Shipping Container Sizes - 20ft, 40ft, 40ftHC

Do I need to buy a shipping container?

A lot of people call us to enquire about the cost of shipping containers, “can we buy a container in China, import goods in it and keep it?” – and some even ask us whether we can sell them one. (In case you’re wondering . . . no, no, we can’t.)

Now, unless you’re planning to build a beautiful house using shipping containers, the likelihood is that you don’t actually need a container at all. If you want to buy a container to store your goods then you’ll probably have to do that separately, moving the goods you import into it, as shipping lines don’t sell containers that they’re using.  Some people even think that they need to purchase a container to load their goods into for transportation, but they don’t. Repeat:

You do not need to buy a shipping container to import via sea freight.

The shipping lines provide and own shipping containers for all their customers. The container is normally driven to your supplier where the goods are loaded.  From there, the container is taken to the port, sup on a vessel and shipped to the port of destination before, whilst still in the container, delivered to your door on the back of a truck.  You’ll have 3 hours to unload the goods from the container, either by hand or by fork-lift (if you have access to one) before the lorry driver takes the empty container back to the port for the process to restart. You do not need to purchase a shipping container – and you don’t get to keep the container either. (Yes, we have had people asking if they could keep the gigantic metal box.)

In fact, buying a shipping container would put you out of pocket because you’d have to invest thousands just to buy one (not to mention the cost of transportation and lowering it to the floor) when shipping lines provide it as part of the service.

Now, if you really want to buy a shipping container, you’ll usually have to buy it secondhand and it will typically cost you upwards of £1,000. Many different companies offer shipping containers with a variety of options such as repainting, anti-condensation treatment and sometimes even electrical fittings.

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Additional FAQ’s asked and answered by Shippo

What is the size of a 20 ft container?

Dimensions	2.38m x 2.35m x 5.87m
Total Volume	33 cubic metres (cbm)
Estimated Loading Volume	25-28cbm of cartons
Pallets in a 20ft container	8 pallets (or 16 if <110cm high and double stacked)

What is the size of a 40 ft container?

Dimensions	2.38m x 2.35m x 12m
Total Volume	67 cubic metres (cbm)
Estimated Loading Volume	54-58cbm of cartons
Pallets in a 40ft container	18 pallets (or 36 if <110cm high and double stacked)

What is the size of a 40 ft High Cube container?

Dimensions	2.65m x 2.35m x 12m
Total Volume	76 cubic metres (cbm)
Estimated Loading Volume	60-68cbm of cartons
Pallets in a 40ft container including High Cube version.	18 pallets (or 36 if <120cm high and double stacked)

What size are standard shipping containers?

The most common sizes ✔️ of general purpose shipping containers used for sea freight are the 20ft, 40ft and 40ft High Cube containers.  These vary from 5.9m to 12m in length and 2.4 to 2.7m in height.  They have capacities between 33 and 76 cubic metres (cbm).

How much weight can a 20 foot container hold?

The maximum weight that can be loaded into a container depends on the capacity of the cranes at the port of loading and the shipping line owning and shipping the container.  A 20ft container can hold up to about 25,000kg and a 40ft container around 28,000kg.  Cranes at some ports won’t allow containers heavier than 14,000kg – 18,000kg.  Heavyweight surcharges and extra costs for special triaxle trailers required for delivery can be applied over about 18,000kg.

We hope this has helped you decide on the container you need to ship your goods, and are happy to provide further advice on what is best for your shipment. Contact us today on 0203 384 0498 or email [email protected].

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