Reality check on shipping containers as bunkers. Wish someone told me this earlier.
Posted by NotIfButWhenReady@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 175 comments
See a lot of talk about using shipping containers for underground shelters. Decided to do a deep dive on this and wanted to share what I found before anyone makes the same assumptions as I did.
Containers look bulletproof above ground, but they're actually engineered for vertical loads, think stacking on cargo ships. Once you bury one and backfill around it, those walls start taking lateral pressure they were never designed for.
Talked to a few folks who tried it. Some of the common problems were jammed doors after a few months, walls bowing inward, and ceiling sagging. That steel just isn't built for that kind of stress distribution.
Not saying it can't be done, but it seems highly unlikely and way more complex than the YouTube videos make it look.
Anyone here actually pulled this off successfully? If so, what kind of reinforcement did you use?
FamiliarRadio9275@reddit
“Not saying it can’t be done”
You can put your hand in lava, but you shouldn’t.
In an engineering, safety, and physics aspect, no, you should never have a shipping container as a functional bunker.
Here is the thing, yes, as you mentioned, doors get jammed and bowing happens from pressure. These are not meant for underground use as well is a tetanus shot away from being dangerous in other ways. Also, if you plan on having any sort of ventilation, that has a chance of being a blocked source by the pressure. There is a chance for collapse, and so on.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
They rust underground. Horribly.
And the sides can't handle the pressure of the dirt pushing into the sides. They collapse inward.
Most of the successful ones are put into a concrete lined hole with adequate drainage.
And while you can buy rust protection, it is invalidated if put underground.
DrIvoPingasnik@reddit
So it needs concrete, insulation liner, and drainage.
At this point it's just better to build a concrete bunker with insulation and drainage. Saves money on container.
Bmrtoyo@reddit
exactly compacted gravel set forms pour concrete use the $ for a real build.
GarethBaus@reddit
Container homes are a similar thing. Shipping containers aren't meant to have large openings so you need to add framing and insulation anyways, but they make the framing significantly more difficult as well.
livestrong2109@reddit
Yeah your basically building yourself a basement/ bunker at that point. Just do it right the first time.
Toribor@reddit
People are way too determined to upcycle boxcars and pallets without realizing both are designed for a very specific purpose and are pretty awful at almost everything else.
Ornery_Ad_9523@reddit
Nobody is going to bring up the treated wood floor decking? Nasty stuff especially in closed airspace.
More info: Pesticides and chemicals: Historically, floors could contain chemicals like chromated copper arsenate (CCA) or other fungicides. Health concerns: Prolonged exposure to treated plywood can release volatile compounds, which may be harmful in enclosed living or work spaces. Safety measures: Sealing, overcoating, or replacing the flooring can eliminate risk.
Dirk_Dubhs@reddit
For cast in place, the container takes the place of a form. For areas where it’s not feasible to get a precast structure it’s not a bad alternative
d-cent@reddit
Right. At that point the container is just an expensive, rusting interior wall with no insulation value.
MaritimeOS@reddit
And rust, oxidizing, creates a breathing hazard and makes it an uninhabitable area. Confined spaces as these can be very deadly.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
And they are sweltering hot and stifling when inside. And they smell.
They would need a huge amount of insulation to have any form of climate control.
MaritimeOS@reddit
The bad smell is least of my concern. When oxygen levels are below 21-22% it can choke out any human life. It just isnt worth it.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
Especially underground if put in by someone who doesn't understand proper draft and ventilation.
DIY is fine but look at the Titan Sub. The guy was a millionaire, a certified genius (supposedly) but didn't understand that buying discontinued aircraft materials meant for airplanes and the pressure changes they undergo (expansion specifically) would not work under water (crush specifically). That takes a materials specialization he lacked in his training. Not all pressure is the same pressure.
Conex trailers are great but they are built for a specific purpose and that is being able to be stacked and be somewhat water tight. They have vertical strength only. Nothing side to side
Air=Moisture on ocean voyages so while they are not perfectly water tight, they are without air flow.
They can be used for building. But you have to be prepared to put out the money needed to modify what it lacks. Specifically side to side pressure, air flow (lack thereof) and the fact it is rusting metal.
For most people, it is just cheaper to buy a pre-fab storm shelter or dig a basement proper.
UnfeignedShip@reddit
That whole thing with the sub was especially damning because both Boeing and UW material lab scientists demonstrably proved that his design was prone to failure under perfect test conditions on multiple occasions. There is a great documentary on Netflix with every one involved and then showing how he continually ignored so many people, who he hired for their expertise, telling him not to do it.
Forsaken-Pea-4873@reddit
Hmm. Powerful guy ignoring experts... sounds familiar.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
I don't have Netflix but I have watched several things about it.
He bought the materials on a clearance sale because it was all out of the use-by-date! He used a game controller!
Anyone with half a brain should have taken one look and backed away quickly.
I worked in an aircraft maintenance warehouse and have seen some of the damaged stuff come in. The fiber is good but not perfect. When it goes, it GOES!
UnfeignedShip@reddit
Yeah and that’s the TL’DR of the whole thing with Boeing and UW. There were small acoustic sounds that preceded the COMPLETE RAPID UNPLANNED DISASSEMBLY. But sometimes it was hours or minutes or seconds before since it was due to random material failures. Anyone who went down even once should go play the lotto.
dittybopper_05H@reddit
Huh. I wonder how my brother manages to live in Yellowstone National Park where the partial pressure of oxygen is equivalent to 16% oxygen at sea level.
That's only at 8 or 9,000 feet.
Plenty of people live at much higher altitudes.
La Paz, the capitol of Bolivia is at 12,000 feet, where the effective partial pressure is 13.2%. Lobuche, last village on the way to Everest base camp, is at 16,000 feet where the partial pressure is 11.4%.
You can live with significantly less oxygen than the 21% you get at sea level.
You'd need to adapt, or you might get hypoxia like with altitude sickness, but you can do it. When I visited my brother, I could definitely feel it. Any my octogenarian father did get altitude sickness. But that was because we flew to Bozeman and drove into the park. Going from 300 feet ASL to 8,000 feet ASL in a matter of a few short hours.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
There is also a sect of humanity that can live with lower levels of oxygen. They found it in the genes of the ones who help on Mount Everest. Why some of the Sherpas can do fine but some of their children can't work the mountain.
They literally have altered genes that allow their brains to function with less oxygen without passing out. The same gene has been found in Pacific Islanders who do Pearl diving without using oxygen tanks.
They are studying them because they might be able to help those who have experienced 02 deprivation or those who might experience it in the future.
ICANHAZWOPER@reddit
Concentration is different.
The air may be “thinner” at higher altitudes, but the composition is not any different.
dittybopper_05H@reddit
But it's the same amount of oxygen as if you were at sea level and the composition of the air was just 11.4% oxygen and .88% nitrogen. You could breath that, and you could live your entire life that way. Because people do manage that.
In other words, the composition of the air is the same percentage-wise, it's still 21% oxygen, but the air is so much thinner it's like breathing air with just 11.4% oxygen at sea level.
That's what "effective partial pressure" means.
fastpilot71@reddit
"That's what "effective partial pressure" means. "
Truth!
loskubster@reddit
Average air oxygen levels are 20.8, it’s considered oxygen deficient below 19.5
MaritimeOS@reddit
My bad its been a while. You are correct
loskubster@reddit
You’re not far off. I work in an oil refinery and we constantly have atmospheric monitors and toxic gas monitors so I can pull these numbers off the top of my head.
gardenhosenapalm@reddit
Dumb comment.
You realize ambient oxygen sits at 21-22% at sea level. A significant amount of humans live at higher altitudes with much less oxygen.
MaritimeOS@reddit
Rude response. As per my reply to someone else, I have admitted my wrong. And here you come along with your holier than thou.
Also this is a topic about confined spaces not altitude across open terrains.
NiccoloMachiavelli3@reddit
Couldn’t you (hypothetically) spray them with the same material that vehicles get undercoating done with?
MaritimeOS@reddit
It would be more work than its worth. Theres other factors than this; structure, air circulation. Even if an area is new and not rusted, a space limited on air and a lack of flow becomes deadly. You already require PPE to spray such chemicals and materials when doing cars, it would displace the oxygen further.
nayls142@reddit
One Human's respiration will use up oxygen much faster than all the rust formation on an unpainted container on a humid Florida day. A container needs ventilation. There are plausible ways to do this as natural draft or forced, using fans.
wstdtmflms@reddit
Or at least recycling, using CO2 scrubbers and filters like they use on submarines (to a limited degree) and spacecraft (which they 1,000,000% rely on).
I always thought about that with the commercial bunkers those guys in Kansas and Nebraska are converting, and the billionaire bunkers like Zuck has in Hawaii and Thiel has in New Zealand. Wouldn't the best way to get in simply be to take out their ventilation capabilities to force them to open the doors? After all, the whole point of ventilation is to exchange interior air for exterior air, which means the weak point has to be wherever the internal-external interchanges occur. But then I thought: they're billionaires. They've hired people who have thought this through, designed recycling systems into the engineering, and have paid for enough spares and replacement parts they really could rely on recycled air instead of ventilation to avoid the security concern.
Your average everyday prepper, on the other hand, is gonna need to ventilate.
nayls142@reddit
Filters can scrub out quite a lot. Even nuclear power plants can discharge air from the typical contaminated area just by using an ordinary HEPA filter. That would likely be very useful on the air inlet side in a bunker situation. But I don't think a HEPA filter would be useful against toxic gasses. Maybe SCUBA tanks for the family are a reasonable idea? Odds are gas attacks would be dispersed within a few hours.
There's no way Navy style oxygen generators or CO2 scrubbers are in my budget. And I'm betting they're power hungry: nuclear subs typically have excess electricity to go around. I couldn't just fire up a 1000 HP diesel generator and not be noticed.
GarethBaus@reddit
Carbon filters can scrub some, but not all chemical agents.
GarethBaus@reddit
Human respiration produces a buildup of carbon dioxide which makes it so that you can feel that you are suffocating and the occupants will usually exit the structure. The human body cannot detect low oxygen levels (which can develop over months or even years in a confined space) the fact that you cannot sense the hazard is what makes this type of confined space so hazardous.
Hadaka--Jime@reddit
I would imagine you'd need to seal the shit out of it so that no metal is exposed. That's after reinforcing it by likely welding supports to it.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
That is the standard. On that old prepping show, doomsday preppers I think, they showed what happened when they weren't put in the ground correctly. I only watched maybe 3 episodes but I do remember.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
Thank you for saying this in a way that, apparently, does not violate Rule 3!
w0lfpack91@reddit
Shit they rust in open air.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
Truth!
SuperPooEater@reddit
Someone in the DIY community did one of these once and got ripped apart for lack of airflow and fire escape. He had it set up and an entertainment room and people were like "ya are you all going to climb that ladder in that smoke orderly and not just fucking die?
Nervous_Statement416@reddit
.... You add structural framing and water proof liner inside the whole before burying it. You cannot simply throw a steel box in the ground because, like you said, its not engineered for that purpose. It doesn't take a lot to make the adjustments though. They are pretty resilient to rust but a liner is still necessary.
Outside-Network-894@reddit
Are we okay? No, no we are not
Awkward_Potential_@reddit
"Decided to do a deep dive"
I see what you did there.
NotIfButWhenReady@reddit (OP)
Haha thank you for catching that lol
Gaydolf-Litler@reddit
Just fill the container with concrete and it'll hold up
PewPewJedi@reddit
Bro, wtf are you talking about? Then it’d be useless!
You have to have your friend fill it with concrete while you’re inside it.
Ruthless4u@reddit
I’m sure my wife would love that idea for me.
Lopsided_Jeweler4538@reddit
😆 I love this subreddit
Equivalent-Worry-828@reddit
lol
NotAnotherRedditAcc2@reddit
Did they change shipping container design recently?
ShidOnABrick@reddit
Premade bunkers are relatively affordable especially in the context of sourcing a container, renovating it, transporting it, etc lol
thegrizzledhearth@reddit
This was super helpful posts because those YouTube videos make it look like a cakewalk sometimes
Pylyp23@reddit
I have one buried. I built a weld steel frame around it and used railroad ties to build walls to keep the lateral load off the walls of the container and used steel and 4/6 beams to make a roof. It doubled the cost of the bunker but it was cheaper than building a similar sized room out of concrete.
Cpt_Obvius@reddit
What about rust concerns?
Pylyp23@reddit
I’m not seeing anything so far on the inside but I live I a dry area and we get less than 10 inches of rain a year.
icosahedronics@reddit
thats a good way to do it. should handle moisture levels okay if there is adequate drainage, and since the timber walls remain in place you can always patch weld new panels if you do get corrosion.
we aren't technically allowed to specify these containers for underground use because of the wood flooring, but i've heard most of them do okay anyways. has the floor been okay for you?
what did you select for vertical access? just a hatch on top with a ladder, or did you excavate for a stair as well?
Pylyp23@reddit
The floor looks good so far nut that’s been my biggest worry. I just excavated a ramp basically. I need to do something for the entrance because I have to take a shovel and move a little dirt all the time
icosahedronics@reddit
right on, thank you
bigtrucksowhat@reddit
My buddy painted his with a mastic based paint and backfilled with crushed rock. I dug the hole with my backhoe to 14ft. Then we poured in a 4ft bed of crushed rock, set the containers down inside(2-40ft welded together side x side) backfilled the entire hole with crushed rock left 1.5ft low.. tar paper barrier and then soil.
Has a 6” fresh air vent and 6” exhaust vent.. Made the entry with a HDPE interceptor/manhole riser and cap.
He does have a steel frame but it’s inside, 2” steel tubing.
Been in the ground for 6 years and everything you can see in there looks fine so far.
His new idea is to build a home out of concrete and then dig a new stock tank and use that dirt to bury his house on 3 sides to basically make a house inside a hill. So we’ll see how that goes, IF, his wife gives him permission.
muzzleloader1840@reddit
They are not built to withstand outside pressure they will collapse
J_Thompson82@reddit
I’ve often wondered about doing this properly. Could you not put rebar around the sides of the container and pour concrete around the container in layers, poured at different times to allow each small layer to go off an set hard before the next layer is poured? So there’s never much inwards pressure at any one time? Then reinforced concrete over the top? Maybe utilising some steel I beams?
SouperSums@reddit
At that point, why even use the shipping containers though?
fastpilot71@reddit
If the hole is one side of the form and the container is the other, you can skip using forms.
JWatkins_82@reddit
You have just poured a concrete bunker at that point. Why waste the money on a shipping container?
J_Thompson82@reddit
You’ve gonna have to build up some for of shuttering/form work to hold the concrete walls back anyway. Why not use a shipping container?
Pastvariant@reddit
The paint on the containers is also very toxic, IIC.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
No.
Best I've seen is a half buried connex. The concept for this can be found in old FMs also.
Sealand/conex containers have enough problems with moisture and air flow, even if I was in the high desert I would try to completely bury one.
The amount of reinforcing you would have to do would be cost/time prohibitive versus a culvert or old gas tank shelter.
Qcws@reddit
Wouldn't?
JRHLowdown3@reddit
Yes, typo.
Hypno_Kitty@reddit
I feel like people forget about the fact that they're basically disposable. These things are meant for 1-3 trips across the ocean stacked together. That's part of why they are so cheap.
JIdaho835@reddit
It's 4k for a 20ft container delivered in my area. That buys a lot of concrete and block.
Qcws@reddit
Yeah, I keep seeing posts of people saying they got a 40ft container for $1000 or whatever and I'd sure like to know where the heck they're getting them
Cute_Still_6657@reddit
Probably the same reaction when you asked this 8 days ago
No-Professional-1884@reddit
OP’s just trying to gather and store karma.
Demp_Rock@reddit
That’s the prepping secret after all, whomever has the most karma at the start of doomsday wins everyone else’s preps
616c@reddit
Or the past 10 years of people saying, "don't bury a shipping container, dummy".
Demp_Rock@reddit
Google is such a snitch
Reasonable_Action29@reddit
I thought it was common knowledge that shipping containers are made to support stacking. Now pressure from the sides.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
It's definitely not common knowledge. There's a whole prepper Eternal September of people who think this up, then (hopefully!) do some research and learn that it really won't work.
GrillinFool@reddit
I had no idea. But I’ve also never researched this.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
Ope, rule 3
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
Oh lordy
ky420@reddit
I know a guy who buried a schoolbus with a backhoe then lived in it. It didn't collapse
pandapower63@reddit
There was some guy back in the 70s that buried a school bus full of school children in Chowchilla, California.
ky420@reddit
Seems I watched a documentary about that a long time ago. Not the same guy far as I know. lol
SneekTip@reddit
yeah shipping containers seem like a quick fix but once they’re buried, they really aren’t built to handle the pressure. i’ve heard the same issues, especially with the doors and walls. sounds like a lot of extra work is needed to reinforce them properly, but curious if anyone’s actually made it work long term
Justin_Caze@reddit
Bot
NotIfButWhenReady@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I’ve heard that too, a lot of folks think a shipping container will hold up underground, but those side walls just aren’t made for that kind of pressure. I’ve seen people spend more time and money reinforcing it than if they’d just started with proper concrete or composite panels built for the job
EpicFishFingers@reddit
Exactly all this. Also only the corners are really designed to take the vertical loads, so the roof itself is actually quite flimsy too.
People making their own eco homes/tiny homes ran into these issues as well. They often had to add lots of trimming steel for windows etc.
Their internal dimensions also suck to deal with. Your want a double-wide one really but then thats as much work as a bespoke Reinforced concrete bunker
theantnest@reddit
Shipping containers aren't very strong at all. The only parts designed to take any load at all are the inside floor and the top corners on the roof. Even the roof itself is weak af.
Eazy12345678@reddit
they collapse unless reinforced.
Turtlesinthesand@reddit
You forgot to add that they release horrible chemicals that you will be breathing that will kill you too.
Herspective@reddit
My brother built one of those shipping container houses and it took a hell of a lot longer than building a regular house would have he said.
Most_Piccolo_2859@reddit
You should never “bury” a container. You need to build a retaining wall that creates a gap between the earth and the container. For the roof, you are supposed to add steel support beams to account for the weight of the earth that will be on top of it.
GarethBaus@reddit
At which point you might as well just skip the shipping container.
J_Thompson82@reddit
So…if you’re building retaining walls and a roof…do you really need a shipping container inside? Seems like you have everything you need.
Johnhaven@reddit
I've seen someone weld supports with hollow square steel on the walls, practically like studs on an interior wall but at some point if just seems like a better idea to have built a concrete bunker instead. My labyrinthian fantasy bunker under my garage will not be built with shipping containers. :)
Ok-Resolve-2258@reddit
Common knowledge that you can't bury a container.
Aardvark-Linguini@reddit
You can bury a school bus.
absgeller@reddit
Don't know why you are getting downvoted, my dream is to create a hidden underground garage you can drive into with my 40fter
fastpilot71@reddit
A 40' high cube has about 1300 sq ft or surface area, so \~$500 of RP-342 will cover it completely -- maybe you can get a better deal for 3 gallons and not do the entry doors?
Throw 2 mil plastic over that and provide drainage, back fill with gravel and dry pack cement powder, wetting slightly as you go. A sets it should prevent slumping.
Skipping waterproofing, backfilling with dirt, and without drainage guarantees eventual failure.
wstdtmflms@reddit
They're basically just large steel versions of corrugated cardboard boxes. I would definitely consider using them to build an above-ground bug-out location. But any kind of pressure along the sides makes them buckle and bow, and terrible for underground purposes.
Best bet for an underground bunker: build from scratch. If you have the cash, I suppose you could buy and convert an old missile silo. But if you're not sitting on that kind of private wealth, I'd go with a double-hulled bunker with a super-structure supported by a half-sphere honeycomb lattice to take the ground weight.
llcdrewtaylor@reddit
As others have said, burying shipping containers is not the best idea. The most important thing to remember is cargo containers are strong on top, and are meant to stack. They can't take much stress from the sides.
IlliniWarrior1@reddit
if the practice of using CONEX boxes for burial was workable - and practical to modify for the usage >>> the actual storm shelter and bunker manufacturing companies would be doing it ....
simple as that >>>>
kshizzlenizzle@reddit
The only successful ones I’ve seen have been people that reinforced with rebar and concrete on all sides, since the sides are so flimsy. It can be done, but it’s definitely a lot more to it than dropping it in a hole. I have a few on my property for several years and so far we haven’t had a problem with hinges or doors, but we lube the mechanisms every once in awhile.
MrHoopersDead@reddit
Shipping containers don't have a single 90 degree corner. Every one of them is off by a few degrees meaning you'll need to custom cut every single piece of lumber to finish it out. Modifying these is much slower and more expensive than people realize.
Nde_japu@reddit
Yeah they sag after a decade if you store pallets on top of them above ground. Imagine cubic yards of earth on top. Not to mention the sides. What a stupid idea.
Hecateus@reddit
it would be far easier and profitable to help make your community resilient against disasters than to make a useful long-term underground personal shelter.
even then someone will likely find out where ~~your~~ their ~~shelter~~ lootbox is.
reduhl@reddit
If you want to burry a stricture, may I suggest the round concrete drainage pipes? Those are designed to take the pressure of the earth heaped over them.
halcyon4ever@reddit
This. A couple of 8' x 8' x 8' pre-cast box culverts are in the same price range.
(Containers were about $2000 for a 20' container, culverts were about 700 each, so 3 = $2100 for 24')
It will be infinitely stronger and is designed to be buried.
Dirk_Dubhs@reddit
These are made easily up to 12’wide. In sections they can be bigger.
halcyon4ever@reddit
Totally. I just used the 8x8x8 section because I could find a price and the math made it comparable.
custhulard@reddit
~~infinitely~~ stronger
fakemoose@reddit
But the shipping container in the drainage pipe. Got it.
Ibstrange1@reddit
Directions unclear, have a buried shipping container full of drainage pipe...
TacTurtle@reddit
Unclear directions, have buried shipping pipe full of drainage containers.
bellj1210@reddit
that would work too- but be pointless when the shippig container just coppases into the pipe.
Eywadevotee@reddit
You can do it, but you will need to encase it in reinforced concrete that carries the load. Add channels so water can flow away from it. For rust prevention spray it with a decent paint and have a sacrificial anode to keep a small electric charge on it to limit rusting. You can make the anode very cheaply by melting a bunch of alluminum and adding zinc to it.
Dirk_Dubhs@reddit
Came here to say to say this. Thanks for taking care of the typing for me!
Creepy-Cantaloupe951@reddit
Containers are kinda neat for building rapid, modular, above ground buildings.
Not so much for underground.
madpiratebippy@reddit
A buried shipping container is honestly a death trap.
GardenDwell@reddit
really dumb question, but what if you turned it inside out?
HomefreeNotHomeless@reddit
Old school buses are a better bunker. Just gotta weld over the windows
Astroloan@reddit
And pour concrete around them. and replace the windows with steel panels.
You know things you have to do for everything you bury that is not meant to be buried.
DuchessOfCelery@reddit
Here's a notable thread from a few years back: https://np.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/5uo176/underground_party_bunker/
Regrettably, looks like the pics are gone.
DropDeadEd86@reddit
Yeah I was looking for the second bullet point. I believe there is no log for what has actually been in the containers before you decide to take it with you.
thekevlarboxers@reddit
I was gonna post this one!
Onlyroad4adrifter@reddit
I heard of a company called Ground Gate on Facebook that was selling them.
dsljp@reddit
School bus is the way to go
Jaicobb@reddit
Almost anything would benefit from some sort of interior reinforcement. A simple 2x4 set of ribs would help.
Spnszurp@reddit
isnt this like the first thing that comes up when you start researching this? that it doesn't work without welding enforcement?
Yz-Guy@reddit
And honestly. Even then its janky. My old company handled shipping containers. We needed a mini warehouse for shit. Someone had the bright idea to take 3 40' containers and convert them into said building.
They took the 3 and put them side by side. So we have a massive 24x40 'building'. Cit out all the interior walls. Welded supports for the roof and whatever else. Put some doors in it. Tried connecting the floor. Ot was also staged on special stilts more or less. They finished the inside. Put up insulation and sheet rock. Balh blah. In the year I saw it before i left. It had one problem after enough. Sagging in the ceiling. Sagging in the floor. The doors never worked right. The roof leaked at one point. Its just not a great idea imo
TacTurtle@reddit
Cutting out all the interior walls removes a massive amount of the container stiffness and strength.
The corner posts are the main vertical load bearing structures, they should hold around 60 tons of vertical loads each.
The container roofs themselves are only designed to withstand a 300kg load applied over a 1ft x 2ft area at the weakest point
Eywadevotee@reddit
Yes. You want to weld I beams to the container and reonfocing steel to that, then pour concrete in stages .
New-Temperature-4067@reddit
Not worth it. However...
There are also septic tanks the same size as containers. As well as pool continers.
You could of course bury the septic, place an empty container on top of that. Then a pool container kn top of that. Reinforce the sides and it should hold out.
oWatchdog@reddit
I thought I was a genius for thinking of using a septic tank bunker. Turns out they need to be filled with liquid to exert outward pressure less they collapse.
Gryphin@reddit
Shipping containers are really 4 supporting structural pillars, and tinfoil stretched between those pillars. All the weight of those containers being stacked is directly being supported and transferred down the 4 outside corners. Any remotely significant weight on the top or sides directly, and yep, it's gonna buckle.
Thoughtful_giant13@reddit
I stayed in a hotel in London once made of shipping containers. But they were definitely stacked, not buried!
threadditor@reddit
Sounds like you just need to bury the container on its side and this problem is solved.
(Do not do this)
freshdrippin@reddit
You have to drop it in a cement vault like a casket. It's still going to rust.
Soff10@reddit
They can crush like a tin can if not reinforced. But they aren’t insulated or water proof. The worst thing is the condensation. Even with good ventilation.
funke75@reddit
Look into concrete reinforced Quonset hut
hardvall@reddit
Thanks for sharing this eye-opening reality check! It's crucial to understand the engineering limits. Your deep dive saves others from potential issues. Your post is super helpful for anyone considering this route!
throwawayt44c@reddit
If I built one I would probably add internal lateral support beams. Lean in to that as a feature of the unit itself and turn the back half of the unit into a loft type setup, and have the front half be the living room.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
Man, it almost sounds like... building underground is something where you want an actual construction engineer to design it so everyone doesn't die. Am I reading that right?
Eywadevotee@reddit
Yes that would be a great idea.
throwawayt44c@reddit
This isn't exactly the Titanus. I was just saying the reinforcement required could add functionality too..
mckenner1122@reddit
wtf is a titanus?
Leopold_Porkstacker@reddit
I think they are referring to the carbon fiber submarine that went too deep and crushed the crew in milliseconds.
mckenner1122@reddit
Oh, hi! 👋
The OceanGate Titan (not titanus) didn’t crush the crew in milliseconds. They likely suffered at least a few seconds.
I’ll still wait for the person I was talking to about their comment to give a reply!
MinerDon@reddit
The Coast Guard's earlier report found that all five passengers died immediately when the submersible imploded. The implosion exposed its occupants to 4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure, killing them instantly, the report found.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/16/titan-submersible-implosion-titanic-ntsb-report/86721009007/
Fn_Spaghetti_Monster@reddit
I have never see anything other than it imploded in milliseconds. Now there is debate as to if the possible new something was going bad before hand and if so for how long, but the implosion itself, at that depth? It was over before you brain even registered it.
roachbooty@reddit
How about bury it sideways?
Capt_Irk@reddit
That idea was so simple that it irritated the experts lol
Euphorix126@reddit
TLDR; Engineering is hard amd being wrong usually kills in violently unexpected catastrophic failures. You can prepare all the supplies you might think you'll need but, if it's not lack of resources, it will probably be an engineering mistake or trivial error in a field youve never heard of. You cant always know what you don't know.
LoneStarDev@reddit
Sounds like they should create an I-beam super structure and place them inside that.
ArcaneLuxian@reddit
This is why I'm looking into a Hobbit home for my tornado shelter/cold storage.
Impressive_Handle513@reddit
In a desert environment, with less than 6” rain a year, would they still buckle if 2-4ft buried underground?
HolyShitidkwtf@reddit
They can be buried. But they dont hold up well. Doing an external support wall around them helps, but if you're going through the trouble to do that, just do it right and build a concrete bunker.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
The pat little aphorism is "shipping container bunkers are just expensive coffins."
smsff2@reddit
This is factually incorrect. Even a makeshift shelter increases your survival rate by a factor of 50 compared to an unprotected person in the open.
mercedes_lakitu@reddit
My impression was that the risks with shipping container bunkers were related to collapse, rather than efficacy. Multiple feet of dirt will protect you from the effects of radiation, assuredly! The question is all the other factors that go into burying yourself in the earth.
smsff2@reddit
I’m not aware of a single case where a person was crushed by a collapsing bunker made from a shipping container. During an actual CBRN event, your chances are still much better even in a loosely constructed shelter. That said, shipping containers require a slab of reinforced concrete on top; otherwise, the roof will bend. With some reasonable overengineering (two layers of #10 rebar), you can achieve a blast rating of 500 PSI — which is quite respectable even compared to professionally built bunkers. And by “professionally built,” I mean Department of Defense-level, not Atlas Survival Shelters.
preppers-ModTeam@reddit
Please see Rule 3 - discouraging or demeaning others regarding preparedness.
No-Notice565@reddit
I mustve skipped over any posts that had recommendations for burying a shipping container.
Th1s1sChr1s@reddit
Keep skipping .... skippy skipperson
Th1s1sChr1s@reddit
So we just have to bury them 40' deep in the shape of a flower petal. 😎👍
SquirrelMurky4258@reddit
I read all the do’s and don’ts and wanted to see what could be done. I welded two I beams to each side and concrete decking on top. Buried to the top, poured concrete on the top and buried with another 3’ of soil. It’s not the ideal situation and I don’t think I would do it again. Entrance and exit suck. Buy one from the guy on YouTube.
iH8MotherTeresa@reddit
Just turn it sideways 😂
Ok-Buffalo-7398@reddit
Seems like a square tube steel frame either outside or inside would fix a lot of the buckling issues
F6Collections@reddit
You want it on the outside so that those lateral forces it’s so susceptible to never affect the core container, right?
That’s my fully non educated guess on this.
Ok-Buffalo-7398@reddit
I'm not sure which way would be safer. Both have cons. Welding to the outside saves interior space but the forces pulls away from the exo skeleton. Welding to the inside keeps the pressure pushing against the steel frame. I've seen many steel structures the outside forces both pull and push on the frame work and they all seem to be doing just fine
chris782@reddit
Hesco barriers on the outside are a good way too, pretty much elimates the sideloads.
icosahedronics@reddit
nobody has successfully pulled this off, it is only a matter of time before the soil will activate and collapse the sides. it is guaranteed by physics.