Dimensions of Freight and Sea Containers: Types, Dimensions, Tables and Loading Calculation

The 2.40 m high machine arrived at the warehouse for a forty-foot cargo ship. The internal height of the container is 2.39 m, everything fits according to the catalog, and the doorway on this particular unit turned out to be 2,280 mm. The cargo did not arrive, the car stood for a day, and the shipment was moved to the High Cube. The outer feet of the containers are the same, and the door, container, and payload vary by centimeters and tons from batch to batch. Below are the ISO dimensions, internal dimensions, openings, pallets and weight limits, and with them a disclaimer where the figure from the catalog stops working.

Door and load density are decided earlier than feet

Compare the height of the cargo area with the doorway. The standard DC has 2,280–2,291 mm, while the High Cube has 2,585–2,597 mm. Then estimate the weight density. For 20' DC it is about 650–850 kg/m3, for 40' DC it is about 370–430. And only then look at the length in feet.

That's the order, and it's not random. The door cuts off the most applications, because the free centimeters inside the container are useless if the cargo does not pass between the doors. Density decides by the second number and shows what you will hit first, in tons or cubic meters.

Dense loads like metal, stone, cement, and machine tools gain maximum mass long before they fill the volume. A 20-foot container is usually enough for him, and two twenties is often more profitable than one fortieth, because the total payload is higher. Light bulk cargo behaves the other way around. Furniture, insulation, empty containers, and marketplace products fill cubes before tons, and here High Cube saves the number of boxes.

We ask the client to send the dimensions in millimeters for each cargo unit, not in about two dozen feet. For the batch, we add the number of seats, the pallet, the possibility of stacking and the method of loading. This is enough to calculate the option before booking a slot.

When this table is not suitable

Everything below describes ISO Series 1 containers that travel by sea, by rail, and by truck in multimodal transport. You can't take numbers from here outside of it.

Medium-tonnage railway boxes for 3 and 5 tons live by their dimensions, they have a different fastening system and a different width. There is a separate section about them below. North American 53-foot containers for domestic lines in the United States are not included in the Series 1 classification at all.

The wear category has a separate story. For operators, the fleet is marked up in categories from 0 to 3. Units 0–2 are used for transportation, and category 3 is considered a warehouse and may not hold the rated load and permissible stacking load. The outside feet are the same, so you can't tell such a box from the table. Ask for the category before booking, especially if the container is offered noticeably cheaper than the market.

How to read container designations

There are different names for one type in applications and catalogs. The letter code should be read along with the description and length, because different operators have similar but not identical abbreviations.

A twenty-foot container is equal to one TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), a forty-foot container is one FEU, that is, two TEUs. The 40' sign indicates the length, and the code after it indicates the type. Let's say 40DC standard, 40HC high, 40HCPW high increased width.

External dimensions according to ISO 668 and GOST

The outer grid is defined by ISO 668, 2020 edition, as amended by Amd 1 in 2022. In Russia, GOST R 53350-2009 is based on ISO 668, it fixes the same external grid, maximum gross weight, minimum internal dimensions and minimum door openings.

The width of the entire series 1 is constant and is 2,438 mm. The height of the standard bulk carrier is 2,591 mm, while that of the High Cube is 2,896 mm.

The standard specifies the envelope size, but does not make all containers of the same model the same. The manufacturer puts thicker panels, a different floor, reinforced corners, a refrigeration unit, and the internal dimensions diverge. Take the outer lengths and widths from here, look at everything else on a specific unit.

Dry cargo containers of 10, 20, 40 and 45 ft

Ten-foot container and storage boxes

A ten-foot container is noticeably rarer than a twenty- and forty-foot container. It is used for small batches, storage, and short multimodal circuits when 20' is redundant. The internal volume is about 15 m3.

There's a trap here. A storage box is often sold under the guise of a 10-foot container. It looks the same, but it does not have corner fittings and an active CSC, which means it will not go into sea, rail or combined transportation.

Twenty-foot DC and HC

20' DC remains the base container for dense batches. Inside 5 898–5 905 × 2 350–2 352 × 2 390–2 393 mm, volume 33–33.2 m3, door about 2,336 × 2,280 mm. The payload of the different series is 21,600 - 28,300 kg.

20' HC of the same length, but higher. The internal height is 2,693–2,698 mm, the volume is 37.4–38.4 m3. A format for light bulk cargo and tall boxes. In width, it does not differ in any way from the standard twentieth, so if the load does not fit into the door in width, the extra height will not help.

Forty-foot DC, HC and HCPW

40' DC is taken for long batches, which have enough standard height. Inside 12 032–12 039 × 2 350 × 2 372–2 393 mm, volume 67.3–67.8 m3.

40' HC is higher by the same 30 cm, inside 12 032–12 093 × 2 330–2 352 × 2 693–2 698 mm and 75.6–76.5 m3. An extra foot of height gives about 8–9 m3 with the same length of the platform, therefore, on the fortieth High Cube lines it is more common than the standard one.

40' HCPW is wider. The inside is 2,432–2,444 mm versus 2,350 mm for the usual one, the difference is 8–9 cm. The volume is 78.8–79.3 m3, with a capacity of about 30 Euro pallets versus 25. The outside width of the Pallet Wide is 2,500 mm, and on the Russian road shoulder it is already close to the overall limit of 2.55 m according to the Rules of Cargo Transportation (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2200). Arrange the semi-trailer and route separately from the sea slot.

Forty-five-foot DC, HC and Pallet Wide

The forty-five-foot module is 1,524 mm longer than the fortieth module. The standard models have an internal width of 2,310–2, 350 mm, the HC has an internal height of 2,640–2, 700 mm, and the volume of 45' DC and HC is approximately 81–86 m3.

The 45' PW has about 13 510 × 2,440 × 2,550 mm inside and a volume of 85.1 m3, the 45' HCPW has a height of 2,670 mm and a volume of 88.7–89.5 m3. The reference point is 30 and 33 pallets. For any forty-five-footer, the length of the coupling, the height of the road train, the terminal restrictions and the availability of equipment at the line are checked in advance, because not every port has 45'.

If the container goes by sea, it is better to specify the availability of the standard size of the line before calculating. The stages and deadlines are described on the sea container transportation page. When a shipment does not fill the entire container, it makes sense to compare it with the delivery of bulk goods and pay only for the occupied space.

Why does the load fit inside but not through the door?

This is where the scene with the machine breaks down from the beginning. The standard 20' and 40' DC bulk carriers have an opening of about 2,336–2,343 mm in width and 2,280–2,291 mm in height. For the High Cube, the opening height rises to 2,585–2,597 mm with the same width.

A 2.40 m high load will not enter the DC, even if the space above the door is free. The frame of the opening is limited, not the ceiling. The threshold, hinges, stiffeners, packaging, and an unsuccessful loader feed angle can also interfere.

It does not fit into the DC opening, which means that the standard cargo ship drops to the calculation of feet and cubes. Then they look at High Cube, Open Top or Flat Rack. For equipment that is lowered by crane, the Open Top removes the door issue altogether. A flat rack is needed when the sides are also open. For pallets with a high stack, 40' HC is most often enough, the opening is higher there, and there is a reserve for mounting inside.

Refrigerated Trucks, Open Top, Flat Rack and Tanks

Refrigerated container

Ref keeps the set temperature regime and is needed for products, pharmaceuticals, and flowers. The unit, thermal insulation and air ducts take up useful space. 20' RF yields about 5.45 × 2.26 × 2.28 m and 26.5–28 m3 inside, 40' RF — 11.56 × 2.29 × 2.28 m and about 60 m3, 40' HC RF — 11.56 × 2.29 × 2.50 m and about 66 m3.

When booking, specify the dimensions and with them the temperature range, humidity, ventilation, permissible loading temperature and the availability of power supply on all shoulders. The unit supports the mode, but it is not designed to quickly cool the hot load, unless it is separately incorporated by technology.

Open Top and Hard Top

Open Top is used when the load cannot be brought through the door or it is more convenient to lower it with a crane. The top is covered with a removable awning, the volume of 20' OT is about 32–32.6 m3, for 40' OT 66.7 m3. For high oversized items, the mounting, the ledge above the roof and the route will be separately coordinated.

The Hard Top features a removable rigid roof, and the crossbar above the doors is also removable for some models. They take heavy equipment and metal, which need top loading, and after that a closed rigid volume.

Flat Rack and platform

The Flat Rack is designed as a reinforced platform with end walls or frames, in some versions folding. It is used for machinery, metal structures, pipes, machine tools, transformers.

The useful length and width of the platform, the height of the frames, the mass, the center of gravity, the attachment points and the protrusions beyond the dimension are considered here. 20' Flat Rack containers are usually 2,400–3,250 kg, 40' have 4,800–5,530 kg, and reinforced forties have a maximum gross weight of 45,000–52,500 kg.

Tank containers and bulk materials

The tank container is arranged like a tank in an ISO frame. Capacity, operating and test pressure, material, temperature conditions, fittings and dangerous goods tolerances are important for it. The capacity of common models is 17,500–30,000 liters, but it makes no sense to compare it with the volume of a dry cargo 20', these are different things. For dangerous goods, the passport, labeling, and ADR or IMDG requirements are additionally checked.

Bulk containers for bulk materials have loading hatches, unloading valves and liners. Ventilated containers are used for coffee and cocoa. Isothermal only keeps the temperature at the expense of insulation, but it does not know how to actively cool, for this it needs ref.

Tare, payload and gross weight

There are four different indicators in the documents, and they are constantly confused. A container is the mass of an empty container. Payload shows how much cargo is allowed in this unit. The maximum gross weight (Max Gross) counts the container along with the cargo, and the actual gross weight shows the actual weight of the loaded crate.

The formula is simple. Max Gross minus the container gives the maximum weight of the cargo. But in live transportation, they take the least of the three restrictions. They consider the container itself, the route, and what the carrier and the terminal allow.

The classic gross rating for Series 1 is 30,480 kg, and it is printed on most plates. The Amd 1 amendment to ISO 668 and the note GOST R 53350 allow containers with a rating of up to 36,000 kg with appropriate labeling and testing, therefore, 32,500–35,000 kg are already listed in catalogs for parts 40' and 45'. This is not a catalog error, but a different design — and it must match the sign on the door.

The payload is calculated from the gross mass on the plate of this unit minus its own container. You cannot use someone else's standard load from the price list to calculate VGM. Starting from July 1, 2016, according to SOLAS, the shipper is obliged to transfer the Verified Gross Mass to the carrier before loading onto the ship: either weigh the loaded container, or add up the weights of cargo, fasteners and containers according to a certified method. A container heavier than the maximum on the CSC plate will not be delivered to the ship.

There are limits to self-driving. The height of a vehicle with cargo in Russia is limited to 4 meters according to the annex to Resolution No. 2200, and a High Cube with a height of 2,896 mm on a chassis with a large landing fits close to this ceiling. The permissible weight of a road train depends on the number of axles. The five-axle pulls up to 40 tons, the six-axle and more up to 44 tons. The sea can take 30.48 tons of gross weight, and the road will stop earlier.

A heavy load sometimes fits in 40' HC in volume, but exceeds the payload or floor load. Then compare 20' DC, two containers or a Flat Rack with the required load capacity. It is impossible to stack heavy places against one wall — the weight is distributed along the length and fixed from displacement.

Europallets and loading scheme

The Europallet is 1,200 × 800 mm. In a standard container, the inner width is about 2,350 mm, and three 800 mm pallets do not fit in a row, which would make a total of 2,400 mm. The width of the Pallet Wide is 2,432–2,444 mm, and the scheme becomes possible with a technological gap.

The guideline for one tier is this. About 11 europallets in 20' DC or HC, 14 in 20' PW, 23–25 in 40' DC and HC, 30 in 40' PW and HCPW, 30 in 45' PW and 33 in 45' HCPW. This is a reference layout, not a guarantee. A pallet with an overhang, a non-standard side, strapping or protective corners breaks the pattern, and a load that cannot be placed close to it, too.

It's easier to draw a diagram than to count it in your head. Take a floor plan with the internal length and width of your unit, check both pallet orientations — 1,200 mm along and 800 mm along, add the height of the pallet with the load and a possible second tier, leave room for mounting, anti-slip materials and access to the doors.

The two-tier scheme doubles the score only when two pallets with cargo pass through the inner height and the floor holds the point load. Under 30 or more pallets, 40' HCPW, 45' PW and 45' HCPW are compared. If the pallets are heavy, the weight is calculated first, because the free cubic capacity does not mean that the container can be loaded to the roof.

3 and 5 ton containers on the internal network

In addition to marine ISO containers, medium-tonnage containers for railways and automobiles operate on the internal network. The three-ton has external dimensions of 2.10 × 1.325 × 2.40 m, internal dimensions of 1.93 × 1.225 × 2.13 m, volume of 5.16 m3. The five-ton one has 2.65 × 2.10 × 2.40 m outside, 2.515 × 1.95 × 2.13 m inside, and a volume of 10.4 m3.

They cannot be considered marine twenty-footers. A different mounting system, different dimensions, and they do not replace the ISO container with corner fittings without overloading. There are links to various GOST standards in commercial catalogs, and some of them have long been replaced in terms of large-capacity containers. Check the standard number and suitability for a specific route against the owner's passport.

After the port, the container usually goes further by rail — routes and conditions are described on the page of railway transportation from China and ports of the Russian Federation.

Summary tables of sizes and weights

The ranges in the tables are intentionally left out: different models of the same type have neither the same packaging nor the same payload. A discrepancy of 1–3 cm in length and width between batches is the norm.

Internal dimensions and capacity

For a Flat Rack, height and width describe the work area and frame elements, not the interior space. In a refrigerator, the number of pallets depends on the air circulation gaps.

Tare weight, payload and gross

The parameters of Flat Rack, Open Top, Pallet Wide and refrigerated trucks are the most scattered — there is a difference between the series of tons.

How to check the catalog with the sign on the door

The CSC Safety Approval Plate is hanging on the right door of the container. There is a maximum gross weight, a container, the permissible stacking load and the date of the next inspection. Take a picture of her before the booking — that's thirty seconds, which closes half of the arguments on the ramp.

The CSC confirms the container's suitability for international transportation, but does not say anything about whether your cargo will enter there. The geometry is checked separately: the inner length with a tape measure, if the load sits flush, and the doorway is mandatory. The range of internal lengths in the forties catalogues is already 12 032–12 093 mm, and these six centimeters are solved for a rack or a machine.

They also look at the year of manufacture, the condition of the floor, the tightness and the presence of mounting rings. If the estimated weight of the cargo along with the container fits the rating on the plate, put a reserve under the fasteners and do not focus on the payload of a neighboring unit of the same type.

Frequent questions

Which is bigger, 20' HC or 40' DC?

The 40' DC is almost twice as long, with a volume of about 67 m3 versus 37.4–38.4 m3 for the 20' HC. The twentieth high is taken when the height is needed, and the length and weight of the batch fit into a twenty-foot format.

Why is the cargo placed inside, but not passed into the container?

The doorway is narrower and lower than the interior space: 2,280–2,291 mm in height at DC versus 2,390 mm inside. There is a detailed analysis of the numbers in the section about the door.

Is it possible to load 30 tons into a 40-foot container?

One table cannot be used for approval. We need the Max Gross and the container of a specific unit plus the limits of the line, terminal, railway and trucking. For standard forties, the payload is more often in the range of 25–29 tons, so 30 require a separate calculation or other equipment.

How many Euro pallets are included in a 40-foot container?

The benchmark is 23–25 V conventional 40' DC or HC and about 30 V 40' HCPW. The exact number depends on the layout, height, packaging, stacking and mounting tolerance.

How does a Pallet Wide differ from a regular container?

It is 8–9 cm wider on the inner floor, and this allows you to put three Euro pallets in a row. Instead, it is necessary to coordinate the accessibility of the line and the size on the shoulder: 2,500 mm outside versus 2,438 mm.

What are the final figures?

Specific container data: internal dimensions, door, Container, Max Gross and CSC date. The tables here are needed for preliminary selection and comparison of types, and the numbers from the plate are used for loading.

If you need to calculate a specific shipment, send the dimensions of the seats in millimeters, the weight and number of pallets. We will select the type of container and check the restrictions along the entire route, including the car shoulder.