Shipping Container Dimensions and Sizes

A standard shipping container is 8 ft (2.44 m) wide and 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) high on the outside, and comes in two main lengths: 20 ft (6.06 m) and 40 ft (12.19 m). A high cube container is one foot taller, at 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m). Inside, a 20 ft container holds about 33 CBM and a 40 ft about 67 CBM.

Container dimensions in meters

Container	Inside L × W × H	Door W × H	Volume	Tare	Max payload
20 ft standard	5.898 × 2.352 × 2.393 m	2.340 × 2.280 m	33.2 m³	2,300 kg	28,180 kg
40 ft standard	12.032 × 2.352 × 2.393 m	2.340 × 2.280 m	67.7 m³	3,750 kg	26,730 kg
40 ft high cube	12.032 × 2.352 × 2.698 m	2.340 × 2.585 m	76.3 m³	3,900 kg	26,580 kg
45 ft high cube	13.556 × 2.352 × 2.698 m	2.340 × 2.585 m	86.0 m³	4,800 kg	27,700 kg
20 ft reefer	5.44 × 2.29 × 2.27 m	2.29 × 2.26 m	28.3 m³	3,080 kg	27,400 kg
40 ft high cube reefer	11.58 × 2.29 × 2.55 m	2.29 × 2.57 m	67.6 m³	4,800 kg	29,200 kg

Container dimensions in feet

Container	Outside L × W × H	Inside L × W × H	Volume	Max gross
20 ft standard	20′ × 8′ × 8′6″	19′4″ × 7′9″ × 7′10″	1,172 ft³	67,200 lb
40 ft standard	40′ × 8′ × 8′6″	39′6″ × 7′9″ × 7′10″	2,391 ft³	67,200 lb
40 ft high cube	40′ × 8′ × 9′6″	39′6″ × 7′9″ × 8′10″	2,694 ft³	67,200 lb
45 ft high cube	45′ × 8′ × 9′6″	44′6″ × 7′9″ × 8′10″	3,037 ft³	71,650 lb

These are typical values. Containers vary a little by manufacturer, age and owner: the real tare and maximum gross weight are printed on the CSC safety plate and on the door of each box. Road weight limits in your country may allow less cargo than the container's rated payload, so check with your forwarder or haulier before loading heavy goods.

How wide is a shipping container?

Standard ISO containers are 8 ft (2.438 m) wide on the outside and about 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) wide inside. The door opening is narrower, about 2.34 m, so a load that fits the inside width must still pass the door. Reefers are narrower inside, about 2.29 m, because of the insulated walls. Pallet wide containers, mostly used in Europe, are about 2.44 m wide inside to take two Euro pallets side by side.

How much does a shipping container weigh?

An empty 20 ft container weighs about 2,300 kg (5,070 lb) and an empty 40 ft about 3,750 kg (8,270 lb); a 40 ft high cube about 3,900 kg (8,600 lb). Most 20 ft and 40 ft dry containers are rated for a maximum gross weight of 30,480 kg (67,200 lb), which is the container plus its cargo. Under the SOLAS rules, the shipper must declare the verified gross mass (VGM) of every packed container before it is loaded on a ship.

20 ft or 40 ft: which container do you need?

• Heavy goods (tiles, stone, metal, paper rolls) usually go in 20 ft containers: you reach the weight limit before the space is full, and a 40 ft carries about the same payload.
• Light, bulky goods (furniture, garments, plastic goods) suit a 40 ft or a 40 ft high cube, which costs less per CBM.
• Tall cargo or stacked cartons gain about 30 cm of height in a high cube, which often adds a whole extra layer of cartons.
• Under about 13 to 15 CBM it is usually cheaper to ship LCL in a shared container. Total your cartons with the CBM calculator first.

How many cartons fit in a container?

Use the carton fit tool above: enter the carton size and weight and it finds the best simple stacking pattern, then caps the count at the container's payload. It tries every orientation, or only upright ones if your cartons must stay "this side up". Real loads usually fit a little less because of uneven cartons, dunnage and lashing space, and a load planner can sometimes fit a few more by mixing orientations. Record the final count, volume and weight on the commercial invoice and the bill of lading.