Best ways to secure your Container – Container Locks and Padlocks
- FeroSafe Lock Box
- BARS Secure Container lock
- Bulldog CT440
- Bulldog CT330
- Squire WS75 padlock
- ABUS 215/100 Container Lock
Overview of Container Locks
There are different types of containers with a few different ways of locking them. There are storage containers and shipping containers. Most commonly the containers we secure are old shipping containers that are used for storage. These have the handle / bar locking system and have the central shrouded lock. The storage containers are more often custom built to varying sizes and door types but often use the central shrouded locking which takes a square-bodied padlock.
The major issue with security on these container doors is the fact it is exposed outside the container. This leaves it vulnerable to attack. Nearly all the container locks offered will protect against basic sawing attempts but will not protect against angle grinders and welding torches.... This is clearly a huge issue as if you are looking to secure thousands of pounds worth of equipment/power tools you want to know your containers secure from this type of attack.
After some extensive research, The Lockshop Warehouse has located 2 very impressive high-security products that will protect against angle grinders and welding torches which we believe will make storage containers far more secure and prevent burglaries in secluded storage yards.
Below are the best ways of securely locking the containers and we have listed the best products we recommend to anyone looking to strengthen their container door.
FeroSafe Container Lock Box with Anti-Grinder Plates
Shop this product: FeroSafe Container Lock Box.
The FeroSafe Container lock box is the only product on the market with the specialist anti-grinder plates welded internally to protect the important parts of the lock box from grinding attacks. The special plates destroy the grinding wheels when they try to cut through them. This can be seen in the video below. When they tried to cut through the lock box they used 10 grinding discs and then gave up and barely made a dent through the plates.... so these container lock boxes are a fantastic addition to the security of your container doors.
Used in conjunction with the Squire WS75 padlock these lock boxes are the only lock box we recommend to use externally as these have the best protection against the most common form of attack.
Below you can see the plates that have been welded to the inside of the lockbox in the key areas to protect the padlock and the hasp when locked.
The unit bolts through the container doors and requires 4 x holes to be drilled through the container door to pass the bolts through. Once you have secured the bolts through the doors the fixings are all concealed behind the unit so no way to access them. See the parts you get with this unit below.
BARS Secure Container Lock
Shop this product: BARS Secure Container Lock
The BARS Secure Container lock is the only lock that can be fitted INTERNALLY inside the container door which will prevent access to the drop bolt and secure the unit from the inside. The bolt is 20mm thick and can not be reached with conventional angle grinders through the door. To access the bolt a huge amount of material would need to be cut away from the door which would take hours and a lot of battery power....
Externally there is a lever handle that turns 90 degrees to drop the large bolt into the receiving block keep. The hooked design prevents the doors from being pulled open or lifted up.
The drop bolt is locked into place with a Euro cylinder externally and 2 simple turns of the key will secure the bolt into place and prevent the handle from being lifted up. Even if the handle is snapped off there is no access to the bolt from the outside so it will be secured through the door.
Externally all that is exposed is the Euro cylinder and the lever handle as seen below.
The BARS Secure container lock is supplied with self-tapping screws and the suitable size metal drill bits to install them. The unit is also supplied with detailed step but step fitting instructions.
This container lock can also be supplied with a Squire Euro cylinder which we can key alike to the same key as the FeroSafe Container lock box. This way you can have the same key for both locks if required.
If you are looking for the highest level of security and the best protection then I would recommend installing a BARS Secure Container lock internally and then the FeroSafe Container lock box externally. This will give you a great level of protection.
Bulldog CT440
The Bulldog CT440 is the strongest additional container lock I have seen on the market. The unit weighs 8.3 kg and as shown in the video above a serious looking container lock that should dissuade the casual thief. The lock secures between the 2 locking bars on the front of the container so even if the padlocks are cut off the doors are still secured together.
Supplied with the Bulldog high security locking pin which comes with 2 keys and ball bearing locking this unit is much more secure than most on the market.
We would recommend using this Bulldog CT440 container lock in conjunction with other locking methods on the container doors as this will give you the best security. Containers tend to be located in isolated areas so it is important to make the doors as secure as possible to prevent burglars from having an easy target.
Bulldog CT330
The Bulldog CT330 is the smaller version of the Bulldog CT440. It works in a similar way by hooking around the locking bars on the container and prevents the doors from being opened.
In the video above you can see the unit and the locking action. You can clearly see the difference in sizes from the larger CT440 compared to the CT330.
The Bulldog CT330 comes with 2 keys and operates a pullout pin locking system that releases the 2 halves of the lock and you can then slide them apart.
These are available keyed differ so 2 x different keys for each lock or keyed alike so multiple units will all be keyed alike.
Squire WS75 Padlock
The Squire WS75 padlock has been specially designed to fit nearly all containers either locking the handles in place or locking under the protective shroud in the center of the container. There will be the very rare container they will not fit but with this padlock, you can have all the padlocks on the same key so you have multiple locks on the same key.
These padlocks were mainly meant to be used under the shroud on the front of the containers as most square bodied shutter padlocks do not have the correct dimensions to easily fit under and lock through the eye lits.
The padlock has a CEN 4 rating, 12mm shackle thickness, 27mm horizontal clearance, and 14mm vertical clearance.
ABUS 215/100 Shipping Container lock
The ABUS 215/100 Shipping container lock has been designed to add a high security lock to the container in case there has not already been a shrouded lock installed in the center of the doors. The lock is a complete kit with the bolt through fixings to secure the unit through the door. The security rating of this lock is extremely high as it comes with the high security ABUS Granit Padlock - 37RK/70 padlock with the 100mm long shackle.
Its not the easiest to install as you will need the specialist drill bits to cut through the container door but if you have the parts it will give you a fantastically secure lock on your container.
The padlocks can be interchanged and we can get the ABUS range keyed differ or keyed alike if required.