Container dimensions, all of them
Every box in the global fleet — external and internal dimensions, door openings, weights, cubic capacity and pallet counts. In feet and meters, to one scale, with nothing left out.
The short version: standard containers are 8ft wide and 8'6" tall in 20ft and 40ft lengths; high cubes add a foot of height; US domestic 48s and 53s add width; everything else is a variation on those bones.
See the whole fleet
Every bar is drawn to the same scale — length and height both count.
10FT STD · 12G120FT STD · 22G120FT HC · 25G140FT STD · 42G140FT HC · 45G145FT HC · L5G148FT · domestic (AAR)53FT · domestic (AAR)20FT REEFER · 22R140FT REEFER · 45R120FT OT · 22U140FT OT · 42U120FT FR · 22P140FT FR · 42P320FT TANK · 22K2 (T11)20FT DD · 22G1 (tunnel)40FT OS · 45G1 (side)Every number, one table
| Type | ISO | External | Internal H | Capacity | Tare | Max payload | Floor | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft Standard | 12G1 | 9' 10" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 10"2.393 m | 563 cuft15.9 cbm | 2,870 lb1,300 kg | 19,530 lb8,860 kg | 70 sqft | $1,500–2,500 |
| 20ft Standard | 22G1 | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 10"2.393 m | 1,172 cuft33.2 cbm | 4,850 lb2,200 kg | 62,350 lb28,280 kg | 150 sqft | $1,500–3,000 |
| 20ft High Cube | 25G1 | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 9' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 1,320 cuft37.4 cbm | 5,070 lb2,300 kg | 62,130 lb28,180 kg | 150 sqft | $2,200–3,800 |
| 40ft Standard | 42G1 | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 10"2.393 m | 2,390 cuft67.7 cbm | 8,000 lb3,630 kg | 59,200 lb26,850 kg | 300 sqft | $2,000–4,500 |
| 40ft High Cube | 45G1 | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 9' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 2,694 cuft76.3 cbm | 8,750 lb3,970 kg | 58,450 lb26,510 kg | 300 sqft | $2,500–5,000 |
| 45ft High Cube | L5G1 | 45' 0" × 8' 0" × 9' 6"13.716 × 2.438 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 3,040 cuft86 cbm | 10,360 lb4,700 kg | 56,840 lb25,780 kg | 340 sqft | $3,000–5,500 |
| 48ft Domestic | domestic (AAR) | 48' 0" × 8' 6" × 9' 6"14.63 × 2.591 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 3,454 cuft97.8 cbm | 9,500 lb4,310 kg | 57,700 lb26,170 kg | 387 sqft | $3,000–5,500 |
| 53ft Domestic | domestic (AAR) | 53' 0" × 8' 6" × 9' 6"16.154 × 2.591 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 3,830 cuft108.4 cbm | 11,110 lb5,040 kg | 56,090 lb25,440 kg | 428 sqft | $3,500–6,000 |
| 20ft Refrigerated | 22R1 | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 5"2.276 m | 1,000 cuft28.3 cbm | 6,610 lb3,000 kg | 60,590 lb27,480 kg | 134 sqft | $4,500–9,000 |
| 40ft Refrigerated High Cube | 45R1 | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 9' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.896 m | 8' 4"2.544 m | 2,380 cuft67.3 cbm | 9,900 lb4,480 kg | 65,060 lb29,520 kg | 285 sqft | $8,000–12,600 |
| 20ft Open Top | 22U1 | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 8"2.348 m | 1,136 cuft32.2 cbm | 5,290 lb2,400 kg | 61,910 lb28,080 kg | 147 sqft | $3,000–5,500 |
| 40ft Open Top | 42U1 | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 8"2.348 m | 2,350 cuft66.5 cbm | 8,490 lb3,850 kg | 58,710 lb26,630 kg | 299 sqft | $4,000–7,000 |
| 20ft Flat Rack | 22P1 | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 3"2.213 m | —— | 6,060 lb2,750 kg | 68,900 lb31,250 kg | 134 sqft | $3,500–6,000 |
| 40ft Flat Rack | 42P3 | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 6' 5"1.958 m | —— | 12,570 lb5,700 kg | 86,640 lb39,300 kg | 271 sqft | $5,000–9,000 |
| 20ft Tank (ISO Tank) | 22K2 (T11) | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | —— | 918 cuft26 cbm | 8,380 lb3,800 kg | 70,990 lb32,200 kg | — | $8,000–15,000 |
| 20ft Double Door (Tunnel) | 22G1 (tunnel) | 20' 0" × 8' 0" × 8' 6"6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 7' 10"2.393 m | 1,160 cuft32.9 cbm | 5,290 lb2,400 kg | 61,910 lb28,080 kg | 149 sqft | $2,800–4,500 |
| 40ft Open Side | 45G1 (side) | 40' 0" × 8' 0" × 9' 6"12.192 × 2.438 × 2.896 m | 8' 10"2.698 m | 2,694 cuft76.3 cbm | 10,360 lb4,700 kg | 56,840 lb25,780 kg | 300 sqft | $5,500–9,000 |
Standard ISO 668 figures; individual units vary by manufacturer. Free to cite with a link — full dataset at /api/specs.json.
Sizes, asked and answered
What are the standard shipping container sizes?
The two worldwide standards are 20ft (20' × 8' × 8'6") and 40ft (40' × 8' × 8'6"), plus the 40ft high cube at 9'6" tall. Around them sit 10ft, 20ft HC, 45ft HC and — in North America only — 48ft and 53ft domestic boxes. All ISO boxes are exactly 8 feet wide.
What are the actual dimensions of a 20-foot shipping container?
Externally 20' × 8' × 8'6" (6.06 × 2.44 × 2.59 m). Inside you get 19'4" × 7'8" × 7'10" — 1,172 cubic feet, about 150 sq ft of floor. The door opening is 7'8" wide × 7'6" tall.
Are all shipping containers 8 feet wide?
All ISO ocean containers are exactly 8'0" (2.438 m) wide — it's the one dimension that never varies. The exceptions never sail: US domestic 48ft and 53ft boxes are 8'6" wide, and European pallet-wide containers are about 2.5 m.
How tall is a shipping container?
Standard boxes are 8'6" (2.59 m) tall; high cubes are 9'6" (2.90 m). Inside that means roughly 7'10" and 8'10" of clear height respectively — the extra foot matters most in conversions, where insulation eats 3–6 inches.
How much floor space is in a 40ft container?
About 300 sq ft (27.8 m²) — internally 39'6" × 7'8". Two 40-footers side by side give you a genuine one-bedroom footprint of 600 sq ft.
What does 'high cube' mean?
A high cube (HC) container is one foot taller than standard: 9'6" external instead of 8'6". Same length, same width, same max gross weight — just 12–14% more volume. Nearly all new 40ft production is high cube.