New shipping containers (otu): Technically, a new shipping container is used one time. That's because all containers are made in China and then shipped here to North America.

One-time-use containers have made a trip on a container ship and as such, they have some minor scratches, dents, bumps and dings.

Cargo Worthy Shipping Containers (cw): Any container that isn't new or one-time-use is technically, considered to be Cargo Worthy but the most common Cargo Worthy containers are between 8-14 years old and have been rigously used and abused during this time. Expect a cargo worthy shipping container to be visually ugly but functionally sound. This means they have great doors, floors, walls and ceilings. There should be no protrusions and the container should have the ability to be fully sealed with less that 15% total rust coverage.

Wind and Water Tight Shipping Containers (wwt): As a shipping container ages and reaches the end of it's life as an international transport device, it becomes degraded to wwt status. This means that while it's still able to be completely sealed, it has been rejected by a certified marine inspector to be renewed as an international transport device and is no longer marine worthy.