40-ft Container

What it means

Container sizes come from ISO 668, the international standard that classifies series 1 freight containers by their external dimensions and sets their ratings, plus minimum internal and door opening dimensions for some types. The current edition is ISO 668:2020, amended in 2022.^[1] The outside size is fixed by the standard; the inside size, empty weight and payload vary a little from one box to the next, because each depends on how that container was built.

Maersk's published specification for its 40ft standard steel dry container gives external dimensions of 40 ft x 8 ft x 8 ft 6 in, an internal volume of 67 m³ (2,366 cu ft) and a maximum payload of 28,800 kg (63,493 lb).^[2] The Federal Highway Administration describes the TEU, the 8 x 8 x 20 ft box, as the basic unit in container statistics,^[3] so a 40-footer counts as two TEU in port and vessel figures.

What are the dimensions of a 40ft shipping container?

These figures are typical for a 40ft standard dry container, taken from one carrier's published sheet. Treat them as planning numbers and check the CSC plate and markings on the actual box you are loading.^[2]

The door is the tightest point. On this specification the door opening is about 12 cm lower than the inside height, so a pallet stack that fits the interior can still catch the header on the way in.^[2]

How many pallets fit in a 40ft container?

Pallet count is floor arithmetic: divide the inside length and width (12,032 x 2,350 mm) by the pallet footprint.^[2] A U.S. standard 48 x 40 in. pallet is about 1,219 x 1,016 mm; a Euro pallet is 1,200 x 800 mm. For a single tier with no overhang:

• 18 standard pallets, loaded straight. Two across (the 40 in. sides total 2,032 mm), nine rows deep (9 x 1,219 = 10,971 mm). This is the pattern most forklift crews load.
• 20 standard pallets, mixed. One row of pallets turned (11 deep) beside one row straight (9 deep) uses 2,235 mm of width, leaving about 11 cm. It works on paper but needs loads with no overhang.
• 25 Euro pallets on paper. Fifteen turned plus ten straight, with only about 3 cm of spare length in each row, so plan on fewer if pallets overhang.
• Double the count only if height and weight allow. Two tiers must clear the 2,274 mm door, and the total must stay under the payload.

The container vs. trailer capacity guide walks through the same math for a 53-ft trailer, which matters when the freight is being transloaded.

How many CBM in a 40ft container?

The nominal figure is 67 m³ for a standard 40 and 76 m³ for a high cube.^[2] Multiplying the inside dimensions gives about 67.7 m³ for the standard box (12.032 x 2.35 x 2.393 m). Usable volume is lower: pallets, gaps between cartons, dunnage and the door clearance all eat space, so a load plan should work from the cargo's own carton or pallet sizes rather than the gross cube. One cubic meter equals about 35.3 cubic feet.

40ft vs 40ft high cube

The two boxes share the same length, width and floor, so they take the same number of pallets on the floor. The high cube adds about 30 cm of inside height, which only helps freight that can be stacked or is tall.^[2]

Note the payload: the high cube's extra steel makes it slightly heavier, so it carries slightly less weight. See the 40ft high cube entry for more.

Why it matters

When a 40 arrives too heavy for the road or with cargo that shifted, the fix is to take freight out at a dock. RapidShips devans and transloads 20, 40 and 45 ft containers at its East Brunswick, NJ cross-dock, about 30 road miles from the Port Newark–Elizabeth terminals, including overweight correction.

Example

Hypothetical: an importer has 19 pallets of housewares, each 48 x 40 in., 60 in. tall and 450 kg. Straight loading fits 18 in one tier, and the pallets are too tall to double-stack under a 2,274 mm door, so the 19th will not fit without a mixed pattern. Total weight is 8,550 kg, well under the payload. The importer either books the mixed pattern, rebuilds the pallets lower so they stack two high, or ships the 19th pallet separately.

Payload rating vs. what a truck can legally haul

The container's rating is not the only limit. On the Interstate System, federal rules cap gross vehicle weight at 80,000 lb, a single axle at 20,000 lb and a tandem axle at 34,000 lb.^[4] A 40 loaded to its 71,650 lb maximum gross would leave only 8,350 lb for the tractor and chassis together,^[2] so in practice a fully rated box often cannot move on U.S. roads without lightening the load. Weight also has to be spread evenly to keep each axle group under its limit; see how much weight a 40ft container can carry.

Frequently asked questions