Shipping Container Dimensions (20ft, 40ft, HC)

Knowing the container dimensions before you book lets you check whether your cargo fits, how it should be palletised and whether you are paying for empty space. The figures below cover the standard dry boxes used in ocean freight — the 20ft, 40ft, 40ft High Cube and 45ft High Cube.

Standard container dimensions

Internal measurements decide how much you actually load — external sizes are fixed by ISO so the boxes stack and lock on any ship.

Container	Internal L × W × H	Capacity	Max payload
20ft standard	5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	~33.2 m³	~28,200 kg
40ft standard	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	~67.7 m³	~26,700 kg
40ft High Cube	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m	~76.3 m³	~26,700 kg
45ft High Cube	13.56 × 2.35 × 2.69 m	~86 m³	~26,700 kg

The door opening is slightly narrower than the internal width — usually around 2.34 m wide — so check the widest item against the doors, not just the floor.

What High Cube adds

A High Cube (HC) container is the same length and width as its standard equivalent but roughly 300 mm taller inside (2.69 m vs 2.39 m). That extra height turns a 40ft box from ~67.7 m³ into ~76.3 m³ — useful for light, bulky cargo where you cube out long before you hit the weight limit. The trade-off is overhead clearance at the destination and a marginally higher freight rate.

For the full lineup including reefers, open tops and flat racks, see container types.

How many Euro pallets fit?

The Euro pallet footprint of 1200 × 800 mm drives the count, and the container's 2.35 m internal width is the limit on each layer:

• 20ft — 11 Euro pallets in one floor layer
• 40ft — 23–25 Euro pallets in one floor layer (depending on orientation and how tightly they pack)

If your goods stack, multiply by the number of tiers the cargo and the door height allow. Run your boxes through the CBM calculator to confirm the volume before you commit to a container size.

Payload vs capacity

Capacity (m³) and max payload (kg) are two separate ceilings, and you hit whichever comes first. Dense cargo — tiles, machinery, drinks — weighs out and you may fill barely half the volume. Light cargo — textiles, packaging, furniture — cubes out with tonnes of payload to spare. Note the 20ft box actually carries a higher max payload (~28,200 kg) than the 40ft (~26,700 kg) despite holding half the volume, because the steel-to-floor ratio is different. Get both numbers right and you avoid both overweight rejections and wasted space.

Once you know the right box, UMERA turns these specs into booked carrier quotes — you enter the load and get comparable rates back, the same way you would for European road freight.

FAQ

What are the internal dimensions of a 20ft container?

A 20ft standard container is about 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m internally, giving roughly 33.2 m³ of usable space and a max payload near 28,200 kg.

How many m³ is a 40ft High Cube container?

A 40ft High Cube holds about 76.3 m³ — roughly 8.6 m³ more than a standard 40ft (67.7 m³) thanks to the extra ~300 mm of internal height.

How many pallets fit in a 40ft container?

A 40ft container takes 23–25 Euro pallets in a single floor layer, depending on orientation. Stacking adds more if cargo weight and door height allow.

Is the container door as wide as the inside?

No. The door opening is narrower than the internal width — typically around 2.34 m against an internal 2.35 m — so measure your widest item against the doorway, not the floor.