DIY – Shanghai Metal Corporation

Google – The New Creator of Container Architects

Building a container residence can be nice DIY project, especially for those who take building as a hobby or a way to relax. Still, one needs to keep in mind that building container houses is a long procedure and requires extremely professional attitude. Due to many challenges, container house projects might escalate into failures. Thereby it is a worthy option to get a professional manufacturer to build it for you. There used to be a huge challenge in that option as well.

In order to manufacture container houses, the provider need the houses’ drawings. Building a house without blueprints is impossible. The manufacturers are also unable to determine the price without really specific details about one’s dream house. Most of us lack the architectural skills for that. Luckily, today all you need is a sketch made with Google Sketchup software.

Try googling container houses designed with Google Sketchup and you’ll find many results. By sending your sketch to a provider, you’ll safe a lot of time in negotiating and explaining your vision. Sketchup is a tool for you to translate the idea of your dream house to an architectural language that the manufacturers understand.

The prices of container houses can vary a lot. The prices are dependent of the number of floors, the amount of plumbing and electricity installations to name but a few. Use your sketches to inquire the prices. That’s how manufacturers can help you.

Container houses are advantageous related to conventional buildings in the sense that they can be built elsewhere than their final destination. For instance Shanghai Metal Corporation custom-manufactures numerous container houses every year and ships them worldwide. You can submit your inquiries and sketches in our Facebook page by sending a message. Check also our other social media platforms for future updates. See our container house service description here.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Eric Wichman’s blog, Victor Fernandez, Tin Can Cabin, Mister Swift, Land8, Google Sketchup

Container Houses – Affordable Homes And A Lot More

As we all know, building a home out of shipping containers is cheaper and faster than conventionally built homes with same dimensions. Buying a prefabricated container home makes it even easier for average consumer since the majority of the construction is made off-site. Container homes are definitely becoming the mainstream of affordable housing, but since almost anything can be built out of these steel Lego blocks, why should one settle only for getting a living space?

The simplest container living space can of course be done by using a one single container. There are numerous examples of these container micro homes that are also presented in our articles. People wanting to build larger homes use to spend more money by hiring an architect agency to make them do the drawings for a container house manufacturer. Today thanks to Google, we can avoid those service costs by using Google’s Sketch Up program to make them ourselves. That money can be spent perhaps for a container garage, sauna or even a swimming pool.

Container swimming pool could be a nice DIY project. Stefan Beese, An experimental architect set us an example by turning his New Orlean’s backyard into a luxurious swimming zone. He used a 30 cubic shipping container, added some pumps, filters, linings and did all the necessary operations. He only used about $5,000 to $7,000 to do that. You can read his whole story through this link.

Saunas are a necessities in some countries. For example in Nordic countries a saunaless house will most likely not get sold. For now the container sauna market is not that large and there are only a few suppliers of prefabricated container sauna manufacturers. One of them is Canadian Castor whose 8 ft sauna containers have a really high-end price tag of $ 41,000.

Luckily shipping container houses are modular and flexible in every way. They can be shipped and built in relatively short time frames. They can also be easily adjoined to existing buildings. Therefore for consumers it could be a reasonable option to buy a custom manufactured container house and save pools, saunas etc. later as DIY projects.

In Shanghai Metal Corporation we custom-manufacture container houses according to customers’ requirements. We also offer various indoor kits that you can see on our web page. We also sell various kinds of shipping containers worldwide. If you have questions related product categories, you can send your questions through this form. We are also active on these social media platforms. Follow us to get future updates.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Gizmag, Nola, my-container.co.uk, Inhabitat, Viralnova

Container Homes – Only The Question of Make Or Buy

Shipping containers are a modular construction material that can be used to build affordable houses with aesthetic design. One of the major advantages of container houses is their durability; you basically need a light torch and dynamite to break in. Getting a safe home like this raises the question “to make or buy?”. Here we will analyze both of those options.

Buying a prefabricated container house will save you a lot of time and physical work. You need to consult a container house provider and offer them your sketches. You need to give them precise information about your living conditions in order for them to implement proper insulation, floor and roofing. You should also ask for computer rendered image of their work. There are many companies that provide prefabricated container houses and ship them worldwide. We also in Shanghai Metal Corporation do that. You can see our house concept and manufacturing details here.

Many people want to have a perfect control over the whole process which is why they choose to build them themselves. If you want to build a container house yourself, you should pay attention to some things. The first thing is the choice of containers. Countries that import a lot of goods but do not do much exporting have hundreds of thousands of used shipping containers in their ports. When you’re in a port you should select the one on the top of the pile because using a crane to get the lower ones is a time consuming and a rather expensive task.

The other thing is that you never know what has been shipped inside the container. Therefore you should hire a professional to check if there are any traces of toxic spillages or radioactive materials.

In terms of construction you need to pay close attention painting and insulation. If done improperly the house will start to collect rust and turn into a freezer or an oven depending on the outside temperature. The insulation is usually done with an insulating foam. When adding windows you need to be careful not to break the whole structure. You also need to use some steel reinforcements.

Some people want to build container houses themselves in order to save construction costs. But after considering the above mentioned aspects you’ll see that making it yourself might not be the cheapest option. Also if you add the fact that getting a professional to put in drywall, heating and plumbing may cost over $200 per square meter, you might want to take time and discuss more with a customized house provider. If you like building things yourself, you might want to start with smaller projects, say, a summer house, swimming pool or a sauna.

If you are a DIY person, just go for it! Whether you want to make or buy, we in Shanghai Metal Corporation can offer all the materials. We do customized container houses according to your requests. We also offer shipping containers and other additional construction material. You can send us more questions or specify your requirements with this form. Check also our social media channels for future updates.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: HomeDSGN, Julie Kinnear, Container Transportation, Jets on Green

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The Many Architectural Applications of Shipping Containers vol.6

Before, garages were the only option for affordable business facilities. Now they can be replaced with shipping containers. What’s interesting, shipping containers can also be converted into garages.

Many companies including Apple , Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Harley-Davidson, Google, Amazon and Mattel started their businesses in garages. Today’s start-ups, or, the multinational corporation of tomorrow can start their businesses in low-cost container facilities. Imagine what if Apple was started in a shipping container.

Shipping containers are a modular building material that is also durable and feasibly priced. Because of their physical properties, start-up business managers are able to design customized offices.

Shipping containers are in many ways an ideal building material. They are designed to resist harsh environments and therefore they can offer shelter even for natural disasters. They are also designed to be modular what makes it easy to use additional construction material to complete the buildings.

Shipping container construction is said to have lower labor costs compared to traditional construction. This can be explained by their simple steel structure that only requires welding and cutting procedures to be modified. Building a garage for your Harley-Davidson, BMW or Mercedes could not be more pleasant!

For start-ups, container offices are an excellent approach for creating expendable business facilities in relatively little time. They take offices out of garages and create new business opportunities. Shipping containers have another connection with garages. Containers can become them. If you plan your own DIY garage project or plan on starting a business, I recommend sending a price inquiry in Shanghai Metal Corporation‘s contact page. You may also check our prefab office solutions. Visit also our social media platforms.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Hola.com, Wikipedia, Popsugar, Forbes,Irish Mirror, Wikipedia, World Home Design Ideas Magazine,Retire@21, Wikipedia, HD History & News, Home in a Box, Totaho.com, Youtube, Nealev in Blogspot

Continue to chapter 7.

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The Many Architectural Applications of Shipping Containers vol.2

In volume one, we discussed homes, hotels, and retail outlets and their benefits. They are only a fraction of what you can do with shipping containers. The volume two will be about container facilities for relaxation and discuss swimming pools, saunas, and bathhouses.

A traditional swimming pool’s installation costs might be between US$6000 and $50,000 not to mention excavation and decking costs. A shipping container, on the other hand, can be purchased with approximately $2000. The additional costs consists of making the pool water proof by lining the interior with a water-proof lining or welding and painting the interior. Also, regular pool filters, pumps and fixtures should be fitted to the container as well.

Shipping container swimming pool is a nice DIY project. For example Stefan Beese, an experimental architect used a 30 cubic cargo container to turn his New Orlean’s backyard into a luxurious swimming zone. What’s more, he only needed about $5,000 to $7,000 to do that. You can read his whole story through this link.

Shipping containers can be now used as saunas. A Canadian design studio Castor has designed the first container sauna.

The 8 ft container is a fully-operational sauna box that uses wood for heating and solar energy for lighting. The mobile sauna also comes with an integrated iPod stereo and an electric guitar hook-up. Also additional creature comforts such as a magnetic truck light, castor stool, and bronze antlers are included.

A company named SOAK has an eco-friendly container bathhouse project. This container complex will be able gain 100% of its power from solar energy. The bathhouse also gets a substantial of its water from nature by harvesting and filtering rainwater. They will also reuse the greywater by directing it to their patio’s garden meadow.

The company wanted to shipping containers because they are inexpensive to occupy, easy to move and quick to retrofit. Shipping containers also offer a durable and good-looking aesthetics that will support their vision. SOAK’s goal is to build a bathhouse for “healthy hedonists” that want make an effort to be healthy but do not want to be dogmatic or ideological about it. What’s more they want make their business sociable and sustainable.

Shipping containers combined supporting construction material is all one needs to build their pools, saunas or even bathhouses. We in Shanghai Metal Corporation sell them both. Please visit our websites on containers and construction material for detailed descriptions. Check also our social media platforms.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Sources: See our articles on container swimming pools, saunas, and bathhouses.

Continue to chapter 3

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Dream Home Furnishing With IKEA’s Very Affordable Little Helper

If you ask any present college student or graduate where they bought their furniture while at school, odds are IKEA is high up on that list. As of January 2008, IKEA became the world’s largest furniture retailer thanks to their product management, placement and quality given to their customers. IKEA’s product lines range from your everyday table spoon and doorknobs to larger media furniture, sofas, and full furnished kitchens. With style and functionality at it’s forth front, IKEA needed a material that would both look aesthetically pleasing with their items and durable-stainless steel was the answer.

Using China as the main example; out of their 2615 products on sale, 544 have in one way shape or form stainless steel. With over 20% of their products in China containing stainless steel, it’s a great thing that most of IKEA’s stainless steel articles are sourced from Asia, including China at 90%, Taiwan and Korea with the final 10%. The ability to adapt stainless steel on their existing products gave them that hint of style they needed.

With IKEA’s popularity at a world’s recognition, they have attracted new and modern designers. The ability for these designers to use stainless steel in their products has helped promote IKEA product as not just functional but stylish, as well as potentially raise their revenue. With some products, consumers have a choice of whether or not to include stainless steel in their product. For example, you could buy a bed frame and keep the wooden legs that it comes with, or opt to spend $20 more on those stainless steel legs which makes your bed look better. At the end of the day more people choose to spend just a little bit more to make their bed look sleeker and better looking.

The example of the bed legs is just one small one, but it shows the significance a small change can make. Stainless steel has absolutely helped IKEA pave the way to different markets with their high quality and affordable products.

It is this same idea of affordability and quality that we here at Shanghai Metal Corporation bring to the table with your stainless steel needs. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Sources: Ikea, Stainless Steel Report SMC stainless steel pipe

Mario B.//SMC Editor

Bobby Pin DIY – If You Haven’t Already Lost Them

These items are the most lost item next to pens and lighters. So if you are lucky enough to still have a few of these, why not check some cool DIY you can get up to?

Necklace

Bookmark

Pick a Lock (check out are locks as easy to pick as in the movies? for more)

Earrings

Finger Protector

Speaking of, Shanghai Metal manufactures bobby pins using carbon steel strip tape. As an ISO 14001 (International Quality Management System) Company and recipient of the “Star Enterprise Award,” Shanghai Metal Corporation prides itself on exceeding international standards of quality and reliability. We guarantee the best prices, quality support, and fast delivery. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Sources: Buzzfeed

Siobhan R.// SMC Editor

DIY Paper Circuit That Maps The Sky and Space

In our recent posts we have seen the most innovative eco-friendly marketing campaigns. The WaterLess Levi’s jeans that uses the minimum amount of water in their manufacturing process, or the newest McDonald’s Stockholm “exchange-recycled-cans- for-free-burgers” campaign, or another brilliant way to adhere to naked greener Coke cans.

The efforts to confront some of the world’s greatest challenges, however, do not exclusively take place in business – but also in university education. The HCIL (Human-Computer Interaction Lab) at the University of Maryland designed and created an interactive experience that combines bits and atoms, or virtual and physical: StarryNight.

Primarily designed as an educational tool for kids, StarryNight is a project that emphasizes the Maker/DIY culture by which the kids learn the basics about astronomy and electronic circuits “by doing” in a social environment. The way StarryNight works is very simple, basic materials like copper tape, coin cells, LED lights, copper foil and some black paper are put together to make stars shine and shape different constellations. One big huge circuit which has all the stars (blue LEDs) is connected in parallel in this open and closed circuit, where each of the four constellations has a separate circuit with green LEDs to show the edges of the constellations.

This DIY paper circuit board is great to encourage invention and constructive learning, and more importantly, it does not require big bucks to be built unlike the very luxury $5700 mechanical Caran d’Ache’s Caelograph pen that charts the stars and constellations at any given time and on any date as a result of miniaturization, ingenious engineering and talent of an astronomer.

So if you wish to build a StarryNight for inexpensive collection of material, you will need:

Lots of Copper Tape
About six 3V coin cells
About 60 LEDs
Copper Foil (since its conductive both sides, it was used to activate switches)
Soldering Iron

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of copper rivets in varying sizes and forms, widely used in the manufacturing of art sculptures such as the Water<Less jeans in London. To find out more about us, please visit our Website, LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code. Moreover, we sell directly from Alibaba, EC21 and Tradekey.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Source and pictures: slideee.com, instructables.com, trendhunter.com, telegraph.co.uk

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Does Coke Really Clean Pennies?

So many myths make their rounds in our conversations; you can jump at the last second to survive an elevator crash, or that no one can lick their elbow. But here at SMC, we are here to confirm the ultimate urban myth – coke does indeed clean pennies.

But how is this possible you may ask – how doesn’t the coke also corrode our digestive system? Carbonated (fizzy) soft drinks contain carbonic acid that is often used to remove rust and other types of corrosion from metals. Corrosion happens when the metal reacts with oxygen and the effect is different on different metals, such as rust on iron or tarnish on copper. But, the acid in fizzy drinks is weaker than the gastric acid already in your stomach which is used to break down food.

Take a look here to see it in action:

Other uses of coke are vast:

In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
Removing grease from clothes
Basting a ham
To remove rust from car parts
To clean a toilet

So there you have it – mystery solved! Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures the copper used for making pennies – typically the less corroded kind. As an ISO 14001 (International Quality Management System) Company and recipient of the “Star Enterprise Award,” Shanghai Metal Corporation prides itself on exceeding international standards of quality and reliability. We guarantee the best prices, quality support, and fast delivery. To find out more, please visit our Website,, WordPress, LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code. Moreover, we sell directly from Alibaba , EC21 and Tradekey.

You can also read more articles by our team at SMC:

Are Smart Watches The New Smart Phone?

Who To Blame (Or Thank) For Your Braces

How To Do A Better Job Than Jack

The Last Of The Great Train Robbers Dies

3 Funniest Animal Escape Videos

Food That Grows In Surprising Ways

Strange Things People Steal

Get Your Own DeLorean Time Machine

4 Strange Stockpiling Panics

Live Clean Or Die Hard

Top 3 Ammunition Alternatives

Top 10 Countries For Internet Speed

Drunk Man Found In Container Bound For The USA

Containers – The New Political Soapbox

Move Along Airplanes – Submarines Overtake Travel

Thor’s Hammer: The Science

Shipping Container City – Shanghai Immigrant’s Homes

Can You Do A 360 Degree Loop On A Swing Set?

Become Bullet Proof …Using Water

Counterfeit Money Cases

LEGO Lands On British Shores

Innovative Uses of Soap

Air Quality – What Can Be Done?

Team Building Exercises – A New Spin

How Much Petrol Costs Internationally

The Antarctican Training Programme – Could You Make It?

What Is The Mirror Paradox?

Do Oil Discoveries Cause Conflict?

Should We All Switch To Cycling?

Where Did ‘Loom Bands’ Come From?

Are You Apocalypse Ready?

Could You Abseil Down Big Ben?

Building Your Dream Kitchen

How A Tiny Anchor Can Hold A Whole Ship

Did You Know There Are 14 Kinds Of Spoon?

How To Make A Statement At Business Networking Events

How Do Telephones Actually Work?

How To Do A Better Job Than Jack

Spoiler alert – Jack didn’t do a great job maintaining the Overlook. The hotel’s overworked boiler was an ongoing metaphor for Jack’s own simmering insanity. And as his temper did, so did the boiler explode.

Proper maintenance of that boiler might have avoided the fate that eventually hit Jack. Avoid unqualified maintenance workers as was shown here and hire a professional. But, you can perform some small forms of maintenance on your own. Depending on the type of system you own – forced air, hot water or steam — you can conduct various maintenance tests and clean areas that require routine maintenance. Well-maintained boilers function more efficiently and ensure that your family will be safe from potential hazards:

Examine your boiler’s vent connection pipe and chimney, because these parts deteriorate over time. Determine that no holes or cracks are present and that all areas that should be sealed are intact.
Inspect your heat exchanger for proper function. Heat exchangers typically leak water, so if you notice a water leak, that’s likely the problem.
Readjust the controls on your boiler so they provide the optimum levels of efficiency and heat. The more efficient a system, the more money your family will save on heating costs.

Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures stainless steel boiler heat exchangers. We are one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of metal products. Shanghai Metal Corporation produces about 8000-10000 Metric tons of stainless steel every month. As a holder of large stores of metal products, we are able to provide low prices, high quality, excellent support, and quick delivery times.

To find out more, please visit our Tumblr, WordPress, LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code. Moreover, we sell directly from Alibaba , EC21 and Tradekey.

You can also read more articles by our team at SMC:

What Hollywood Finally Got Right About Science

How To Make A Statement At Business Networking Events

Foods That Grow In Surprising Ways

Women’s Gifts To The World

Woman Addicted To Eating Mattresses

A World Without Mirrors – What Would Change?

Man Of Steel: Why It Wasn’t Called ‘Superman’?