Shipping Container Cubic Feet Capacity Guide

Shipping Container Cubic Feet Capacity Guide

Shipping containers are measured in cubic feet for cargo volume. Knowing the cubic footage helps plan shipments and storage.

Standard Container Sizes

Container	Internal L × W × H	Volume (ft³)	Max Weight
10-ft	9’4” × 7’8” × 7’10”	560	22,000 lbs
20-ft standard	19’4” × 7’8” × 7’10”	1,169	47,900 lbs
20-ft high cube	19’4” × 7’8” × 8’10”	1,332	46,170 lbs
40-ft standard	39’6” × 7’8” × 7’10”	2,385	59,040 lbs
40-ft high cube	39’6” × 7’8” × 8’10”	2,694	58,600 lbs

Usable vs. Total Volume

The listed cubic feet is internal volume. Usable volume is 85–90% of total because:

• Pallets do not stack to the ceiling
• Gaps form between irregular items
• Leave clearance for loading/unloading

A 20-ft container’s usable space is approximately 993–1,052 ft³.

How to Calculate Container Needs

1. Measure each item’s cubic feet (length × width × height in feet)
2. Add all items for total cubic feet
3. Divide by the container’s usable volume
4. Round up to the nearest whole container

Example

Shipping 2,000 ft³ of goods in 20-ft containers:

• Usable volume per container: 1,000 ft³
• Containers needed: 2,000 ÷ 1,000 = 2 containers

CBM to Cubic Feet

Shipping uses cubic meters (CBM) internationally. 1 CBM = 35.3147 ft³. A 20-ft container holds about 33.1 CBM.

Use our Cubic Feet Calculator to convert between CBM and cubic feet.