weather conditions, Container Mounted Shelters deliver exceptional functionality and efficiency, making them an essential asset for any worksite or facility.
- Wide range of spans and height – from 6m up to a massive 45m wide! Available in any length.
- Extra heavy-grade steel framing – our steel framework meets or exceeds C350 Grade galvanised steel.
- PVC-free ripstop polyethene cover material made in Canada and specifically designed for southern UV extremities – ensuring an extended lifespan.
- We have a wide range of add-ons including end walls, side walls, doors, guttering, and colour options.
- Custom designs are available.
TWISTLOCK® MOUNTING BEAMS
Unique to SmartShelters Twistlock® mounting beams are prefabricated mounting rails, ideal for ease of relocation.
The main arch mounting spigots and Twistlocks® are welded on in our workshop, so all you need to do is sit the beam on top of the containers and lock it into position. This makes them ideal for simple installation, removal and relocation of your SmartShelter.
- Avoid having to weld beams directly to containers
- Makes installation quick and easy
- Simple to relocate shelter when required
WITHSTAND ALL WEATHER
Extra high-grade galvanized steel framing, with the ability to be wind-rated to your specific site conditions, our Container Shelters are designed to withstand the worst weather.
For added protection against the elements, our innovative guttering and liner system carries water away from the shelter roof and containers so the interior stays bone dry.
The SmartShield ripstop polyethylene cover is specifically engineered for southern UV extremities. It’s long-lasting, and usually providing protection for at least 15-20 years before it neds replacing.
Our SmartShield covers unique insulating properties keep the interior cooler in summer and protected from extreme cold and wet weather in winter. There is no compromise on materials.
SECURED
It is crucial that your container shelter is properly secured. To ensure you maintain your shelter's wind rating, there are 4 options to secure the containers:
- BALLAST: Weight put inside the container. For example, concrete blocks, IBCs, and bulk products. It is ideal if you have a weighted product on site.
- CONTAINER ANCHOR FOOTINGS: Dig holes in the ground on the sides of the containers. Fill with concrete, weld lugs to the bottom of the container, and bolt logs to the concrete.
- CONCRETE SLAB CONNECTION: Bolted to the slab. Weld lugs to the bottom of the container, bolt logs to concrete.
- GROUND SCREWS: Weld lugs to the bottom of the container, bolt logs to ground screws. Supplied by a third party, but need engineering from us to quote. Ideal for sloped sites.
CUSTOM DESIGNS
Our superior-quality Container Shelters deliver the goods when it comes to versatility, flexibility and sheer reliability. Container mounting is our most popular mounting system.
With options for various widths and lengths, Container Mounted Shelters can be tailored to fit your exact requirements. Their modular design means you can adjust or expand your shelter as your needs evolve, making them a long-term solution that grows with your business. They’re also simple to relocate, providing ultimate convenience for projects or operations that require mobility.
If you need extra secure storage, then our Container Shelters with wall panels and a choice of door options are the way to go. Easy to lock up, they offer a level of security that makes them the ideal choice if you’ve got valuable or dangerous goods to guard on site.
OPTIONS & ADD ONS
BUY OR LEASE
You can choose to own a Container Mounted Shelter, or you can lease. Leasing reduces your upfront costs and spreads the overall cost, which is better for your cashflow. SmartShelters is the only shelter company that offers you leasing. We stand by our products ability to last the distance.
Speak to one of our consultants to discuss your needs and our options.
WHY SMARTSHELTERS ARE THE SMARTER CHOICE
PROUDLY NEW ZEALAND MADE
ENGINEERED TO AUS/NZ 1170:2:2021
100+ YEARS OF EXPERTISE
INDUSTRY-LEADING 12-YEAR WARRANTY
DURASTEEL - HIGH STRENGTH STEEL FRAMEWORK
SMARTSHIELD® – THE WORLD’S BEST STRUCTURAL FABRIC
SMART RANGE – FLEXIBLE SIZES & CUSTOMISATION
SIZES
WIDTH:
Standard and custom spans are available, ranging from 6m - 45m in width.
The shelter roof can be mounted to the outer or inner edge of containers. Mounting to the inner edge is most common to maximise the covered ground space available.
LENGTH:
The length is typically in increments of shipping containers (6.1m). But custom lengths are available, allowing for a gap between the containers lengthwise.
HEIGHT:
Containers can be stacked to achieve extra height; we have stacked up to 6 containers high in the past. Custom arch heights are also available if required.
HC: High Cube Containers (2.9m high)
GP: General Purpose Containers (2.6m high)
We offer a wide range of wall and door options to choose from if you wish to enclose the space. Take a look at our Walls & Doors pages.
PROCESS STEPS
1. Order Confirmation signed and design deposit paid
2. SmartShelters’ engineering team can provide the engineered design and a PS1. This usually takes two to three weeks and would be required if you need a building consent.
3. SmartShelters manufacturing process can take from 1-6 weeks depending on customisation. For our QuickSmart® range turn around time is one week
4. SmartShelters Projects team will work with you on what preparations are required before we book in the installation.
5. Follow manufacturing, SmartShelters deliver the product to site and we can also provide a professional installation.
6. Enjoy your new SmartShelter!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you need a shelter for site work, storage, machinery servicing, equipment maintenance or general storage, you’ll be looking for a structure that you can erect quickly, that performs well, that’s cost effective, and that you can rely on for the long term. And SmartShelters container shelters tick every one of those boxes.
Yes, we have shipping containers available for sale along with our container mounted shelters. Contact our friendly team to discuss pricing and options.
Boasting a team backed by 100 years of experience, and working with the finest materials available, at SmartShelters we’re able to rapidly design and construct container mounted shelters of the highest quality, enabling you to work smarter, sooner.
Contact a member of our experienced team today to discuss a truly smart shelter solution for your property.
SmartShelters container shelters come in many different forms, from small and simple shelters through to large, permanent structures. So do you need building consent in order to construct one on your property?
The short answer is it’s best to check. Generally speaking, gaining building consent is the rule rather than the exception, so it’s wise to assume you might. There do however exist a number of exemptions that may apply to smaller, simpler constructions, including:
- Discretionary council exemptions
- Unoccupied detached building exemptions
- Lightweight structure exemptions
- Size exemptions
Our smaller shipping container sheds are popular can be used for general storage of equipment whereas our large shelters can safely store tractors and other farm or industrial machinery. Check your local council or government legislation for peace of mind.
All SmartShelters container shelters are made in New Zealand. The SmartShelters manufacturing plant is located in Wiri, Auckland and clients frequently take tours through to view the manufacture of SmartShelters canopies between shipping containers.
A container shelter cover usually refers to a canopy between shipping containers, or a structure which utilises the shipping containers as side walls. Container roofing can simply refer to the corten steel material used in shipping container construction.
The SmartShelters engineered design typically has significant weight bearing capacity. The exact weight varies depending on span, but many SmartShelters owners have suspended plant and equipment from the main arch framework of their container shelters canopies between shipping containers.
At SmartShelters we like to keep things as easy as possible. For our container mounted shelters, all you need to do is ensure that your site is level and compacted. To hold the containers in place, you can choose to use either ballast in the containers or concrete footings, or a combination of the two methods – whichever works best for you.
Certainly! If you choose to secure your structure with ballast some room within the containers will be taken up, but apart from that your containers will continue to work as containers, and can offer handy storage space for tools, products and site materials.
You can also use the containers as a workshop, garage, service bay or lockable dangerous goods storage area. Choosing to fix your containers in place with concrete footings rather than ballast will maximise the available space inside.
Container mounting is not necessarily better than ground mounting, it’s just different. Container mounting suits situations that require greater levels of clearance, as the domed design of our structures means that clearance on the sides is limited and floorspace is encroached upon if you choose to mount directly on the ground.
The other major benefit of container mounting versus ground mounting is that the ground will remain undisturbed (when ballast is utilised). Rather than having to penetrate earth to secure your container shelter, you can place a container in the spot you want to erect the structure, and simply weigh it down with ballast to secure it. This makes installation far easier (and less damaging), particularly when erecting a structure on a hard surface.
Shipping containers are tall and sturdy structures that are easily moveable and readily available. In short, they’re the perfect things to place a SmartShelters roof on! Shipping containers offer the perfect clearance for most applications (although they can also be stacked if more height is needed), and often don’t require permanent footings to stay strong.
While we do offer other shelter mounting options at SmartShelters, including ground, pole and concrete block, shipping containers are our most popular mounting option, for all the reasons listed above.
Our shipping container shelters are designed for commercial clients and are used for business and commercial purposes, most often on building and mining sites, on farms, or as temporary storage for roadworking crews.
We tend not to supply container-mounted shelters to private buyers or in instances of more private use, like as a carport or boat shelter, because the SmartShelters range has better-suited shelters for these applications.
The smallest container-mounted shelter in the SmartShelters range is 6m long (the length of a standard 20ft shipping container) with a 6m span. We offer a range of custom and standard spans above 6m, while lengths run in multiples of 6m in order to align with the shipping containers that serve as supports.
Get Started with Useful Information
Make the Smart Choice by Choosing SmartShelters
Protect what matters with New Zealand-made shelters built on 100 years of trusted expertise. Contact us today!
