The work aims to work out the key factors influencing the foldable container with respect to the problems with empty container reposition. The total costs and factors of standard and foldable containers were analyzed by factor analysis and integer programming. The influencing factors included the transportation cost, the container leasing cost, the liner transportation capacity, the inventory storage cost and the folding/unfolding cost. The leasing cost was the key factor to influence the use of foldable container. When the leasing cost was decreased by over 10%, the use of foldable container was more economical than standard container. In conclusion, the use of foldable container is influenced by many factors. Under certain conditions, foldable container is much better than standard container.