Shipping container sizes
Shipping container sizes for the dry boxes used in ocean planning: 20 ft, 40 ft, 40 ft high cube and 45 ft high cube. Internal dimensions, door opening, capacity in CBM and cubic feet, and maximum payload are copied from Hapag-Lloyd’s published example pages. Exact figures vary by box and carrier.
Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Container sizes from one carrier’s examples
Container sizes on a quote or a load plan are only useful if you can see where the number came from. Each row below is one Hapag-Lloyd example, with the page it was taken from. The carrier’s own note, repeated on every page, is that the specifications are an example for containers in its fleet and that containers vary depending on the manufacturer.
Use the table to compare a carton cube with a published capacity, then run the same pieces in the CBM calculator and the container loading calculator. Capacity in CBM is the volume the carrier publishes. It is not a count of how many cartons will stow once doors, dunnage and weight are taken into account.
Reference table
Last checked: 19 October 2026. Internal dimensions, door opening, capacity and weights are the figures printed on the linked page. Imperial door and internal sizes are copied as published.
| Size | Internal (mm) | Door opening (mm) | Capacity | Max payload | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft standard22 GP · 22 G1 | 5,900 × 2,352 × 2,39519' 4 1/4" × 7' 8 5/8" × 7' 10 1/4" | 2,340 × 2,2927' 8 1/8" × 7' 6 1/4" | 33.2 CBM1,172 ft³ published | 28,130 kg62,016 lb | Hapag-Lloyd 20' standard |
| 40 ft standard42 GP · 42 G1 | 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,39539' 5 5/8" × 7' 8 5/8" × 7' 10 1/4" | 2,340 × 2,2927' 8 1/8" × 7' 6 1/4" | 67.7 CBM2,390 ft³ published | 28,750 kg63,383 lb | Hapag-Lloyd 40' standard |
| 40 ft high cube45 GP · 45 G1 | 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,70039' 5 5/8" × 7' 8 1/2" × 8' 10 1/4" | 2,340 × 2,5977' 8 1/8" × 8' 6 1/4" | 76.3 CBM2,694 ft³ published | 28,600 kg63,052 lb | Hapag-Lloyd 40' standard high cube |
| 45 ft high cubeL5GP · L5G1 | 13,556 × 2,352 × 2,70044' 5 5/8" × 7' 8 5/8" × 8' 10 1/4" | 2,340 × 2,5977' 8 1/8" × 8' 6 1/4" | 86.0 CBM3,037 ft³ published | 27,700 kg61,067 lb | Hapag-Lloyd 45' standard high cube |
20ft container dimensions
The 20 ft standard example is the short dry box. Internal length is 5,900 mm, width 2,352 mm and height 2,395 mm. The door opening is 2,340 mm wide and 2,292 mm high. Published capacity is 33.2 CBM and 1,172 cubic feet. Maximum payload is 28,130 kg, tare is 2,350 kg and maximum gross is 30,480 kg.
Hapag-Lloyd 20' standard. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
40ft container dimensions
The 40 ft standard example keeps a similar cross-section and adds length: 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,395 mm inside, with the same door opening as the 20 ft example, 2,340 × 2,292 mm. Published capacity is 67.7 CBM and 2,390 cubic feet. Maximum payload is 28,750 kg and maximum gross is 32,500 kg.
Tare weight is left out. The kilogram cell on the source page is written 3.750, which does not use the thousands separator of the other kilogram figures on that page, so it is not copied.
Hapag-Lloyd 40' standard. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
40 ft high cube
The 40 ft high-cube example is the same length class with a higher roof: the inside-dimension table says 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,700 mm, and the door is 2,340 × 2,597 mm. Published capacity is 76.3 CBM and 2,694 cubic feet. Maximum payload is 28,600 kg, tare is 3,900 kg and maximum gross is 32,500 kg. A high cube does not add floor length. It adds height.
Internal width is the inside-dimension table figure, 2,350 mm. The dimension diagram on the same page labels width as 2,352 mm.
Hapag-Lloyd 40' standard high cube. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
45 ft high cube
The 45 ft high-cube example is longer again: 13,556 × 2,352 × 2,700 mm inside, door 2,340 × 2,597 mm, published capacity 86.0 CBM and 3,037 cubic feet. Maximum payload is 27,700 kg, tare is 4,800 kg and maximum gross is 32,500 kg. The extra length is why the payload example is lower than the 40 ft high cube, not because this page has adjusted the carrier’s figures.
Capacity is published as 86,0 cbm (3,037 cbft). The published pound tare and pound payload do not add up to the published pound gross, so those three pound figures are shown as printed and not adjusted.
Hapag-Lloyd 45' standard high cube. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
What this table leaves out
Tare weight for the 40 ft standard is not in the table. On that source page the kilogram tare cell is written 3.750, while the other kilogram figures use a comma as the thousands separator. That cell is ambiguous, so neither the kilogram tare nor the pound tare is copied. Maximum gross and maximum payload for that box are copied as printed.
On the 40 ft high-cube page the dimension diagram labels internal width as 2,352 mm and the inside-dimension table says 2,350 mm. This page uses the table. On the 45 ft high-cube page the published pound tare and pound payload do not add up to the published pound gross. Those pound figures are shown as printed and are not reconciled.
Reefers, open tops, flat racks and tank containers are not in this table. Pallet counts are a separate planning grid on the container loading page, not a figure from the carrier’s size pages. If you are checking trailer floor rather than a box, use the linear feet calculator.
Questions
What are the standard shipping container sizes?
The dry boxes shippers plan around are the 20 ft standard, the 40 ft standard and the 40 ft high cube. Hapag-Lloyd also publishes a 45 ft high-cube example. The figures on this page are that carrier’s examples, not a universal box.
What are 20ft container dimensions?
Hapag-Lloyd’s 20 ft standard example has internal dimensions of 5,900 × 2,352 × 2,395 mm, a door opening of 2,340 × 2,292 mm, a capacity of 33.2 CBM and a maximum payload of 28,130 kg.
What are 40ft container dimensions?
Hapag-Lloyd’s 40 ft standard example has internal dimensions of 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,395 mm, a door opening of 2,340 × 2,292 mm, a capacity of 67.7 CBM and a maximum payload of 28,750 kg.
How many CBM are in a 40 ft high cube?
Hapag-Lloyd’s 40 ft high-cube example is published at 76.3 CBM (2,694 cubic feet). The inside-dimension table gives 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,700 mm. The diagram on the same page labels the width as 2,352 mm, so the table figure is the one used here.
Do container sizes change by carrier?
Yes. Hapag-Lloyd says the specifications are an example for containers in its fleet and that containers vary by manufacturer. Another carrier, or another series of the same size, can differ. The CSC plate on the unit governs the weight.
Is a 45 ft high cube a standard ocean box?
Hapag-Lloyd publishes a 45 ft high-cube example: internal 13,556 × 2,352 × 2,700 mm, door 2,340 × 2,597 mm, capacity 86.0 CBM and maximum payload 27,700 kg. Whether a lane will take a 45 ft box is a booking question, not something this table decides.