Container reference

40ft Container Dimensions

The 40 foot standard container has twice the floor length of a 20ft and is common for general cargo that fills space before weight.

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

40ft Container specifications

Specification	Metric	Imperial
Internal length	12.032 m (12,032 mm)	39 ft 6 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	12.192 m (12,192 mm)	40 ft 0 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	67.7 m³ (CBM)	2,392 ft³
Floor area	28.3 m²	305 ft²
Tare weight	3,750 kg	8,267 lb
Maximum payload	26,730 kg	58,929 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 40ft Container?

Pallet	40ft Container
Euro pallet (EUR 1) 1200 × 800 mm	25
Euro pallet (EUR 2) 1200 × 1000 mm	22
North American GMA 48 × 40 in	20
Asian standard 1100 × 1100 mm	20
Australian standard 1165 × 1165 mm	20

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 40ft Container is used for

A 40ft container suits general merchandise of medium density: furniture, household goods, textiles or mixed consumer products. It doubles the volume of a 20ft, but not the payload, so it is the better choice when cargo fills space before weight.

Cartons rarely fill the full 67.7 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 40ft Container, the utilization, payload and a 2D and 3D load plan.

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Frequently asked questions

How many CBM is a 40ft container?

About 67–68 CBM of internal space. Typical loads of mixed cartons reach around 55–60 CBM.

Is a 40ft container twice the payload of a 20ft?

No. A 40ft container has about twice the volume, but its maximum payload is similar to or lower than a 20ft because the container itself is heavier.

What are the external dimensions of a 40ft container?

40 ft long, 8 ft wide and 8 ft 6 in high (12.192 × 2.438 × 2.591 m).