Measure twice

Shipping container dimensions

External, internal, door opening and capacity for every size we sell, plus the high cube line — because headroom is the specification people forget until the racking will not fit.

Shipping container external, internal and door dimensions
ContainerExternal L×W×HInternal L×W×HDoor W×HCapacity
10ft Containers2.99m × 2.44m × 2.59m2.83m × 2.35m × 2.39m2.34m × 2.28m16m³
20ft Containers6.06m × 2.44m × 2.59m5.90m × 2.35m × 2.39m2.34m × 2.28m33.2m³
40ft Containers12.19m × 2.44m × 2.59m12.03m × 2.35m × 2.39m2.34m × 2.28m67.7m³
40ft High Cube12.19m × 2.44m × 2.90m12.03m × 2.35m × 2.69m2.34m × 2.58m76.4m³

Figures are nominal and vary slightly by manufacturer and build year. If something has to fit with millimetres to spare, measure the actual unit at the yard before you order.

Three numbers that catch people out

The door opening is lower than the inside. A standard container is 2.39m internally but only 2.28m at the doorway. That 110mm is what stops a forklift mast, a tipper body or a caravan that measured fine on paper.

Internal width is 2.35m. A car fits. Mirrors, door swing and the angle you are driving in at are the difficult part, not the width itself.

A high cube's extra 300mm changes the use, not just the volume. It is the difference between storage you reach into and a space someone stands up and works in. Nearly every workshop, office and conversion we supply is a high cube — see the high cube page.

Working out what you need

The practical test is not cubic metres, it is floor area with an aisle. A 20ft gives you about 13.8m² of floor. Take a metre off the length for a working aisle at the door end and you are storing on roughly 11m². Most people who tell us a 20ft will be plenty are describing the contents of a 40ft.

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Call (02) 5616 9099
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