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Shipping Container Dimensions

Container dimensions by type

Shipping containers and storage containers can come in a range of sizes, 20ft and 40ft shipping containers are the most common container lengths (externally) and 8ft in width as standard. Commonly the height of a container will be 8ft 6” and a high cube will have an additional foot to be 9ft 6”. Our variety of small new build containers are ideal for small areas and tight corners and a solution if you are restricted of space.

Internal dimensions

The sides of a container in nearly all cases, is corrugated. The depth of the corrugation is usually 1 inch (25mm), which means that 2 inches (50mm) is lost from the external width dimension (1 inch each side). The back (blank end) is also corrugated and the doors are around 2 inches (50mm) thick meaning that approximately 3 inches (75mm) is lost from the length.

The main reduction from external to internal dimensions is with height. The floor of a standard container has an underside clearance of approximately 6 inches (150mm) and the floor has a thickness of 27mm (1.1 inches). As the roof is corrugated another 1 inch (25mm) is lost resulting in an internal dimension of around 8 inches less than external – 7ft 10 inches (2.39m), though this can vary slightly either way depending on the floor thickness and construction method used.

Though the door height is additionally reduced because of the steel top rail above the door, this is a part of the structural integrity of the container, typically it’s 4 inches (100mm) thus reducing the entrance height to 7ft 6ins (2.28m), though this can vary slightly either way.

Container weights

There are three relevant weights, the Tare weight, the Gross weight, and the Payload. These are painted onto the outside of the container doors when it is in service or before it has been repainted for another application.

The container Tare weight is the weight of the container without cargo or contents.

The container Gross weight is the weight of the container plus the maximum Payload it can hold i.e. the maximum total weight of the container.

The Payload (or Net weight) is the weight of the cargo or contents that a container can hold.

The 3 Shipping Container Weights - Tare, Gross & Payload

The 3 Shipping Container Weights – Tare, Gross & Payload

20ft and 40ft Containers

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Container Type

20ft 20ft High Cube 40ft 40ft High Cube

20ft

20ft High Cube

40ft

40ft High Cube

External
(L x W x H)
6090mm x 2440mm x 2590mm 6090mm x 2440mm x 2900mm 12180mm x 2440mm x 2590mm 12180mm x 2440mm x 2900mm
Internal
(L x W x H)
6010mm x 2340mm x 2390mm 6010mm x 2340mm x 2690mm 12110mm x 2340mm x 2390mm 12110mm x 2340mm x 2690mm
Door opening
(W x H)
2280mm x 2310mm 2280mm x 2580mm 2280mm x 2310mm 2280mm x 2580mm
Tare Weight 2050 kg 2230 kg 3750 kg 3890 kg
Pay Load
(Net Weight)
28430 kg 28250 kg 26730 kg 26590 kg
Max Gross Weight 30480 kg 30480 kg 30400 kg 30480 kg

New Build Containers / Smaller Containers

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Container Type

6ft 8ft 10ft

6ft

8ft

10ft

External
(L x W x H)
1980mm x 1950mm x 1910mm 2438mm x 2200mm x 2260mm 2991mm x 2438mm x 2591mm
Internal
(L x W x H)
1800mm x 1860mm x 1730mm 2275mm x 2106mm x 2050mm 2831mm x 2344mm x 2376mm
Door opening
(W x H)
1850mm x 1690mm 2070mm x 1945mm 2310mm x 2280mm
Weight 450kg 630kg 825kg

Disclaimer

Dimensions above are to give a basic indication of the size of various shipping containers and storage containers, the dimensions of a container can fluctuate between each unit.

Cut down containers size and weight can differ due to the process to fabricate these units. ContainerContainer cannot be held to the dimensions above.

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