ECO STEEL STRUCTURES

NEW-VERSUS-USED

CONTAINERS

INNOVATIVE STEEL STRUCTURES

(949)607-9729 LEOSMARTHOMES@GMAIL.COM

Used Containers

What is used when making a shipping

container for shipping, not for living

Pesticides in Shipping Containers and Contents

Did you know that there can be massive amounts of highly toxic pesticides used in the shipping containers, especially when products and materials are shipped over seas?

In a world where recycling is being encouraged, this presents some potentially serious problems that aren’t being widely discussed. Some things have simply not been designed to be reused, and recycling toxic materials just spreads the contamination further afield, causing low level poisoning and some kinds of chronic health problems.

The trend to build all kinds of indoor furniture and garden beds out of pallets is quite troubling. The pallets used in these containers would also have absorbed the pesticides and be unsafe for re-use.

Shipping Container Housing: Are they

contaminated and toxic?

“Shipping container architecture gets a lot of encouraging coverage in the design world as a trendy green

alternative to traditional building materials, and seems like a smart choice for people looking for eco-

consciousness. However, there are a lot of downsides to building with used cargo containers as they were

never made for human habitation. For instance, the coatings used to make the containers durable for ocean

transport also happen to contain a number of harmful toxic chemicals, such as chromate, phosphorous, and

lead-based paints. Moreover, wood floors that line the majority of shipping container buildings are infused

with hazardous chemical pesticides like arsenic and chromium to keep pests away.” …

Toxins in shipping containers

How Are Shipping Containers Made?

We see shipping containers everywhere now- they’re being used as homes,

swimming pools and coffee stores. With this, it’s very easy to forget

where shipping containers came from, and what their original purpose was/still

is!

We know that shipping containers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and

today, we want to look at exactly how shipping containers are made.

In a modern world where many things are made by machines now, it was

amazing to see this isn’t the case with shipping containers.

Wall Constructions

The very first task it to make the wall panels. To do this, large steel sheets are cut down into 8 foot x

3 foot sheets. The sheets are then sandblasted and corrugated. The sheets are corrugated to add

strength to them and this is what gives shipping containers their wave like texture. Once the sheets

have been corrugated they are then laid out and welded together to create the wall panel.

Wall Construction -Continue.

The final step to complete the wall panel is to weld square tubing onto the top and bottom of the wall.

This tubing is used later on to weld the floor and roof to the wall.

Floor Frame Assembly

After the wall panel is complete, the floor frame needs assembling. The floor frame is predominantly

made up of I-beams. Two longer I-beams are laid out perpendicular to each other. Then smaller I-

beams are welded in between the longer I-beams to create a raft like base. Once the welding is

complete, the floor frame is sanded with a flap disc angle grinder to ensure there are no rough

welding joints.

Doors and Corner Posts

The front and back of the container now needs making.

Again, like the side walls, the doors are mainly made out of corrugated steel. Once the corrugated

steel has been cut to size, it is encased in square steel tubing. The doors are then sanded smooth

again to remove any rough welding joints. The famous corner posts are then welded to I-beams and

then the individual doors are welded in-place inside the I-beams.

Completing the Box

The shipping container really starts to take shape now, as the door frames are craned into position

on top of the floor frame. The door frame is welded down and then the wall panels are also craned

and welded into position. Finally, the roof panel is then lowered down onto the container and

welded, completing the structure of the container.

Painting and Priming

The container is then wheeled into the paint workshop and primed. Priming (undercoating) is the first

layer of paint to be sprayed on the container and it is a preparatory coating. This ensures that

additional layers of paint stick better to the container; it also provides an additional layer of

protection for the container. Once the primer has dried, the container is spray painted several times.

Multiple layers of lead based paint are used to ensure the container is protected against the harsh

elements of sea travel such as salt and water.

Flooring

The next step is to fit the wooden flooring on top of the floor frame. Six plywood panels are used to

floor the container. However, before they are fitted, the panels are varnished with a protective creosote

coating. This protective coating makes sure that bugs and other pests aren’t present in the wood.

Once the panels have dried they are placed inside the container and screwed down into the steel floor

beams.

Waterproofing and Testing

The underside of the container is now sprayed with a waterproof sealant. Once the sealant has dried,

the container is soaked in water and then inspected for any leakages or defects. If no defects or leaks

are found, the container is now complete and can be transported to its intended location.

At this point, it is not known

New Steel construction

ECO STEEL STRUCTURES

INNOVATIVE STEEL STRUCTURES (949)607-9729

LEOSMARTHOMES@GMAIL.COM

Speed of Construction

Steel structures can be built much more rapidly. The predictability and accuracy of steel components speeds up the process and other trades to get to work sooner. Our delivery time saves in the construction process compared to a concrete or wood frame. In fact, speed of project completion is often one of the main criteria for selecting steel.

In many inner city projects, it is also important to reduce disruption to nearby buildings and roads. Shorter construction time frame leads to earlier return on investment and reduced interest charges.

Time related savings range between 3% and 5% of the overall project value, reducing the client’s requirements for working capital and improving cash flow.

Cost Savings in a Competitive Market

In inflation adjusted terms, steel has fallen in price since 1980 and is cheaper than it

was 15 years ago. Huge productivity advances have also been achieved throughout

the steel supply chain and the cost saving benefits shared with customers.

Long-Life Durability

Steel-framed structures are highly durable and do not age or decay as quickly as

other construction materials, lasting longer before refurbishment is required.

Buildings that can be easily adapted avoid costly and environmentally harmful

demolition and redevelopment. Steel’s inherent adaptability and flexibility also means

that future changes or extensions – even vertically – can be carried out with minimal

disruption and cost.

Health and Safety

Health and safety is a key business driver in construction. Offsite fabrication of

components and rapid on-site assembly by skilled personnel make steel an

inherently safe construction material. Industry surveys consistently demonstrate that

steel is the safest material choice. The steel construction sector has put in place a

number of measures to ensure its continued excellent H&S track record.

Steel is the World's Most Recycled Material

Steel is the most recycled material on the planet, more than all other materials combined. Steel retains an extremely high overall recycling rate, which in 2012, stood at 88 percent.

The amazing metallurgical properties of steel allow it to be recycled continually with no degradation in performance, and from one product to another.

The sources for steel scrap are plentiful, but are classified into three main categories: home scrap, prompt scrap and obsolete scrap.

Home scrap is the scrap that is produced from within the mill itself and is available within weeks. Prompt scrap is scrap that it is produced from manufacturing products from steel, and is available within months. Obsolete scrap is scrap produced from steel products at the end of their lives and it may be decades before this scrap is available (example: The Golden Gate Bridge).

Even while two out of every three tons of new steel are produced from old steel, it is still necessary to continue to use some quantities of virgin materials. This is true because many steel products remain in service as durable goods for decades at a time and demand for steel around the world continues to grow.

Beyond the steel scrap itself, the steel industry has long recycled its by-products: mill scale, steelmaking slags, water and processing liquids. Likewise, steelmaking dusts and sludges are processed so that other metals, such as zinc, can be recovered and reused.

Steel is the engine that drives the recycling of many consumer goods as can be seen by the 92.5 percent recycling rate of automobiles, the 90 percent recycling rate of appliances and the 72 percent recycling rate of steel packaging.

INNOVATIVE STEEL STRUCTURES

(949)607-9729 LEOSMARTHOMES@GMAIL.COM

There are many more advantages to building homes out of new shipping containers. One of the

biggest advantages being, you know exactly where the container has been and what has been

transported inside of it. Our steel structure will not expose anyone to any pesticides, radiation or

harmful toxic chemicals, such as chromate, phosphorous, and lead-based paints. Moreover, the

wood floors that line our manufactured steel structures are not infused with hazardous chemical

pesticides like arsenic and chromium to keep “pests away.”