Shipping Container Sizes
How big is a container?
The International Standards Organization has an entire set of standard dedicated to the general purpose freight container. These standards describe most of the components that make up a container as well as the vocabulary commonly used when referring to and discussing containers. Another very important standardized feature of a container is the dimensions to which it is built, which has a well-defined set of parameters.
In previous articles we’ve discussed Shipping Container Condition and Shipping Container Types. Now, we’d like to switch gears and talk a little bit about the various sizes of containers that are available. While container length is the most commonly referenced unit of measure when talking about shipping container size, they also come in various heights and widths.
Read on to learn more!
Container Length
The length of a container is the most referenced dimension and is the measurement that most people will use when discussing shipping containers. Most often 20ft and 40ft units are referenced, and rightly so. These are the most prevalent sizes and are the standards by which marine container vessels operate and measure units of cargo.
- WHAT IS T.E.U.
- Marine cargo unit of measure which stands for Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit; the space occupied on the vessel by a 20ft container
- WHAT IS F.E.U.
- Marine cargo unit of measure which stands for Forty Foot Equivalent Unit; the space occupied on the vessel by a 20ft container
However, there are many different lengths available.
Here are a couple of examples of smallest and largest:
SMALLEST: Mini-Containers
On one end of the spectrum you have what are referred to as mini containers. These are specialty containers, often nested together, that are made small enough to fit inside of a 10ft box during marine transport.
LARGEST: 53Ft Domestic Containers
At the opposite end, you'll see the big 53ft container. These units are used for intermodal transport - primarily rail and road. They're the largest you'll see and fall right at the maximum size allowable per DOT.
Containers longer than 40ft will still have corner castings and corner posts at the 40ft length to facilitate stacking and handling of the boxes.
In between those extremes is everything other container out there. Common lengths are 10ft, 20ft, 40ft, & 45ft.
Custom units can be fabricated to create other lengths, 30ft being the most common
Container Height
While there are some 8′-0″ H containers available, and some mini containers are less than eight feet high, the two most common heights are:
- Standard Height (8'-6"H)
- High Cube (9'-6"H)
Container Width
With the exception of mini containers and 53ft domestic containers, you will find that cargo boxes have standardized on 8′-0″ wide. As we stated earlier in the article, mini containers will vary in width, but be smaller than eight feet. The big 53ft domestic box measures in at 8′-6″ W, which is the maximum allowable width (without permits) for road cargo throughout the USA.