What are the dimensions and capacity of a 40ft container?

A standard 40ft shipping container has internal dimensions of 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm with a volume of 67.5 m³. A 40ft High Cube container is taller at 2,698 mm internal height, giving 76.3 m³. Maximum payload is approximately 26,580 kg for standard and 26,280 kg for High Cube.

40ft container dimensions and capacity

Everything you need to know about the 40-foot shipping container: internal dimensions, door opening, volume, and weight limits for both standard and High Cube variants.

67.5 m³

Internal volume (standard 40ft)

High Cube volume: 76.3 m³
Max payload (std): 26,580 kg
Tare weight (std): 3,750 kg
Max gross weight: 30,480 kg

Internal dimensions

	Length	Width	Height	Volume
40ft Standard	12,032 mm	2,352 mm	2,393 mm	67.5 m³
40ft High Cube	12,032 mm	2,352 mm	2,698 mm	76.3 m³

These are ISO standard internal dimensions. Actual measurements can vary slightly between manufacturers, but rarely by more than 10-20 mm in any direction.

Door opening

	Width	Height
40ft Standard	2,340 mm	2,280 mm
40ft High Cube	2,340 mm	2,585 mm

The door opening is slightly narrower and shorter than the internal dimensions. Plan your cargo around the door opening, not the internal width — everything has to fit through the doors first.

Weight specifications

	Tare weight	Max payload	Max gross weight
40ft Standard	3,750 kg	26,730 kg	30,480 kg
40ft High Cube	4,200 kg	26,280 kg	30,480 kg

The High Cube container weighs more (heavier steel for the taller structure), so its max payload is slightly lower despite the same gross weight limit. Road weight limits in your country may further restrict the actual payload.

External dimensions

	Length	Width	Height
40ft Standard	12,192 mm	2,438 mm	2,591 mm
40ft High Cube	12,192 mm	2,438 mm	2,896 mm

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