How Big is a Shipping Container?

One of the most common questions I get asked working in shipping and logistics, “how big is a shipping container?”

While this question might seem silly to logistics pros, it’s quite common for those that are shipping cargo for the first time or new to the industry to ask. That is totally ok because I am here to educated those that are interested. 

Since I regularly advise business owners on how many widgets they can cram into a steel box we are going to go over shipping container sizes. 

What are Standard Shipping Container Sizes?

Let’s start with what everyone thinks about when I say “shipping container”. We are talking about those big, blocky boxes piling up at ports all across the world. 

People might think there are a bunch of different sizes of shipping containers, there are actually only 2. 

There are 2o-foot containers and 40-foot containers for shipping. This is standard as it makes it easier to load, unload, and transport.

Transportation doesn’t have to just be by ocean freight, what I focus on for instance. The containers can go by truck and train as well. 

What are the Dimensions of 20-Foot Shipping Containers?

The classic 20-footer is the workhorse of the shipping trade. In shipping we refer to 20-foot shipping containers as TEU, Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit. You will likely see TEU used often in shipping. It’ essentially a measurement of how much cargo capacity a ship or company is moving. 

On paper, a standard 20-foot container measures about 20 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8.5 feet tall.

In metric, this is 6.06 meters long × 2.44 meters wide × 2.59 meters high.

The actual measurements inside are smaller. Why? Steel walls and thick doors will reduce a few inches from the actual dimensions.

Inside, you’re looking at about 19’4″ (5.9m) long × 7’8″ (2.34m) wide × 7’10” (2.39m) high.

Still, you can fit the quite a lot of cargo into a standard TEU. I’ve helped many customers over the years do this. 

What are the Dimensions of 40-Foot Shipping Containers?

Now let’s talk about the 40 feet or 12.2m long container. It’s actually the same width and height as a 20-footer, still 8 feet wide and 8.5 feet tall. Length is the only thing that grows on 40-foot containers. 

If we were going to open up a 40-footer you’ll see 39’5″ (12.03m) of interior length, 7’8″ (2.34m) width, and 7’10” (2.39m) height. 

Shipping Container Volume and Weight 

We talked about the dimensions of shipping containers, but what can you actually fit inside?

A standard 20-foot container holds about 1,170 cubic feet or 33.2 cubic meters.

A 40-foot container will about double that to 2,390 cubic feet about 67.7 cubic meters.

Anytime you are talking in shipping containers, I recommend sticking with Cubic Meters (CBM). Most countries are on the metric system and its easier for international cargo speak. 

You can’t just think about CBM though, also consider weight capacity.

Every container is stamped with a MAX GROSS WEIGHT, this is typically around 24,000 kg or 52,910 lbs for a 20-footer container.

For a 40-foot containers the limit is 30,480 kg or 67,200 lbs.

Containers themselves weighs a couple thousand kilos all by themselves. This is known as tare weight. 

Something I recommend is always checking the trucking and rail weight limits. Sometimes there is a limit and it’s lower than what people are loading shipping containers with. 

High Cube vs Standard Height Containers

Some containers have a little extra headroom. These are called high cubes.

Instead of 8.5 feet high cubes are 9.5 feet or 2.89m on the outside. That extra foot really makes a difference if you’ve got tall machinery or want to double-stack cargo pallets. 

Inside this gives you clearance of roughly 8’10” or 2.69m height.

High cubes come in both 40-foot and 20-foot varieties, however 20-foot is not as common. 40-foot high cubes are by far the most common you will see.

Specialized Containers

The above we were talking about high cubes and standard steel shipping containers. 

There’s a wide variety of shipping containers built for all sorts of cargo. 

Reefers – This means Refrigerated container. The shipping industry lingo is Reefer, I have no idea why but someone came up with in and we say it. Reefers come in 20-foot and 40-foot sizes. They have thicker-walls thanks to insulation and cooling units, so the inside is even tighter than a standard box, typically around 6 inches less on each side. You usually use Reefers to transport medicine or food. 

Open top – This is exactly what it sounds like. Open tops are the convertible cars of the cargo world since they have removable tarps. These come in standard 20 and 40-foot sizes. Being able to remove the tarp on the top allows you to move cargo that pokes up above the height of standard cargo container. 

Flat rack – These are for supersized cargo. They’re basically a reinforced steel floor with no walls on the side. They come as 20 or 40′ long. The advantage is you can stack just about anything onto flat racks. Especially oversized cargo with high weight limits. 

What Matters for Cargo? Internal Measurements!

Here’s the #1 mistake I’ve seen shippers make.

They plan for the outside box and forget about the internal measurements.

Always use internal measurements for cargo. Why? Frames, insulation, and door gaps shrink your usable cargo space.

External dimensions just tell you if the container where it will fit. 

For instance, think about the door openings. Just because something will fit inside a box theoretically doesn’t mean it’ll squeeze through the door.

The typical door height on a standard container is about 7’6″ or 2.28m, if you’re moving something taller you will have to get a high-cube. 

If you have questions or thoughts about shipping containers size, clearance, or weight limits I’d be happy to hear it below.