{"id":10931,"date":"2026-09-18T12:18:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T11:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.coin-container.de\/container-daemmen-isolieren\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T22:09:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T21:09:21","slug":"container-daemmen-isolieren","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staging.coin-container.de\/en\/container-daemmen-isolieren\/","title":{"rendered":"Insulating containers: materials, layer structure, mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A steel shipping container sweats in the cold and heats up to over 50 \u00b0C in the sun. If you use it as an office, workshop or storage for sensitive goods, you can't avoid insulation<\/strong> . This page shows which materials are suitable, what the layer structure looks like and where the most common mistakes occur. If you want to save yourself the effort, buy a factory-insulated insulated containers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Schnittzeichnung
Layer structure from the weather side inward, with \u03bb values of common insulation materials.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Interior or exterior insulation?<\/h2>\n

The Interior insulation<\/strong> is the usual choice: easy to implement, but it costs interior space (5\u201310 cm per wall). That is why the High Cube is recommended as a base. The exterior insulation<\/strong> preserves the interior space and protects the steel, but is considerably more complex and requires facade cladding.<\/p>\n

Insulation materials compared<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Material<\/th>\nInsulation value<\/th>\nMoisture behaviour<\/th>\nEffort<\/th>\nNote<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
PU in-situ foam (sprayed)<\/td>\nvery good<\/td>\nvapour-tight<\/td>\nspecialist contractor<\/td>\nseamless, follows every contour, no thermal bridges<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PU\/PIR boards<\/td>\nvery good<\/td>\nvapour-tight<\/td>\nmedium<\/td>\nhigh insulation performance at low thickness, tape joints carefully<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mineral wool<\/td>\ngood<\/td>\nvapour-permeable, moisture-sensitive<\/td>\nmedium<\/td>\ninexpensive, non-combustible, requires a vapour barrier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rubber \/ Armaflex<\/td>\ngood<\/td>\nvapour-tight<\/td>\nlow<\/td>\nself-adhesive, ideal for the ceiling and hard-to-reach areas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u2194 Swipe the table left\/right<\/p>\n

Which material for what?<\/h3>\n

For an unheated storage unit<\/strong>that only needs to dampen temperature peaks, rubber or a thin PIR board is the pragmatic choice \u2013 quick to install, hard-wearing, no need for a vapour barrier. For a living or work space<\/strong> the way forward is PU in-situ foam or carefully bonded PIR boards: only these achieve the required insulation performance within the limited build-up thickness in a container and are airtight at the same time. Mineral wool is inexpensive and non-combustible, but requires a flawlessly executed vapour barrier \u2013 in practice the most common cause of damage. Where there are fire protection requirements<\/strong> (rental, commercial use, assembly rooms), it is not the insulation value that decides, but the building material class: in that case mineral wool is often the required choice despite the extra effort.<\/p>\n

Thermal bridges at the steel frame<\/h2>\n

The continuous steel profiles at the floor, ceiling and corners conduct heat directly to the outside \u2013 this is where condensation forms first. The insulation layer must therefore lie continuously<\/strong> in front of the steel, without interruption by a counter-batten that touches the steel. It is best to insulate directly onto the steel (in-situ foam or bonded boards) and only place the battens on top of the insulation.<\/p>\n

Moisture and vapour barrier<\/h2>\n

With vapour-permeable materials (mineral wool), a vapour barrier<\/strong> must be installed on the room side so that no humid room air migrates into the insulation and condenses there. With vapour-tight materials (PU, rubber), the material itself acts as the barrier \u2013 what matters then is airtight bonding of all joints. Related topic \u2013 condensation: Avoiding condensation in containers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Layer structure from inside to outside<\/h2>\n

Interior lining (e.g. OSB, plywood) \u2192 services layer \/ battens \u2192 vapour barrier (with vapour-permeable insulation) \u2192 insulation \u2192 steel wall. Floor and ceiling are built up separately; the floor often gets additional build-up insulation under the new flooring.<\/p>\n

Don't forget the floor and ceiling<\/h3>\n

The Floor<\/strong> is the most difficult part: the original film-faced plywood floor lies directly on the cross members, beneath which air circulates. Either insulate from below (complex, but with no loss of height) or build a new structure on top of the existing floor \u2013 insulation between joists, with the new wear layer on top. The latter costs 5 to 8 cm of headroom, which is another reason to choose the High Cube as a base. The ceiling<\/strong> has its own geometry with the corrugated roof sheet and the rainwater groove; here, in-situ foam or self-adhesive rubber has a clear advantage over boards, which would have to be fitted to every corrugation.<\/p>\n

Which insulation thickness for which purpose?<\/h2>\n