Container reference

20ft Container Dimensions

The 20 foot dry container is the smallest standard shipping container and the usual choice for heavy, dense cargo.

Specifications are planning references. Actual dimensions and payload can vary by carrier, equipment and manufacturer.

20ft Container specifications

Specification	Metric	Imperial
Internal length	5.898 m (5,898 mm)	19 ft 4 in
Internal width	2.352 m (2,352 mm)	7 ft 9 in
Internal height	2.393 m (2,393 mm)	7 ft 10 in
Door opening width	2.340 m (2,340 mm)	7 ft 8 in
Door opening height	2.280 m (2,280 mm)	7 ft 6 in
External length	6.058 m (6,058 mm)	19 ft 11 in
External width	2.438 m (2,438 mm)	8 ft 0 in
External height	2.591 m (2,591 mm)	8 ft 6 in
Internal capacity	33.2 m³ (CBM)	1,172 ft³
Floor area	13.9 m²	149 ft²
Tare weight	2,230 kg	4,916 lb
Maximum payload	28,250 kg	62,281 lb
Maximum gross weight	30,480 kg	67,197 lb

Imperial lengths are rounded to the nearest inch. External dimensions are the ISO reference size; internal size, door, tare and payload are the planning references used by the calculators on this site.

How many pallets fit in a 20ft Container?

Pallet	20ft Container
Euro pallet (EUR 1) 1200 × 800 mm	11
Euro pallet (EUR 2) 1200 × 1000 mm	9
North American GMA 48 × 40 in	9
Asian standard 1100 × 1100 mm	10
Australian standard 1165 × 1165 mm	10

Floor positions for single-stacked pallets, as arranged by the packing engine with pallets kept upright and turned where that fits more. Stacking can add more where loaded pallets are low and strong enough; payload and handling space can reduce the count.

What a 20ft Container is used for

A 20ft container suits dense cargo such as machinery parts, tiles, metal goods or bagged products, which reach the weight limit before filling the space. Its payload is close to a 40ft container's, so heavy shipments often need several 20ft containers rather than one 40ft.

Cartons rarely fill the full 33.2 m³. Fixed carton sizes leave gaps against the walls and ceiling, and stacking limits, fragile goods and the payload reduce what fits. That is why a carton-by-carton load plan is more reliable than dividing the container's CBM by the carton CBM.

Will your cargo fit?

Enter your cartons in the Container Loading Calculator to see how many fit in a 20ft Container, the utilization, payload and a 2D and 3D load plan.

Open Container Loading Calculator

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Frequently asked questions

How many CBM is a 20ft container?

About 33 CBM of internal space. In practice, mixed cartons usually load to around 25–30 CBM because of gaps against the walls and ceiling.

What is the maximum payload of a 20ft container?

Around 28 tonnes for the planning reference used here, but road weight limits in the origin or destination country can be lower than the container's own limit.

What are the external dimensions of a 20ft container?

20 ft long, 8 ft wide and 8 ft 6 in high (6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m).