Shipping Container Dimensions and Sizes

Deciphering the interior square footage within standard shipping containers clarifies how much floor space you’ll have for your projects or storage. As mentioned earlier, the inside dimensions of a shipping container are smaller than the exterior dimensions due to space that the conex box walls and framing take up. Here’s the essential square footage info

• 10-foot container: 80 square feet on the exterior and about 75 square feet on the interior.
• 20-foot container: 160 square feet on the exterior and about 150 square feet on the interior.
• 40-foot container: 320 square feet on the exterior and about 300 square feet on the interior.
• 40-foot High Cube:320 square feet on the exterior and about 300 square feet on the interior.

Buying a shipping container requires understanding the cubic footage of different shipping container sizes. It helps in selecting the right unit for your storage, shipping or building needs. Here’s a quick rundown of exterior and interior cubic footage of shipping containers:

• 10-foot container: 680 cubic feet on the exterior and about 560 cubic feet on the interior.
• 20-foot container: 1360 cubic feet on the exterior and around 1,172 cubic feet on the interior.
• 40-foot container: 2720 cubic feet on the exterior and about 2,350 cubic feet on the interior.
• 40-foot High Cube:3040 cubic feet on the exterior and about 2,694 cubic feet on the interior.

Should I buy standard sized shipping containers or a high cube container?

Shipping container dimensions are fairly simple to understand as the only thing that really changes is the length of the shipping container, or the height if you’re looking into high cube containers.

High Cube containers are a foot taller than standard shipping containers at 9.5 feet tall versus 8.5 feet tall.

High Cube containers are our best sellers because many people prefer more head space in container build projects or they need storage space that can be stacked high.

Embarking on a project that involves a shipping container means unlocking endless possibilities, whether for storage, transport, or innovative architecture. Choosing the right size is crucial, and here’s how you can navigate this decision.

First, pinpoint your project’s specific needs. For straightforward storage or transport, a standard 20-foot container might suffice. They’re ideal for storage sheds, cabins, pop-up shops, or a shipping container garage.

However, if you’re dreaming bigger—like constructing a container home, a container office, or a spacious art studio—a 40-foot container provides double the space, making it suitable for such ambitious projects. Its ample room is perfect for a chic, modern dwelling or a dynamic work environment.

For projects needing extra height, high-cube containers are perfect. They’re a favorite for carports, commercial spaces or tiny homes, offering that much-needed headroom or loft space.

Yes. At First Class Containers, we offer two shipping container financing options; a rent-to-own program and a more traditional financing option. In both cases, the container delivery price is included in the terms of the financing.

You might be wondering, how are containers delivered? We offer three shipping container delivery methods to your property; tilt bed roll off, customer assist, and flatbed.

Tilt Bed/Roll Off

Tilt bed or roll off is by far the most common delivery method because it doesn’t require customer assistance. The container will arrive on a trailer that will tilt back and place the edge of the container on the ground. The truck and trailer will pull away and allow the container to slide or roll off the trailer onto the ground. Here is a video that shows how this delivery method works.

Customer Assist

This delivery method requires the customer to have an anchor point on the delivery site. A chain can be attached to the container and then attached to the anchor point. The trailer then pulls away and the container slides onto the ground.

Flatbed

20ft and 40ft shipping containers will arrive on a flatbed trailer attached to a semi-truck. The customer will need to provide a means to lift the container off the trailer, which could be a crane, forklift or any other heavy equipment.

Customer Pickup

Customers are able to arrange a date and time to go to the depot and pick up their containers. We recommend that you have the proper equipment needed before attempting to move the container.

Note: Customers choosing this delivery option often get their shipping container sooner and get a pricing discount. If you are interested in this method, please contact us for more details.

Navigating the world of shipping can be a bit like learning a new language, especially when it comes to understanding all the jargon. Let’s break down some of that heavyweight lingo—specifically tare, payload, and gross mass—so you can feel like the captain of your shipping endeavors!

First off, “tare weight” is just a fancy term for how much an empty container weighs.

• 10-foot container: weigh about 2,200 pounds (1000 kg).
• 20-foot container: weigh about 4,500 pounds (2,041 kg).
• 40-foot container: weigh about 8,300 pounds (3,750 kg).
• 40-foot High Cube:weigh about 8,800 pounds (4000 kg).

The “payload” is the total weight of the cargo you can safely pack into your container. 40 foot containers can be loaded with up to 63,000 lbs of weight and stacked 10 high. That is why they are so useful for building multi-story homes, apartment buildings and college dorms. Here are the precise payload capacities for every shipping container size.

• 10-foot shipping containers can safely hold about 20,000 pounds (9,071 kg).
• 20-foot shipping containers can safely hold about 61,729 pounds (28,000 kg).
• 40-foot shipping containers can safely hold about 63,053 pounds (28,600 kg).
• 40-foot High Cube shipping containerscan safely hold about 63,053 pounds (28,600 kg).