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Pillar Guide
Conex Box in West Virginia: A Complete Guide for West Virginia Buyers
Conex box, shipping container, storage container: the words get used interchangeably. What changes from one West Virginia 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.
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.
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 West Virginia, containers can serve these industries:
Kanawha Valley manufacturers can keep maintenance tools and nonhazardous parts beside their work area in a lockable container.
Natural gas operations in the northern and north central counties can use containers for field equipment and replacement parts.
Southern coalfield contractors can organize tools and work supplies at a site with a suitable truck approach.
Hardwood sawmills can use dry storage for tooling and packaging, with vehicle lanes kept clear around the container.
Poultry farms in Hardy, Grant and Pendleton counties and Eastern Panhandle orchards can use storage for clean packaging and equipment.
Recreation businesses around the New River Gorge and the Potomac Highlands can store seasonal gear between uses.
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.
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.
How long will you use it? 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 West Virginia
Container One offers Tilt Bed and Customer Assist delivery. With Tilt Bed, the trailer tilts back and the container slides off without help from you. Customer Assist requires an anchor point on your site: a chain connects the container to it, and the container slides onto the ground as the trailer pulls away. Delivery follows this sequence:
Site check. You confirm the access route, the placement spot and the overhead clearance before delivery. 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 contacts you to schedule each delivery. Delivery areas across West Virginia:
The Kanawha Valley and western West Virginia, including Charleston and Huntington
North central West Virginia, the Northern Panhandle and Mid-Ohio Valley
The Eastern Panhandle, Potomac Highlands and southern West Virginia
Permits and Local Rules
Permit requirements depend on city regulations inside city limits and county regulations outside city limits. 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 West Virginia.
What a Conex Box Costs in West Virginia
Pricing is ZIP-specific, because delivery is part of the price. West Virginia delivered pricing: starting at $2,415 for a 20ft Wind and Water Tight container delivered in Huntington. Prices as of October 14, 2026.
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
Enter the delivery ZIP, selected size and grade in the quote form on the Contact page. Describe the bends, driveway slope and landing for a hollow or hillside location.
List the tools and parts you will keep inside, then draw the shelves and loading aisle. On that drawing, mark the cargo doors and leave room outside them to carry items to the work area.
No. Charleston Zoning Ordinance section 3-070 C.7 lists "Moving and storage containers parked in the front yard" with a maximum duration of 30 days. Give Development Services at 304-348-6833 the proposed location and how long the box will stay, and ask how the city will review it.
Tell Morgantown Development Services that people will work inside and describe the planned electrical, plumbing and heating or cooling installations. Its Accessory Structure Permit Guidance asks for a site plan and anchoring information for a prefabricated structure. Ask Development Services which permits and inspections the proposed office needs.
Choose a loading area that remains usable when the container is in place. Photograph nearby trees and overhead lines, and show Container One the intended door direction before delivery.