The top container manufacturers in China dominate the global container manufacturing industry. Read on to know who these companies are and why the entire shipping industry depends on them. Also, find out how you can buy shipping containers at the best price.
Shipping container manufacturers in China have a very important role in the global economy. They manufacture the majority of the containers that are responsible for transporting tonnes of cargo across the globe.
However, the global production of shipping containers has fallen significantly since 2022. This is due to the decrease in overall consumer demand and deflation in the Chinese economy. Moreover, the decrease in exports from China has led to a surplus of containers that threatens to overwhelm ports in China.
With the surplus of shipping containers in China, the container prices have also decreased — making it a perfect time to invest in shipping containers. The prices are low and containers are easily available.
On the Container xChange trading platform, we have 50,000+ containers available in 2500+ locations globally – including several cities in China. Our platform gives you access to vetted suppliers so you can easily buy, sell and lease containers globally.
Want to check out the prices and availability of containers in your location? Simply use the public search below, fill in your container requirements and location and browse through multiple offers from vetted sellers.
Why does the global shipping industry depend on container manufacturers in China?
China is not only the largest exporter of goods but also dominates the global container manufacturing industry. In fact, around 85% of the world’s shipping containers are manufactured in China.
It’s actually economically viable for China to manufacture containers. These brand-new containers are loaded with cargo and shipped to the desired locations for sale and deliver the goods at the same time.
Once they reach their destination, these containers are referred to as one-trip containers. These containers are still new and have only made one trip to reach the buyer’s destination.
Before we look into the top manufacturers, let’s see how it became possible for China to become the top container manufacturer in the world.
Nature of global trade flow
We’re already aware that China is a major exporting hub. Goods from China are exported to the entire world. This makes it convenient for manufacturing companies to make and sell containers in China. It’s also cheaper and beneficial for shipping lines and shippers to buy containers in China to avoid the repositioning costs. New containers are loaded with cargo and shipped to the desired location easily.
However, exports from China have been falling since 2022. Exports to the US, one of China’s biggest buyers, fell 23.1% year-on-year. And The European Union also bought 20.6% less from China.
According to our August-edition of Where Are All the Containers report, China’s exports to the ASEAN bloc fell by 17% as well. Download our free report here to find out more about how this fall in exports could affect China.
Low cost of steel and labor
Did you know that steel represents around 60% of the total cost of building a container? This means that even a minute increase in the price of steel can significantly increase the price of containers. The price of steel in China is lower than that of other countries. As a result, the cost of manufacturing containers is significantly lower in China than other countries. Another competitive advantage that China has is the low cost of labor.
Lack of repositioning costs
Keeping in mind the global trade flow, manufacturers in China also don’t have to pay any repositioning costs because there’s a high demand for containers within China. As we have learnt, containers are either sold in China or shipped as one-trip containers and sold in other countries.
However, most manufacturers don’t sell containers directly to shipping companies. If you want to buy containers, you’ll have to connect with container suppliers. And this is exactly where Container xChange can help you.
We’re a container trading marketplace with 100% market visibility in 2500+ locations globally. All our members go through a vetting process so you can be sure that you’re working with trusted companies. We have no hidden costs and our price visibility option makes it easier for you to buy containers at your desired location and at the right price.
Interested to give it a try? Simply click the banner below to buy containers at the best prices in your location.
Top shipping container manufacturers in China
Here are some of the top container manufacturing companies in China.
| Name | Website | Headquarters | TEU Annual Capacity |
| CIMC | http://www.cimc.com/en | Shenzhen, China | 2 million |
| Cosco Shipping Development | https://lines.coscoshipping.com/home/ | Shanghai, China | 1.3 million |
| DFIC | https://www.dfichk.com/ | Shanghai, China | 1.2 million |
| CXIC | http://www.cxic.com/english/indexEn.do | Changzhou, China | 900,000 |
| SINGAMAS | https://www.singamas.com/ | Shanghai, China | 320,000 |
| China Eastern Containers | http://www.cecontainers.com/aboutus.php | Shanghai, China | 150,000 |
Now let’s take a look at these companies in detail.
CIMC (China International Marine Container Group CO., Ltd)
China International Marine Container Group Co. Ltd has the capacity of producing 2 million TEUs annually. Based in Shenzhen, China, CIMC was founded in 1980 as a merger between China Merchants Group and East Asiatic Company. They provide all types and sizes of shipping containers, ranging from basic 20ft containers to modular container homes. CIMC’s extensive customers and sales network covers more than 100 countries and regions.
The company has also been hard hit by the sluggish maritime market, decline in container trade, and insufficient demand. In the first quarter of 2023, CIMC’s container manufacturing business experienced a year-on-year decline in production and sales volume. During this period, the cumulative sales volume of standard dry containers was only 82,500 TEU, a 76.69% decrease from last year! The sales volume of reefers and special containers also saw 62.54% and 13.37% year-on-year decrease respectively.
COSCO Shipping Development Co. Ltd
COSCO Shipping Development Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited. The company was established in 1997 with its head office in Shanghai. It focuses on container leasing and container manufacturing as its core business.
The company manufactures all kinds of shipping containers like standard containers, reefer containers, special containers and container houses. The company has an annual capacity of 1.30 million TEUs annually.
DFIC (Dong Fang International Containers)
Dong Fang International Containers is a container manufacturing platform of China Cosco Shipping Corporation Limited and is directly under COSCO Shipping Development Co. Ltd. In 2019, COSCO Shipping Finance Holding Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Group, wholly acquired the three core container manufacturing plants of Singamas Container Holdings Limited. Then fully entrusted the management to DFIC. Today, DFIC has the capacity to manufacture 1.2 million TEUs annually and has a head office in Shanghai.
CXIC (CXIC Group Containers Co. Ltd)
The company was founded in 1996 in Changzhou, China. CXIC specializes in producing dry cargo containers, special containers and tank containers. The company exports 90% of its containers to over 40 countries in the world and has an annual capacity of 900,000 TEUs.
SINGAMAS (SINGAMAS Container Holdings Ltd.)
SINGAMAS is yet another leading container manufacturer, operator of container depots and provider of logistics services. The company established its first factory in 1990 in Shanghai. SINGAMAS is now a leading producer of dry freight containers, tank containers, and other specialized boxes.
China Eastern Containers
China Eastern Containers is a growing container manufacturing company in China. They have clients across the globe and also offer customized containers if required by their customers. The company is based in Shanghai and has an annual production capacity of 150,000 TEUs.
Now that you have an overview of top container manufacturers in China, let’s look at how you can buy shipping containers in China.
How to buy shipping containers in China
It’s important to remember that container manufacturers are different from suppliers. Suppliers source quality containers from manufacturers. If you want to buy containers for your business, you’d need to get in touch with these container suppliers.
And one easy way to do this is through the Container xChange trading platform. On our platform, you can connect directly with 1500+ suppliers in 2500+ locations — including multiple cities in China. All our members go through a mandatory vetting process before joining the platform.
All you have to do is go to our container trading platform, type in your container requirements, and browse available offers. You can compare the prices of multiple offers at the same time to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Once you find the offer you like, you can negotiate the price and terms directly with the supplier – right on the platform. Plus we don’t charge any commission on your container deals!
Want to check out container deals from vetted suppliers in your location? Click here to get started.
Shipping container prices in China
To make the best container deals, it’s important to know the prices of shipping containers. Take a look at the table to get the average container prices of some common container types.
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Average container prices in China |
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| Container type | Average price of New | Cargo-worthy |
| 20ft container | $2,342 | $1,096 |
| 40ft container | $3,282 | $1,170 |
| 40ft HC container | $3,321 | $1,815 |
Container prices keep changing and depend on a variety of factors. Read on to find out how you can access real-time container prices.
Get real-time shipping container prices in China for free
To make sure you buy containers at best prices, it’s important to be aware about the container prices in your location. And one easy way to do this is through xChange Insights.
On Insights, you can access real-time container prices in 110+ locations globally, including several cities in China.
From the graph above, you can see that container prices in China have lowered significantly since 2022. This makes it a perfect time to invest in shipping containers for your business!
Insights allows you to see the price development over days, weeks, and months to determine the best time to buy or sell your equipment. Using this information you can make good deals even in a new market and maximize your profits.
And the best part is you can use Insights for free today. Simply click here to use Insights for free and see how you can maximize your profits!
Buy shipping containers from suppliers in China at best price
Buying containers through the traditional way requires a lot of steps. It starts with looking for container suppliers, vetting them, contacting them and going back and forth with the price negotiations through long emails.
What if we tell you there’s a way to avoid these steps? Well, that’s where Container xChange can help you. On our platform, you can look through multiple offers and choose the best one for your company. There are no hidden costs so you can be sure that you’ll buy containers at the right price. Read on to find out more on how xChange can help you.
Market transparency
We offer 100% transparency on our platform. We don’t charge any hidden fees or costs and everything is stated clearly before you sign a deal with your supplier. Moreover, container prices are visible to all our members for easy comparison.
Find trusted companies
All our members go through a mandatory vetting process before joining the platform. This ensures that you work with trusted companies and don’t have to spend your time doing a background check. Moreover, we have public profiles for all our members where you can check the rating of the supplier before buying a container from them
Negotiate better container prices
At xChange you can negotiate better shipping container prices with your suppliers. We have competitive rates on our platform so you can be sure that you’re getting your boxes at the market price (or even less).
Dedicated customer support
Our customer success team will support you on all processes, from initial deals to scaling your business through xChange. We also verify release references with depots to avoid pick-up issues and ensure that you receive containers without any hassle.
So what are you waiting for? Simply click the banner below to talk to our experts and get a free demo for our trading platform today.
Shipping container manufacturers China: Common FAQ
Who are the top shipping container manufacturers in China?
Three companies dominate the shipping container manufacturing market in China which are CXIC, CIMC and Cosco Shipping Development Co. Ltd.
Why are most shipping container manufacturers based in China?
Shipping container manufacturers in China get low costs of steel and labor, don’t have to pay any repositioning costs and get customers within their country due to the nature of global trade flow.
What is the price of 40ft shipping container in China?
The average price of a 40ft cargo-worthy shipping container in China is $1,170. The price keeps changing and depends on a variety of factors like supply & demand, condition of the container and container type.
