Shipping Container Types & Sizes
Picking the right container avoids paying for air you don’t use — or discovering your cargo doesn’t fit. Here are the standard units and when each applies.
The workhorses: 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high-cube
A 20ft dry container holds ~33 CBM and up to ~28 tonnes payload — ideal for dense, heavy cargo. A 40ft holds ~67 CBM but a similar weight limit, so it suits lighter, bulkier loads.
A 40ft high-cube (HC) adds ~30 cm of height for ~76 CBM — the default for volumetric cargo. If you’re “weighing out” before you “cube out”, choose 20ft; if the opposite, choose 40ft HC.
Special equipment
Reefer (refrigerated) containers carry temperature-controlled cargo — pharma, food, flowers — and cost a premium plus power. Open-top and flat-rack handle over-height and over-width project cargo.
Tank containers move bulk liquids and chemicals. For anything out-of-gauge, hazardous or temperature-sensitive, declare it up front so the forwarder quotes the right equipment.
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How many CBM fit in a 40ft container?
A standard 40ft holds about 67 CBM and a 40ft high-cube about 76 CBM in theory; practical loading is usually 80–90% of that once you account for pallets and stacking.
When should I use LCL instead of a full container?
Below roughly 15 CBM, sharing a container (LCL) is usually cheaper than paying for a half-empty FCL — though FCL is faster and lower-risk once you approach that threshold.