Every FCL shipment starts with picking the right box. Here's what actually fits inside a 20ft, a 40ft, and a 40ft High Cube — and how to choose between them.
The baseline unit of ocean freight. Compact, easy to load, and the cheapest way to move a full container of dense or heavy cargo.
Best for: heavy, dense cargo — machinery, tiles, metal goods, palletized products that hit the weight limit before running out of space.
Twice the length of a 20ft box for roughly the same tare weight overhead — the most common container on the water.
Best for: larger volumes of light-to-medium density cargo — furniture, cartons, general merchandise that fills the space before the weight limit.
A 40ft box stretched 30cm taller — the extra headroom adds real volume without changing the footprint on the vessel.
Best for: bulky, light cargo that benefits from extra stacking height — foam, textiles, appliances, and anything that cubes out fast.
¹ Figures are typical industry averages and vary by shipping line, container manufacturer and the container's CSC plate rating — we confirm exact tare and payload for the specific container assigned to your booking.
For cargo that doesn't fit a standard box, we can also arrange:
Cargo too large even for a Flat Rack? See our bulk cargo & ship chartering page.
Removable tarpaulin roof for top-loading oversized or tall cargo by crane.
No sides or roof — for heavy machinery, vehicles, and out-of-gauge freight.
Refrigerated container for temperature-controlled food, pharma and perishables.
| Standard | Standard | High Cube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal volume | ≈ 33 CBM | ≈ 67 CBM | ≈ 76 CBM |
| Internal length | 5.90 m | 12.03 m | 12.03 m |
| Internal height | 2.39 m | 2.39 m | 2.69 m |
| Max payload¹ | ≈ 21,700–28,200 kg | ≈ 26,700–28,800 kg | ≈ 26,300–28,560 kg |
| Tare weight¹ | ≈ 2,300 kg | ≈ 3,750 kg | ≈ 3,900–4,150 kg |
| Typical cargo | Heavy, dense goods | General cargo, mixed loads | Bulky, light goods |
¹ Typical industry averages — exact tare and payload depend on the shipping line, manufacturer and CSC plate rating of the container assigned to your booking.
A container reaches its limit two different ways. Dense cargo hits the weight limit long before the box is full. Light, bulky cargo fills the volume long before it gets heavy. Knowing which one applies to your cargo decides whether one 40ft box — or several 20ft boxes — is the cheaper move.
Light, bulky cargo — the container is visually full well before it reaches its weight limit.
Dense, heavy cargo — the weight limit is reached with plenty of visible space still empty.
A 20ft container is the industry's base unit — Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — used to measure vessel and port capacity worldwide.
A 40ft container (Standard or High Cube) counts as one FEU, or two TEU — exactly double a 20ft box.
Verified Gross Mass — since July 2016, SOLAS/IMO rules require shippers to declare a verified total weight of a loaded container before it can be placed on a vessel. We can arrange VGM submission as part of your booking.
A 20ft holds around 10–11 standard pallets, a 40ft around 20–21, and a 40ft High Cube the same footprint as a 40ft with room to stack higher.
Only the height — a 40HC is about 30cm (1ft) taller inside, adding roughly 9 extra CBM of volume for the same length and width.
Carriers and terminals will reject or hold a container that fails VGM verification or exceeds its rated payload — cargo has to be reduced or split across an additional container before it can sail.
It depends on the Incoterm in your purchase contract. Under FOB or FCA you (or we, on your behalf) book and pay for the container; under CIF or DDP your supplier arranges it. See our Incoterms guide for the full breakdown.
Tell us your volume and weight and we'll recommend the right size — or compare it against LCL and Air Freight.
