Every container decision starts with dimensions. Get them right and the unit fits the site, the doors clear the fence and the pallets go in without a fight. Get them wrong and you find out on delivery day. This guide gives the external, internal and door-opening dimensions for every size we stock, from 10ft up to 53ft, plus the tare weights and capacities you need for planning.
One thing to understand before the tables: container sizes are set by ISO 668, the international standard that defines the classification, external dimensions and ratings for freight containers. That standard is why an 8-foot-wide box built in one country stacks and locks onto a chassis built in another. Internal dimensions are not standardized in the same way, because wall and floor construction varies slightly between builders — so treat internal figures as typical rather than exact, and measure the actual unit if a fraction of an inch matters.
Shipping Container Dimensions Chart
| Size | External L × W × H | Internal L × W × H | Door opening W × H | Capacity | Tare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft standard | 10' × 8' × 8'6" | 9'4" × 7'8" × 7'10" | 7'8" × 7'6" | ~560 cu ft | ~2,900 lb |
| 20ft standard | 20' × 8' × 8'6" | 19'4" × 7'8" × 7'10" | 7'8" × 7'6" | ~1,170 cu ft | ~4,850 lb |
| 20ft high cube | 20' × 8' × 9'6" | 19'4" × 7'8" × 8'10" | 7'8" × 8'6" | ~1,320 cu ft | ~5,100 lb |
| 40ft standard | 40' × 8' × 8'6" | 39'5" × 7'8" × 7'10" | 7'8" × 7'6" | ~2,390 cu ft | ~8,200 lb |
| 40ft high cube | 40' × 8' × 9'6" | 39'5" × 7'8" × 8'10" | 7'8" × 8'6" | ~2,700 cu ft | ~8,750 lb |
| 45ft high cube | 45' × 8' × 9'6" | 44'5" × 7'8" × 8'10" | 7'8" × 8'6" | ~3,040 cu ft | ~10,600 lb |
| 53ft high cube | 53' × 8'6" × 9'6" | 52'6" × 8'2" × 8'11" | 8'2" × 8'10" | ~3,900 cu ft | ~11,900 lb |
Print that table, or keep it open while you measure. Everything below explains what the numbers mean in practice.
Why Every Container Is 8 Feet Wide
Width is the one dimension that almost never changes on ISO freight containers: 8 feet externally, giving roughly 7 feet 8 inches inside once you allow for the corrugated walls. That fixed width is what lets containers stack, lock and travel on standard chassis worldwide.
The exception is the domestic 53ft high cube, which is 8'6" wide externally and about 8'2" internally. That extra half-foot is designed around North American pallet patterns rather than international sea freight, and it is why 53ft units are a road and rail asset rather than an ocean one. If you are storing standard pallets side by side, that extra width genuinely matters — see the 53ft containers for what we hold.
High Cube vs Standard Height
A standard container is 8'6" tall externally, giving about 7'10" inside. A high cube is 9'6" externally and about 8'10" inside. That single extra foot changes what the box can do:
- Storage: one more shelf level, or clearance for tall equipment on a pallet.
- Conversions: close to essential. A raised floor, ceiling insulation and recessed lighting can easily eat six inches, and 7'4" of finished ceiling in a standard box feels tight.
- Racking: lets you run a taller rack without the top level becoming unreachable.
- Vehicles: the difference between a van fitting and not.
High cube is standard on 45ft and 53ft units, widely available on 40ft, and less common but obtainable on 20ft. Browse the high cube inventory to compare.
Door Openings — the Dimension People Forget
The door opening is always smaller than the internal cross-section, because the door frame and header take up space. Under ISO 1496-1, the standard that sets test and design requirements for general-purpose freight containers, the minimum door aperture for the taller 1AA/1BB/1CC types is 2,261 mm high by 2,286 mm wide (about 7'5" × 7'6"), and for the 1A/1B/1C/1D types it is 2,134 mm by 2,286 mm (about 7'0" × 7'6"). Real containers usually exceed those minimums; the standard is a floor, not a target.
Practical consequences:
- A standard pallet jack and most warehouse forklifts pass through comfortably; a large counterbalance truck with an overhead guard may not.
- Anything close to 7'6" wide needs to go in on a diagonal or not at all.
- If you need a bigger aperture, that is what side doors, double doors and roll-up doors are for. A double door container opens at both ends; a roll-up gives you a wide, low-header opening that suits vehicles and workshop use.
Tare, Payload and Gross Weight
Three weights get quoted and they mean different things:
- Tare — the empty weight of the container itself.
- Payload — the maximum weight of cargo it is rated to carry.
- Gross (MGW) — tare plus payload, the maximum the unit may weigh when loaded.
Carrier specification data shows why tare figures vary between sources: a 40ft high cube with a wooden floor is published at 3,850 kg (about 8,488 lb), while the same unit with a steel floor is 4,300 kg (about 9,480 lb) — nearly 1,000 lb of difference from the flooring alone. Both are correct; they are different builds. If tare matters for your transport plan, read the figure stamped on the unit's own CSC plate rather than a chart.
| Unit | Tare | Max gross | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft general purpose (wooden floor) | 2,300 kg / 5,071 lb | 32,500 kg / 71,650 lb | 30,200 kg / 66,579 lb |
| 40ft general purpose (wooden floor) | 3,700 kg / 8,157 lb | 32,500 kg / 71,650 lb | 28,800 kg / 63,493 lb |
| 40ft high cube (wooden floor) | 3,850 kg / 8,488 lb | 32,500 kg / 71,650 lb | 28,650 kg / 63,162 lb |
| 40ft high cube (steel floor) | 4,300 kg / 9,480 lb | 32,500 kg / 71,650 lb | 28,200 kg / 62,170 lb |
| 45ft high cube | 4,700 kg / 10,362 lb | 32,500 kg / 71,650 lb | 27,800 kg / 61,288 lb |
Figures above are published carrier specification values for typical ISO units and vary by builder and series. For a static storage container the payload rating is rarely the binding constraint — the floor loading is. Road weight limits will stop you long before an ISO payload rating does.
The Small Sizes: 6ft, 7ft, 8ft, 10ft and 15ft
Below 20ft you are outside the main ISO ocean sizes and into purpose-built or cut-down units. They are genuinely useful where space is scarce:
- 6ft–8ft — tool stores, site lock-ups, garden equipment, plant rooms. See the 6ft, 7ft and 8ft containers.
- 10ft — about 560 cubic feet in a footprint smaller than a compact car's parking space. Popular for domestic gardens and tight yards; browse the 10ft containers.
- 15ft — an in-between size that suits sites where a 20ft is just too long.
Because these are not standard ocean sizes, dimensions vary more between units than they do at 20ft and 40ft. Check the individual listing.
The Long Sizes: 45ft and 53ft
These are the highest-capacity boxes available and comparatively few sellers stock them.
- 45ft high cube — 44'5" of internal length and about 3,040 cubic feet. Five extra feet over a 40ft for very little extra footprint. A 45ft high cube cargo-worthy unit is a good option where you need length rather than height; the full 45ft container range lists what is in stock.
- 53ft high cube — the largest at about 3,900 cubic feet, and wider inside than anything else. A 53ft high cube cargo-worthy container stores roughly three and a third times what a 20ft does.
Both need serious delivery access. Plan for the full length plus a long straight run, and confirm the approach before ordering.
Footprint and Site Planning
| Size | Ground footprint | Minimum pad | Straight-line access to allow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft | ~80 sq ft | 12' × 10' | ~50 ft |
| 20ft | ~160 sq ft | 22' × 10' | ~60 ft |
| 40ft | ~320 sq ft | 42' × 10' | ~80 ft |
| 45ft | ~360 sq ft | 47' × 10' | ~85 ft |
| 53ft | ~450 sq ft | 55' × 10' | ~95 ft |
Allow the container length plus roughly 40 feet of straight clearance for a tilt-bed delivery, about 12 feet of width, and around 15 feet of overhead clearance. Add working room on at least one long side for painting and inspection, and leave the door end clear by the full swing of the doors — roughly 8 feet.
Choosing a Size
Rank your constraints in this order: access first, because it can eliminate options outright; then volume; then height; then grade to suit budget. The 20ft versus 40ft comparison works through the two most common candidates in detail, and the buyer's guide covers the rest of the decision. When you have the size fixed, the full catalog lists every unit with its price and grade on the listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the internal dimensions of a 20ft shipping container?
A 20ft standard measures approximately 19'4" long, 7'8" wide and 7'10" high internally, giving around 1,170 cubic feet and about 148 square feet of floor area. The door opening is roughly 7'8" wide by 7'6" high. Internal figures vary slightly by manufacturer, so measure the unit if precision matters.
How tall is a high cube container?
A high cube stands 9 feet 6 inches externally against 8 feet 6 inches for a standard container, giving about 8'10" of internal height instead of 7'10". That extra foot is what makes high cubes the default choice for conversions, tall racking and anything where finished ceiling height matters.
Are all shipping containers 8 feet wide?
ISO freight containers are 8 feet wide externally, which is what allows them to stack and travel on standard chassis anywhere in the world. The domestic 53ft high cube is the exception at 8'6" wide externally and about 8'2" internally, sized for North American pallet patterns rather than ocean service.
How much does an empty shipping container weigh?
Roughly 4,850 lb for a 20ft standard, 8,200 lb for a 40ft standard and 8,750 lb for a 40ft high cube. Flooring makes a real difference: published carrier data shows a steel-floored 40ft high cube at about 9,480 lb against 8,488 lb for the wooden-floored version of the same unit.
How much floor space does a 40ft container give me?
About 302 square feet internally, or roughly 320 square feet of ground footprint including the walls. That is comparable to a generous single-car garage, and the high cube version adds headroom rather than floor area — the footprint is identical.