Shipping Container Refurbisher - 03

White Plains, Kentucky

A Study of Object and Place

2110 White Plains Rd

White Plains, Kentucky

37°15'07.6"N 87°26'49.1"W

Shipping containers are made of high-grade COR-TEN Steel. They are non-corrosive and rust-resistant. They are made to endure years of heavy use on the high-seas, often in the most brutal conditions.

Steel Construction
Most Intermodal Containers are made of Corten Steel (or weathering steel) which is designed to help scrapes, dings, and dents better withstand the weather by forming a “protective” layer of hard rust. The oxide that gives weathering steel its protective ability is ferric oxyhydroxide, FeO(OH) an oxygenated version of ferric oxide — essentially, a mixture of oxides and hydroxide. This attractive, orange to rich purple brown oxide acts as a protective barrier to the base metal. When correctly formed, this tough layer of oxide develops into a surface that resists atmospheric degradation in outdoor environments. Once the oxide develops correctly, further changes are very slow in most environmental exposures.

Corrugated Walls
The reason shipping container walls are corrugated is to make them stronger. The corrugation in the 14-gauge steel walls gives the container stacking strength. Some containers can be stacked and fully-loaded up to 8 stories high.