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Container reference

40ft High Cube Container Dimensions

The 40ft high cube, also called 40HC or 40HQ, has the same footprint as a standard 40ft container but is one foot taller.

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

40ft High Cube 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 2.698 m (2,698 mm) 8 ft 10 in
Door opening width 2.340 m (2,340 mm) 7 ft 8 in
Door opening height 2.585 m (2,585 mm) 8 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 2.896 m (2,896 mm) 9 ft 6 in
Internal capacity 76.4 m³ (CBM) 2,696 ft³
Floor area 28.3 m² 305 ft²
Tare weight 3,940 kg 8,686 lb
Maximum payload 26,540 kg 58,511 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 High Cube Container?

Pallet 40ft High Cube 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 High Cube Container is used for

A 40HC suits light, bulky cargo and tall items: furniture, foam products, packaged consumer goods or anything that can use the extra 30 cm of height. For the same freight rate, it often carries more cartons than a standard 40ft.

Cartons rarely fill the full 76.4 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 High Cube Container, the utilization, payload and a 2D and 3D load plan.

Open Container Loading Calculator

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 40HC and 40HQ?

None. HC (high cube) and HQ (high quality or high cube) are different carrier names for the same 9 ft 6 in tall, 40 ft long container.

How many CBM is a 40ft high cube?

About 76 CBM of internal space, roughly 8–9 CBM more than a standard 40ft container.

What are the external dimensions of a 40ft high cube?

40 ft long, 8 ft wide and 9 ft 6 in high (12.192 × 2.438 × 2.896 m).