Closed Container Car Shipping from the UK

Closed Container Car Shipping with ShipCars UK means the container is yours alone. We ship 20ft standard, 40ft standard, 40ft high cube, flat rack, open top and reefer equipment from Tilbury, London Gateway, Felixstowe, Southampton and Liverpool to every major container port in the world, with weekly departures and one bill of lading covering the whole move.

Container shipping costs are driven by equipment size, trade lane and season. A 20ft container gives roughly 28 usable cubic metres and up to 21 tonnes of payload; a 40ft gives about 58 cubic metres for only a little more freight; a 40ft high cube adds a further 30 cm of internal height for around 67 cubic metres. Dense cargo fills a 20ft on weight, while household goods and vehicles run out of space long before they run out of tonnes. We price both side by side on every enquiry so you can see which container is genuinely cheaper for your load.

Loading matters as much as the rate. Containers are stuffed at our own facility rather than on a kerbside: cargo is inventoried, wrapped, blocked with timber, strapped to the lashing rings and photographed, vehicles are drained and ratchet-strapped to the floor, and the box is customs sealed before it is gated in.

Container sizes and what fits inside

Choosing the right box is the single biggest saving available on a container shipment.

• 20ft standard, 33 m³ capacity, ~28 m³ usable, one car plus boxes, a two-bedroom home
• 40ft standard, 67 m³ capacity, ~58 m³ usable, two cars or a four-bedroom home
• 40ft high cube, 76 m³ capacity, extra height for 4x4s, vans and stacked furniture
• Flat rack, over-width and over-height plant, tractors and boats
• Open top, top-loaded machinery and long cargo
• Reefer, temperature-controlled foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals

How closed container car shipping works from booking to delivery

One coordinator runs the file from the first quote to the final delivery, so there are no hand-offs and no unexplained charges.

• Written quotation against your volume and destination
• UK collection from any postcode or self-delivery to East Tilbury
• Loading, blocking, bracing and photographic pack
• Export customs entry and customs seal
• Haulage to berth and vessel loading
• Bill of lading issued and released
• Destination clearance, port charges and door delivery

FCL or LCL — which is cheaper for your load

Below roughly twelve cubic metres, shared container groupage (LCL) usually wins because you only pay for the space you use. Above that, a sole-use 20ft container is normally cheaper as well as safer, since the box is sealed once in Essex and opened once at destination and the handling points that cause most damage claims disappear entirely.

Why ship containers with ShipCars UK

We are container shipping specialists with our own loading facility minutes from the Port of Tilbury, direct allocations with the major carriers, and in-house export customs entries. Rates are quoted in full, freight, loading, haulage, entry, insurance and destination, so the figure you accept is the figure you pay.

• Weekly departures from five UK ports
• 20ft, 40ft, high cube, flat rack, open top and reefer
• Professional loading and photographic proof
• All-risk marine insurance at 1.5% of declared value
• Destination clearance and delivery arranged worldwide