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About Charlotte, NC
Often referred to as the Queen City, Charlotte, North Carolina plays a significant role in regional logistics and supply chain due to its strategic location and well-developed transportation infrastructure. Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC serve as major inland hubs due to their connectivity to Southeastern ports like Savannah and Charleston, while Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and Wilmington, NC rely heavily on port shipping for import/export trade. Charlotte, NC's top imports include pharmaceuticals, computer equipment, motor vehicles, apparel, and basic chemicals.
The city's main exports are machinery, transportation equipment, and electrical equipment. Charlotte's top import destinations are Italy, Ireland, and Germany, while its main export partners are China, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Used Containers come through the intermodal transport on rail and trucks. Charlotte boosts a robust multimodal infrastructure supporting movement of goods throughout the southeast. Check for inventory and stock on 20ft and 40ft containers in this market as used container availability is dynamic in this area due to is location to coastal ports, major highways and rail systems.
Used Shipping Container Insights for Charlotte, NC
Population
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan population in 2023 was 2.8 million people.
Major employers
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy (headquartered in Charlotte and one of the largest holding companies for electrical power in America), Atrium Health, Novant Health, Siemens Energy, Amazon, and LendingTree.
Imports & Exports
- Exports: In 2024, Charlotte exported $10 billion in goods, ranking 31st out of 43 districts in the United States. Top exports include vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins, cultures, and explosive ammunition.
- Imports: In 2024, Charlotte imported $19.8 billion in goods, also ranking 31st nationally. Leading imports include vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins, cultures, and packaged medicaments.
Intermodal System
- Road: Its strategic location at the intersection of major highways provides access to over 60% of the U.S. population within a two-day drive.
- Rail: Both Norfolk Southern and CSX operate intermodal facilities in the region, facilitating rail-to-truck transfer of goods.
- Sea: Proximity to major seaports in Charleston, Wilmington, and Savannah further enhances intermodal shipping options and global connectivity.
What We Love About Charlotte, NC
The “Queen City” is the home to three major league sports teams, a beautiful skyline, a booming restaurant, an art & cultural scene, and the home of NASCAR. If you have ever watched a NASCAR race you know they can burn through numerous tires in a race and change a tire in less than 5 seconds. That’s a lot of tires. Did you know you can fit 1500 tires in one 20ft container? That’s a lot of rubber to burn...
Used containers have found their home in and around the city. Leave it to the innovative and forward-thinking lifestyle grocer, Whole Foods to feature containers in their stores. In Huntersville, NC only a few miles from Charlotte, a decommissioned container is in the store and proudly serves Barrel Burgers.
Charlotte is embracing shipping containers as part of the circular economy by repurposing them for affordable housing, retail spaces, and community hubs. Projects like container-based food halls, pop-up shops, and mixed-use developments reduce construction waste while promoting sustainability and innovation. By giving retired containers a second life, Charlotte is cutting down on material consumption and landfill waste, supporting a greener urban landscape. These initiatives also create economic opportunities, fostering local entrepreneurship and revitalizing underutilized spaces in an environmentally responsible way.