Freight Containers:
container dimensions and capacity
Containers intended for intercontinental use have external nominal dimensions of:
| Length | 9.8125 feet (2.991m) as 10 feet; 19.875 feet (6.058m) as 20 feet; 29.9375 feet (9.125m) as 30 feet; and 40 feet (12.192m) |
|
| Width | 8 feet (2.438m) | |
| Height | 8.5 feet (2.591m) and 9.5 feet (2.896m) |
All above dimensions have permissible tolerances.
The 20 feet (20') and 40 feet (40') containers are very popular in ocean freight. The 8.5 feet (8.5') high container---8 feet 6 inches (8' 6") high container---is often referred to as standard container.
The demand for the high cube container - hicube - is increasing. The popular high cube container has a normal height of 9.5 feet (9.5' or 9' 6").
There are half height containers (4.25' or 4' 3" high) designed for heavy loads such as steel rods and ingots, which absorb the weight limit in half the normal space.
The most widely used type of container is the general purpose (dry cargo) container (please see Container Classifications) having a nominal length and height of 20' x 8.5', 40' x 8.5', and 40' x 9.5'. Referring to the Dimension of General Purpose Containers below, the dimensions shown in the table are not fixed, that is, the external and internal dimensions may vary among containers of the same length and height.
The container capacity is the total cube a container can accommodate. The term cube often refers to the cubic measurement of cargo. The capacity (i.e., the internal volume) is determined by multiplying the internal dimensions, that is, the product of internal length, width and height. The capacity may vary among containers of the same length and height.
Table and Diagram:
Dimension of General Purpose Containers
| CONTAINER | CAPACITY | RECOMMENDED LOAD VOLUME |
|||
| Nominal Dimension |
Length | Width | Height | CFT CBM |
CFT CBM |
| External | 20' | 8' | 8.6' | ||
| Internal | |||||
| 5.899 m | 2.353 m | 2.388 m | |||
| External | 40' | 8' | 8.6' | ||
| Internal | |||||
| 12.024 m | 2.353 m | 2.388 m | |||
| External | 8' | 9' 6" | |||
| Internal | |||||
| 12.024 m | 2.353 m | 2.692 m | |||
NOTE:
Containers with the same external length may not have exactly the same internal length and width.
The Recommended Load Volume (RLV) refers to the suggested maximum cube to use in calculating a full container load. The RLV can be about 10-15% less than the container capacity, depending on the export pack dimensions
CAUTION:
Rear view of 20' x 8.5' container
Miscalculated capacity may result in a large empty and unusable space or a shortage in space. For example (see
If 1170 cubic feet is used to calculate a 20' full container load, most likely some cartons will not fit despite the empty space of about 170 cubic feet. You cannot stuff the remaining cartons into the remaining 14" high empty space.
