REFERENCE
Shipping container dimensions
A 20 ft container is about 19 ft 4 in long, 7 ft 8 1/2 in wide and 7 ft 10 in high inside (5,896 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,393 mm), with about 149 sq ft of floor. A 40 ft is 39 ft 6 in long with the same width and height, and a high cube is 1 ft taller at 8 ft 10 in inside. A 20 ft holds 10 standard 48 x 40 in pallets and a 40 ft holds 20. The table also covers 10 ft and 20 ft high cube boxes, reefers, open tops and flat racks, with empty weights, from Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and Triton.
Updated October 12, 2026
Container sizes
| Container | Inside (L x W x H) | Door (W x H) | Floor | Capacity | Empty weight (tare) | Max payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ft standard container | 9 ft 3 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 7 ft 10 in (2,831 mm x 2,352 mm x 2,393 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 7 ft 6 in | 72 sq ft (worked out) | 563 cu ft | 2,646 lb (1,200 kg) | 19,753 lb (8,960 kg) |
| 20 ft standard container | 19 ft 4 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 7 ft 10 in (5,896 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,393 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 7 ft 5 1/2 in | 149 sq ft (worked out) | 1,172 cu ft | 5,181 lb (2,350 kg) | 62,016 lb (28,130 kg) |
| 20 ft high cube container | 19 ft 4 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 8 ft 10 in (5,898 mm x 2,352 mm x 2,689 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 8 ft 6 in | 149 sq ft (worked out) | 1,317 cu ft | 4,718 lb (2,140 kg) | 62,479 lb (28,340 kg) |
| 40 ft standard container | 39 ft 6 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 7 ft 10 in (12,032 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,393 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 7 ft 5 1/2 in | 304 sq ft (worked out) | 2,391 cu ft | 8,267 lb (3,750 kg) | 63,383 lb (28,750 kg) |
| 40 ft high cube container | 39 ft 6 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 8 ft 10 in (12,032 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,697 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 8 ft 5 1/2 in | 304 sq ft (worked out) | 2,695 cu ft | 8,598 lb (3,900 kg) | 63,052 lb (28,600 kg) |
| 45 ft high cube container | 44 ft 6 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 8 ft 10 in (13,556 mm x 2,352 mm x 2,698 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 8 ft 6 in | 343 sq ft (worked out) | 3,037 cu ft | 10,582 lb (4,800 kg) | 60,848 lb (27,600 kg) |
| 20 ft reefer container | 17 ft 11 in x 7 ft 6 in x 7 ft 1 1/2 in (5,450 mm x 2,284 mm x 2,167 mm) | 7 ft 6 in x 7 ft 5 in | 134 sq ft (worked out) | 996 cu ft | 6,404 lb (2,905 kg) | 60,605 lb (27,490 kg) |
| 40 ft high cube reefer container | 38 ft x 7 ft 6 in x 7 ft 11 1/2 in (11,578 mm x 2,280 mm x 2,425 mm) | 7 ft 5 1/2 in x 8 ft 4 in | 284 sq ft (worked out) | 2,355 cu ft | 9,480 lb (4,300 kg) | 65,257 lb (29,600 kg) |
| 20 ft open top container | 19 ft 4 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 7 ft 8 in (5,895 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,340 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 7 ft 6 in | 149 sq ft (worked out) | 1,148 cu ft | 5,401 lb (2,450 kg) | 66,249 lb (30,050 kg) |
| 40 ft open top container | 39 ft 6 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in x 7 ft 8 1/2 in (12,030 mm x 2,350 mm x 2,347 mm) | 7 ft 8 in x 7 ft 6 in | 304 sq ft (worked out) | 2,345 cu ft | 8,488 lb (3,850 kg) | 58,709 lb (26,630 kg) |
| 20 ft flat rack | 18 ft 3 in x 7 ft 3 1/2 in x 7 ft 4 in to the top of the end frame (5,556 mm x 2,226 mm x 2,233 mm) | No doors | 133 sq ft (worked out) | Open | 6,173 lb (2,800 kg) | 68,784 lb (31,200 kg) |
| 40 ft flat rack | 38 ft 2 in x 7 ft 3 in x 6 ft 5 in to the top of the end frame (11,630 mm x 2,210 mm x 1,959 mm) | No doors | 277 sq ft (worked out) | Open | 11,310 lb (5,130 kg) | 104,433 lb (47,370 kg) |
20, 40 and 45 ft standard and high cube, reefers and open tops from Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk (where they differ, the smaller inside figure; tare from Hapag-Lloyd). 10 ft, 20 ft high cube and flat racks from Triton, with the 20 ft high cube’s capacity from Boxman. Floor area is worked out from the inside length and width. Reefer heights are to the load line: cargo above it blocks the airflow.
Pallets in a container
| Container | 48 x 40 straight | 48 x 40 turned or pinwheel | 1200 x 800 EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ft standard container | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 20 ft standard container | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 20 ft high cube container | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 40 ft standard container | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| 40 ft high cube container | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| 45 ft high cube container | 22 | 24 | 26 |
Single stacked, worked out by the load planner below. Some guides quote one more or one fewer: it depends on the box’s exact length and how tight the load is.
Sources for the 40' high cube: Hapag-Lloyd, Container specification; Maersk, Dry equipment specifications. Equipment varies by maker and year: measure yours when it is tight.
Outside dimensions
| Container | Outside (L x W x H) | In millimeters |
|---|---|---|
| 10 ft standard container | 9 ft 10 in x 8 ft x 8 ft 6 in | 2,991 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,591 mm |
| 20 ft standard container | 19 ft 11 in x 8 ft x 8 ft 6 in | 6,058 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,591 mm |
| 20 ft high cube container | 19 ft 11 in x 8 ft x 9 ft 6 in | 6,058 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,896 mm |
| 40 ft standard container | 40 ft x 8 ft x 8 ft 6 in | 12,192 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,591 mm |
| 40 ft high cube container | 40 ft x 8 ft x 9 ft 6 in | 12,192 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,896 mm |
| 45 ft high cube container | 45 ft x 8 ft x 9 ft 6 in | 13,716 mm x 2,438 mm x 2,896 mm |
ISO 668 outside sizes as published in Hapag-Lloyd’s container specification; the 10 ft from Triton’s sale sheet. High cubes are 1 ft taller outside than standard boxes.
Payload on the road
The rated payload is what the box can carry at sea. On US roads the limit is the truck: 80,000 lb gross on the Interstate, less the tractor, chassis and container, and states set their own rules off the Interstate. A heavy 20 ft load can be legal on the ship and overweight on the highway, so ask your drayage carrier before you load to the rating.
WHERE MORSA FITS
Planned the load, waiting on one PO?
A truck often waits on the one supplier order that is late. Morsa chases open purchase orders, tells you early when a ship date will move, and answers customers’ where-is-my-order questions in email, Teams, WhatsApp or whatever you already run on.
