Nearly every good you've bought that arrived by sea travelled inside a steel box built almost entirely in one country.
Chinese manufacturers produce more than 95% of the world's dry cargo containers and close to 100% of refrigerated ones, according to shipping consultancy Drewry.
The dominance is so complete that in May 2026 the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment against four Chinese container makers and seven executives for allegedly running a price-fixing cartel that roughly doubled prices between 2019 and 2021.
On July 3, 2026, India quietly tried to open a crack in that monopoly.
A box most people never think about
