Americans love convenience. From making sure that they have a place to stay warm while they are putting on their ice skates while they are at an outdoor arena to getting something to eat and drink whether they are at a Mardi Gras parade or a Christmas lighting festival, Americans like having access to the comforts they enjoy most. Fortunately, an increasing number of used storage containers are being retrofitted in a number of ways to meet a number of these needs. From cargo container modifications that create portable concession stands to an unused office container for sale that can be transformed into a mobile office, the nation loves finding ways to make sure that the the used shipping containers are no longer in service can still be put to good use.
Whether you are looking for options for portable concession stands or you are just looking for a warm shelter where your kids can wait for the school bus, a steel storage container may provide the answer. In a time when more and more Americans are trying to repurpose items that have too often ended up under utilized, it should come as no surprise that steel cargo containers are finding many new lives.

Consider some of these facts and figures about both the traditional and nontraditional ways that steel storage containers are being used in today’s economy:

• 17 million shipping containers in circulation globally with the number of active shipping containers at more then five million. In total, they make as many as 200 million trips a year, according to Billie Box.
• If taken care of with regular maintenance, shipping containers can last for a total of 20 years, according to Container Auction.
• A standard twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container can hold as many as 3,500 shoe boxes, and a 40 foot high cube can hold more than 8,000 shoe boxes.
• 17 million shipping containers are present in the world, but only 6 million of these are in use. This means that approximately 11 million shipping containers are currently unused and could be converted into homes for people or into other kinds of useful structures.
• For every shipping container that is recycled, the nation is reusing as much as 3,500 kg worth of steel. These recycling efforts are also saving all of the traditional building materials, like bricks, mortar and wood, which also do not need to be used.

As Americans continue to look for the comforts in life that they so desire, it should come as no surprise that portable concession stands and other conveniences continue to expand. Many times, these needs are met through the use of a refurbished steel container.