Accommodation Container for Project Workforce Housing

What an accommodation container actually is

An accommodation container is a steel box, fitted out inside so people can sleep in it, that arrives at your site finished and leaves it in one piece. That last part is what separates it from most site housing. A labour shed or a hutment block is assembled where it stands and comes apart when the project ends. An accommodation container is craned on, connected, used, disconnected and craned off.

The name causes confusion, so it is worth being exact. Some of these units genuinely are shipping containers, converted. Others are not containers at all in the freight sense; they are steel modules built to look and handle like one. SAMAN supplies both, and which one you get depends on the width you order. We publish that split rather than blurring it, because the two routes behave differently on site and cost differently to buy.

Two build routes, decided by width

Every shipping container in the world is 8 ft wide. That is fixed by ISO 668, the standard that lets containers stack on a ship and lock into the same twist-locks anywhere. So the moment you ask for a unit wider than 8 ft, a converted container stops being an option.

That single fact organises our whole range.

The 20x8 ft and 40x8 ft sizes are converted shipping containers. We buy a used donor shell and strip it back. We cut out corroded plate and repair it, then cut the door and window openings and frame them properly. After that the unit is insulated, lined and fitted out. When it leaves the works it presents as a new unit: coated, sealed and clean. It is still a used shell underneath, and we say so, because that determines the inspection we do and the repair we price.

The 20x10, 30x10, 40x10 and 40x12 ft sizes are fabricated wide-body units. These we build new from MS corrugated sheet on a purpose-made steel frame. They keep the container form factor and the corner and handling provisions a container has. Nothing about them is second-hand.

Neither route is better in the abstract. A converted 40 ft shell is a genuinely rugged object that has already spent years being thrown around a port. A fabricated wide-body gives you internal width that no container can, and a known history. The right answer depends on your site.

Why width matters more than length

Buyers usually ask about length first, because length is what they can picture. Inside the unit, width decides far more.

At 8 ft external width, the internal clear width after wall build-up leaves room for one bunk run along one side and a walking aisle beside it. That plan works, and it is efficient in transport terms because an 8 ft unit is a normal load. What it will not do is let two people pass comfortably while a third is getting out of a lower bunk.

At 10 ft, the plan flips. Two bunk runs face each other across a central aisle. You are not simply adding beds; you are changing how the room works at shift change, which is the only time it is genuinely busy. At 12 ft, the aisle stops being a corridor and becomes usable floor, so lockers can stand along it without pinching the walkway.

This is why we describe each size by its aisle arrangement rather than by a bed number alone. Two units of the same floor area, one long and narrow and one shorter and wider, are not interchangeable to the people sleeping in them.

What the published rate covers, and what it does not

Two rates apply, and which one you pay depends on how much of the unit we fit out. The finished shell runs Rs 1,200 to 1,500 per sq ft, and the rate falls as the unit gets larger. A unit fitted with bunk beds, a toilet and a working split AC runs Rs 1,500 to 2,100 per sq ft. Both bands are ex-GST and indicative, and the written quotation governs the order.

We would rather be blunt here than have the conversation at quotation stage.

The published rate is for the finished shell. That covers:

• The structural box, converted or fabricated
• Nominal 50 mm class insulated wall and roof package
• Floor substrate and vinyl finish
• Doors and windows on the approved schedule
• Basic electrical fit-out: wiring, protection, lights, fan points, sockets
• Provision for a split AC: the point, the isolator, the condensate route

These are not in the published rate and are quoted separately:

• Bunk beds and lockers
• Toilet, shower, basin or pantry fit-out and the plumbing that serves them
• The split AC unit itself, as opposed to the provision for it
• The donor container purchase where a conversion is specified as buyer-supplied
• Transport, offloading, positioning and installation
• Foundations, plinths, anchors and external site utilities
• Project-specific structural engineering, and any specialist certificate or third-party approval

A unit specified with bunks, a toilet and a fitted AC sits in a materially higher rate band than the shell. We publish both positions rather than quoting a low shell rate and letting the fitted-out number arrive as a surprise. If you compare our figure against a market listing, check what that listing includes before concluding anything; in our research, most published prices for accommodation containers do not say.

Bunks, lockers and the bed schedule

Bunk beds are excluded from the base rate for a practical reason as well as a commercial one. Bed dimensions, tier count, aisle clearance, egress and space-per-worker requirements all vary by project. A bed layout frozen in a catalogue is usually wrong for the site it lands on.

We plan on the principle of a separate bed per worker. The approved bed schedule for each size is confirmed on the general arrangement drawing, alongside locker positions. It works around the door and window positions rather than being drawn independently of them. Where a client or funder applies its own worker-accommodation standard, that standard governs and we plan to it.

Toilet, shower and pantry

The base unit has no internal plumbing. That is a deliberate boundary, not an omission.

A dry sleeper and a self-contained wet unit are different products. They differ in floor build-up, waterproofing, ventilation and maintenance. Adding a WC to a sleeper is not a small change. It means a cementitious waterproof floor build-up in that zone, CPVC or PPR supply, uPVC waste and vent, external utility stubs and a slip-resistant finish.

Where a wet variant is required we quote it as such. Water tank, pump, sewer or holding tank and site trenching remain separate unless they appear on the quotation. For a larger camp, a dedicated sanitation block usually beats adding a cubicle to every sleeper. We will say so if that is the better answer for your headcount.

Air conditioning, insulation and heat

The nominal 50 mm class insulated wall and roof package is the standard build. Insulation thickness alone does not make a unit comfortable, and we will not pretend otherwise. Whole-wall performance depends on the steel framing behind the panel, the joints, the openings and vapour control. The cooling load that matters depends on occupancy, solar exposure, glazing and climate.

What we supply as standard is the provision for a split AC: the point, the isolator and the condensate route, sized to the cooling load agreed for your project. The unit itself is itemised separately. On a converted shell, roof-mounted or heavy equipment needs reinforcement and leak-testing before it goes on, because cutting a cargo roof is not a neutral act.

Condensation deserves a mention because it is the complaint we hear most about steel sleepers generally. It is controlled by the liner and vapour detail and by real ventilation, not by adding insulation thickness. Fan positions and openable area are planned with that in mind.

Donor condition, openings and reinforcement

This section applies to the 20x8 ft and 40x8 ft conversions.

A used shipping container arrives with a history: corrosion at the floor line, dents, previous repairs, and a cargo floor that may or may not be sound. We inspect the donor shell and record its condition before the build starts, and structural repair is priced against what the inspection finds rather than assumed.

Cutting openings is the part most often done badly in this market. A container's corrugated side wall is structural. You cannot cut a window or a wide door out of it and simply frame the hole with angle. The load path has to be re-established with a documented reinforcement frame, with proper headers and jambs. Where the original cargo deck is retained, we repair and seal it and record what was done. Where it is not sound, we replace it.

What a converted unit is no longer

Once a shipping container has been cut open, insulated, lined and fitted out, it is a building module. It is not a freight container any more, and we do not describe it as one.

That has practical consequences you should know before ordering. It is not CSC-plated for international carriage unless a valid plate applies and that has been separately established. It is not certified for stacking loaded, and it is not offered as sea-freight-ready. Road transport is arranged as an over-dimension or standard load depending on the size, and the 40x12 ft unit in particular is an over-dimension load on most Indian roads.

We are explicit about this for a reason. The word "container" carries an implication of certified transportability that a fitted-out unit no longer holds, and buyers have been caught by it elsewhere.

Electrical scope and earthing

The electrical fit-out uses FR or FRLS copper wiring in approved conduit or trunking. Penetrations through metal are protected, and the runs stay separated from water, waste and any LPG or data services. Typical circuit references are 1.5 sq mm for lighting, 2.5 sq mm for sockets and 4 sq mm for AC and high-load circuits. Final sizing follows the connected load, voltage drop and protection coordination on your project schedule.

Protection is by main isolator with MCB, RCBO or RCCB, with labelled neutral and earth bars. The steel frame and exposed conductive parts bond to the site earth, and that earth has to be tested on site. Generator changeover, fault level and the external supply interface follow your approved single-line diagram. We supply the installation; we do not certify your site electrical system.

Site readiness and unloading

The unit needs a level, stable bearing surface at the support points shown on the drawing, not a full slab. What it does need is honest information about access before dispatch. Tell us the turning radius, overhead clearance, gate width and what lifting equipment will be on site when the vehicle arrives.

The lift plan works from finished weight, centre of gravity, sling geometry and marked support points. Forklift handling is only allowed where pockets and capacity are documented. Craneage and unloading are quoted separately, and delivery runs 7 to 21 working days depending on size, specification and location.

Quality checks and handover

Before dispatch we check dimensions, member and panel identification, connections, coating, roof drainage, weather sealing, doors, windows and electrical continuity, with functional checks on what is fitted. On a converted unit the donor-condition record and the repair record form part of that pack.

Handover evidence identifies the approved general arrangement and bill of materials, the material schedule, test records, photographs, outstanding punch items, lifting and service connection data and maintenance points. Where a specialist performance certificate is contracted, it is verified rather than asserted. We do not publish a fire, acoustic, thermal or structural rating for this product, because a rating belongs to a tested assembly and not to a product name.

Choosing between the six sizes

Work in this order.

1. Width first. Will the crew change shift together? If yes, go to 10 ft or wider. If it is a small resident crew, 8 ft is efficient and cheaper to move.
2. Then the build route, which width has largely decided for you. Only 8 ft can be a conversion.
3. Then length, against your headcount and the bed schedule we agree.
4. Then transport. Check the route before you fix on 40x12 ft.
5. Then scope. Decide bunks, toilet and AC now rather than after the quotation, because they move the number.

If your requirement is a whole settlement rather than a unit or two, start at the labour colony hub instead. Suppose instead you want maximum beds at the lowest cost per bed, and the units will stay put for the life of the project. Then labour sheds are usually the cheaper answer, because an open hall carries no per-module steel penalty. A relocatable, repeatedly-craned unit is what the accommodation container is for. It is worth paying for only when you will actually move it.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real shipping containers?

The 20x8 ft and 40x8 ft sizes are, converted from used donor shells. The 20x10, 30x10, 40x10 and 40x12 ft sizes are not. No shipping container is made wider than 8 ft, so we fabricate those from MS corrugated sheet on a new steel frame.

The 8 ft units are second-hand. Does the warranty differ?

No. The standard warranty applies to both build routes: 5-year structural warranty and 1-year finishing warranty as standard; finishing warranty extendable to 2 years on request, confirmed at quotation.

Are bunk beds included?

No. Bunks, lockers, toilet and pantry fit-out and the split AC unit itself are quoted separately from the shell rate.

Can I move it between sites?

Yes, that is the point of the product. Confirm the lifting points and support locations on the drawing, and inspect frame alignment, connections, seals and electricals after every relocation before the unit is reoccupied.

Can it go on a ship?

Not as supplied. Once cut open and fitted out it is a building module, not a freight container, and it is not offered as CSC-plated or certified for stacking loaded.

What does an accommodation container cost?

The finished shell runs Rs 1,200 to 1,500 per sq ft ex-GST, with the rate falling as the unit gets larger and varying with the build route and specification. Fitted with bunk beds, a toilet and a working split AC, the range is Rs 1,500 to 2,100 per sq ft. Send us the size, headcount and site location and we will return a fixed-price quotation within 48 hours.