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Conex Box in Indiana: A Complete Guide for Indiana Buyers
Conex box, shipping container, storage container: the words get used interchangeably. What changes from one Indiana order to the next is the size, the grade and the delivery route.
The word conex (sometimes spelled CONEX) is short for "container express," a term coined by the United States military in the 1950s for a standardized steel shipping container used to move equipment and supplies during the Korean War. The original CONEX boxes were 8.5 feet by 6 feet by 6.8 feet, much smaller than today's intermodal units, but the principle was identical: a stackable, lockable, weatherproof steel box that could move by truck, rail, or ship without unpacking.
By the late 1960s the commercial shipping industry had standardized on 20-foot and 40-foot intermodal containers, the units you see on every cargo ship and rail line today. The military term stuck in everyday speech. Many people still call any large steel storage box a conex, even when the unit is technically an ISO shipping container or a purpose-built storage container.
Whichever name is used, the container is a corrugated steel box, 20 or 40 feet long, with cargo doors on one end.
Conex Box vs Shipping Container vs Storage Container
The vocabulary lines up like this:
Conex box. Originally a military-spec container. In modern use, a colloquial name for any steel shipping container used for storage. Most commonly applied to 20-foot and 40-foot units in residential and contractor settings.
Shipping container. The technical term for an ISO-standard intermodal container. These are the units that cross oceans on cargo ships. They are built to ISO 1496 specifications, which dictate dimensions, lifting points, and structural strength.
Storage container. A general retail and rental term used by ground-storage companies. Often refers to the same intermodal unit, but the phrase also covers purpose-built ground-level containers that have never seen ocean service.
If you are shopping for storage, the difference rarely matters. The same physical unit can be sold as any of the three. What matters more is the size, the condition grade, and the delivery logistics.
Standard Conex Box Sizes
There are three standard sizes:
20-foot standard. Length 20 ft, width 8 ft, height 8 ft 6 in. Interior floor about 19 ft 4 in by 7 ft 9 in, with 7 ft 10 in of height.
40-foot standard. Length 40 ft, width 8 ft, height 8 ft 6 in. Roughly 2,350 cubic feet, double the 20-foot. Best for contractors, farms, and businesses.
40-foot high cube. Length 40 ft, width 8 ft, height 9 ft 6 in. The extra foot of headroom adds about 350 cubic feet of usable space, which matters when you store racked goods or tall equipment.
Specialty sizes (10-foot, 45-foot, refrigerated, double-door, side-opening) exist but are less common.
Common Uses by Industry
In Indiana, containers can serve these industries:
Indiana agricultural operations
Indiana manufacturing suppliers
Indiana distribution yards
Common uses:
Tool, chemical, and equipment storage at working yards. Steel walls, lockable doors, and on-site placement make a conex a practical substitute for a built shed, a fenced compound or a temporary office.
Weather-event storage for documents, heirlooms, and inventory.
Construction jobsite storage on long-cycle builds. Project-driven needs where timing, access, and short-term affordability all matter.
Acreage and farm storage. Permanent storage for the things a garage or barn cannot fit.
How to Choose the Right Conex Box
Three questions narrow the decision quickly:
How much space do you need? List what you intend to store. A 20-foot unit works for household goods during a renovation, materials for a residential framing job, or a few pallets of stock. A 40-foot unit doubles that. Compare the list with the container dimensions before you choose.
How clean does the interior need to be? If you are storing tools, equipment, or boxed goods, a used wind-and-water-tight unit is fine. If the unit will be converted to an office, a workshop, or a clean storage space, a one-trip unit saves the cost of repainting and floor refinishing later.
Will it move? If the container will sit on a single property for the whole life of its use, buying makes sense. For a project that ends in a few months, compare the cost of renting from a rental company with the cost of buying. Our rent vs buy guide walks through the crossover math.
How Delivery Works in Indiana
Conex boxes are delivered on a tilt-bed (sometimes called a roll-off) truck. The driver tilts the bed up, and the container slides off onto your placement site. Delivery follows this sequence:
Site assessment. Container One reviews the access route, the placement spot and the overhead clearance before scheduling. A 20-foot delivery needs 110 feet of straight clearance. The truck needs at least 15 feet of height to drive, at least 22 feet of height along the entire unloading path, and at least 10 feet of width. A 40-foot delivery needs 130 feet of straight clearance.
Surface check. Concrete, asphalt, gravel, hard-packed dirt, and grass all work. Soft, waterlogged, or steeply sloped ground may need preparation.
Final placement. The driver sets the container down on the prepared spot.
Container One's Delivery/Dispatch department schedules each delivery after payment and site review. Delivery areas across Indiana:
Indianapolis and central Indiana
Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana
Evansville and southwest Indiana
Permits and Local Rules
Permit rules depend on the municipality. Before ordering, check with your local building or planning department, and verify HOA rules if they apply. The permit guide for this state covers the questions to ask: container permits in Indiana.
What a Conex Box Costs in Indiana
Pricing is ZIP-specific, because delivery is part of the price. Indiana delivered pricing: starting at $2,152 for a 20ft Wind and Water Tight container delivered in Indianapolis. Prices as of 2026-09-30.
If you would rather spread the cost, rent-to-own is available through a third-party partner, My Container Rental.
Frequently Asked Questions About Conex Boxes
No. A conex box is a common name for a steel shipping container used on land, and an Indiana storage container is the same kind of unit. The name does not settle its dimensions, condition or delivery equipment. Ask for the length, height and grade, then describe the Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville or rural site where it will be placed. A quote should identify the actual product rather than relying on the nickname.
Sketch shelves and a clear walking aisle before loading anything. Put the items used most often near the door and keep packaging away from damp surfaces. A farm maintenance box may need bins for small fittings; a construction box may need separate spaces for tools and materials. Match the loading plan to the floor condition and the weight of the contents.
Gravel alone does not answer that question. We need the road width, slope, turn geometry and the condition beneath the surface. Photograph low spots and ditch crossings, and say whether rain changes the route. The final approach to an Indiana farm or wooded property can control placement even when the highway portion is straightforward.
For ordinary dry storage, start with Wind and Water Tight and compare it with the other available grades using the contents and how long you need the container. Ask what the particular grade covers and inspect the order for the warranty wording. Appearance and suitability for modifications are different questions from keeping routine storage protected. Send the contents, the length of use and any appearance or modification needs together so a lower initial quote does not hide a mismatch.
Use the real delivery ZIP, a container size and a short description of the project. Add gate measurements and photos if the approach is narrow or sloping. State which end should face the work area. That detail can change how the truck is loaded, so decide it before dispatch rather than while the driver is trying to turn.