How many pallets fit in a 40ft container?

On the floor, in one tier: 25 pallets of 1,200 × 800 mm, or 20 pallets of 48 × 40 in (1,219 × 1,016 mm), by mixing their orientation across the 2,350 mm inside width. Pallets low enough to stack two high double that — but two tiers of 1.2 m pallets need 2.40 m, which a standard box's 2,390 mm inside height does not give and a high cube's 2,695 mm does.

What is the difference between a 40ft container and a 40ft high cube?

Height only. Both are 40 ft (12,192 mm) long and 8 ft (2,438 mm) wide outside. A standard box is 8 ft 6 in (2,591 mm) high; a high cube is 9 ft 6 in (2,896 mm). In ONE's figures that lifts the inside height from 2,390 to 2,695 mm, the door from 2,280 to 2,585 mm, and the volume from 67.6 to 76.2 m³.

How much weight can a 40ft container carry?

ONE lists a payload of 26,840 kg (59,172 lb) for its 40ft dry boxes and 28,800 kg (63,493 lb) for its high cubes. Every container's door plate gives its own maximum gross weight and tare, and road weight limits where the box is trucked can be lower than either.

Is a 40ft container 2 TEU?

Yes. The TEU — twenty-foot equivalent unit — counts a 20ft container as one, so a 40ft container, standard or high cube, counts as two. It is sometimes written FEU, a forty-foot equivalent unit.

Reference

40ft container dimensions

A standard 40ft dry container measures 12.19 m long, 2.44 m wide and 2.59 m high outside (40 ft × 8 ft × 8 ft 6 in). Inside, a typical box gives about 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m and 67.6 m³ (2,387 cu ft). A 40ft high cube is 30 cm (1 ft) taller, with about 76.2 m³.

Also called 40 foot container size, 40ft dry container, 40ft high cube dimensions, 40HCUpdated 12 October 2026

Outside dimensions

The outside of a container is fixed by ISO 668, which classifies freight containers by their external dimensions so that every ship, crane, chassis and rail wagon can take every box. Length and width are the same for both 40ft types; only the height differs.

Type	Length	Width	Height
40ft standard (dry)	12,192 mm (40 ft)	2,438 mm (8 ft)	2,591 mm (8 ft 6 in)
40ft high cube	12,192 mm (40 ft)	2,438 mm (8 ft)	2,896 mm (9 ft 6 in)

External dimensions (ISO 668, as listed by BIC)

Inside dimensions, door and weights

Inside measurements vary a little between builders, because walls, corrugation and door hardware differ. These are the figures one carrier, Ocean Network Express, publishes; a 20ft dry box is shown for comparison.

	40ft dry	40ft high cube	20ft dry
Inside length	12,032 mm (39 ft 6 in)	12,032 mm (39 ft 6 in)	5,898 mm (19 ft 4 in)
Inside width	2,350 mm (7 ft 8 in)	2,350 mm (7 ft 8 in)	2,350 mm (7 ft 8 in)
Inside height	2,390 mm (7 ft 10 in)	2,695 mm (8 ft 10 in)	2,390 mm (7 ft 10 in)
Door opening (w × h)	2,340 × 2,280 mm	2,340 × 2,585 mm	2,340 × 2,280 mm
Volume	67.6 m³ (2,387 cu ft)	76.2 m³ (2,690 cu ft)	33.1 m³ (1,169 cu ft)
Tare (empty) weight	3,640 kg (8,027 lb)	3,700 kg (8,157 lb)	2,150 kg (4,740 lb)
Payload	26,840 kg (59,172 lb)	28,800 kg (63,493 lb)	28,330 kg (62,460 lb)

Typical inside dimensions and ratings (ONE)

Worked example: how many pallets fit

Across the 2,350 mm inside width, two pallets of 1,200 × 800 mm with the long side across need 2,400 mm — too wide — and with the short side across they fit but waste 750 mm. Mixing them works better: one pallet long side across (1,200 mm) beside one turned the other way (800 mm) uses 2,000 mm. Down the 12,032 mm length:

Floor positions = ⌊12,032 ÷ 800⌋ + ⌊12,032 ÷ 1,200⌋ = 15 + 10 = 25

For 48 × 40 in pallets (1,219 × 1,016 mm): ⌊12,032 ÷ 1,016⌋ + ⌊12,032 ÷ 1,219⌋ = 11 + 9 = 20.

Now height. Pallets built 1.2 m (47 in) tall stack two high at 2.40 m (94.5 in) — 10 mm more than a 40ft dry's 2,390 mm inside height, so that box takes 25 pallets. A high cube, with 2,695 mm inside and a 2,585 mm door, takes both tiers: 50 pallets. At 500 kg (1,102 lb) each, that is 25,000 kg (55,116 lb), within the high cube's 28,800 kg payload.

40ft or 20ft?

A 40ft box has about twice the volume of a 20ft, but not twice the payload — in ONE's figures the 20ft dry carries 28,330 kg against the 40ft dry's 26,840 kg. Dense cargo such as tiles, steel or paper reaches the weight limit long before it fills the space, so it usually ships in 20ft boxes. Light, bulky cargo fills the volume first and belongs in a 40ft or a high cube. Either way, a 40ft container counts as two TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) on a freight quote.

The mistake people make

Planning with the outside dimensions, or with the full nominal volume. The inside is 160 mm shorter and 88 mm narrower than the outside, the door is 110 mm lower than the inside of a standard box, and cartons never fill every centimetre. A load that fits on paper by 1 cm does not fit at the dock.

FAQ