Reference
Container specifications
Internal dimensions, capacity, tare and maximum payload for the container types you are likely to receive in Australia.
Short answer
A 20' standard container measures 5.90 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.39 m high inside, holds 33.2 m³ and has a tare of around 2,250 kg. A 40' standard is 12.03 m long inside and holds 67.7 m³; a 40' high cube is 300 mm taller, at 76.4 m³. Tare varies between containers, so the figure stencilled on the door is the one that counts.
20' Standard
- External length
- 6.058 m
- External width
- 2.438 m
- External height
- 2.591 m
- Door opening
- 2.343 × 2.280 m
- Capacity
- 33.2 m³
Reaches the road weight limit long before it fills, which is why dense freight — stone, tiles, drums, machinery — ships in these almost universally.
40' Standard
- External length
- 12.192 m
- External width
- 2.438 m
- External height
- 2.591 m
- Door opening
- 2.343 × 2.280 m
- Capacity
- 67.7 m³
Roughly twice the volume of a 20' for well under twice the transport cost. On anything volume-limited it is the cheaper box per cubic metre.
40' High Cube
- External length
- 12.192 m
- External width
- 2.438 m
- External height
- 2.896 m
- Door opening
- 2.343 × 2.585 m
- Capacity
- 76.4 m³
300 mm taller inside for the same footprint. Check your overhead clearance before the first one arrives — particularly on a side loader, where it is lifted over the trailer.
45' High Cube
- External length
- 13.716 m
- External width
- 2.438 m
- External height
- 2.896 m
- Door opening
- 2.343 × 2.585 m
- Capacity
- 86.1 m³
Retractable trailer only. Long enough that the approach to your site matters as much as the space you are putting it in — tell us the gate and we will tell you straight.
External figures are ISO 668 nominal — they are what decides whether it fits through your gate. Internal dimensions, tare and payload are in the table below.
| Type | Internal length | Internal width | Internal height | Capacity | Tare | Max payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20' Standard (GP) | 5.90 m | 2.35 m | 2.39 m | 33.2 m³ | 2,250 kg | 28,230 kg |
| 40' Standard (GP) | 12.03 m | 2.35 m | 2.39 m | 67.7 m³ | 3,750 kg | 26,730 kg |
| 40' High Cube (HC) | 12.03 m | 2.35 m | 2.70 m | 76.4 m³ | 3,900 kg | 26,580 kg |
| 45' High Cube | 13.56 m | 2.35 m | 2.70 m | 86.1 m³ | 4,800 kg | 25,680 kg |
| 20' Reefer | 5.44 m | 2.29 m | 2.27 m | 28.3 m³ | 3,000 kg | 27,480 kg |
| 40' Reefer HC | 11.56 m | 2.29 m | 2.50 m | 67.3 m³ | 4,800 kg | 25,680 kg |
| 20' Open Top | 5.90 m | 2.35 m | 2.35 m | 32.5 m³ | 2,350 kg | 28,130 kg |
| 20' Flat Rack | 5.66 m | 2.24 m | 2.23 m | — | 2,750 kg | 31,250 kg |
These are nominal figures. Tare weight varies by manufacturer, age and repair history, sometimes by a few hundred kilograms. The tare stencilled on the container door is the number that counts — and it is the number we will ask you for.
Maximum payload above is the container's structural rating. The road limit is usually lower: see the guide to gross weight.
Choosing between 20' and 40'
A 40' container gives roughly twice the volume of a 20' for well under twice the transport cost, so on volume-limited freight it is nearly always cheaper per cubic metre. On dense freight the calculation inverts: a 20' container reaches the road weight limit long before it fills, which is why heavy commodities ship in 20' units almost universally.
High cube
A high cube is 300 mm taller internally — about 13% more volume for the same floor space and the same road footprint. Worth checking your delivery site's overhead clearance if you are receiving one for the first time, particularly with side loader delivery, where the container is lifted over the trailer.
Reefers
Refrigerated containers carry their machinery inside the box, which costs roughly a metre of internal length and a tonne of tare. They also need power at your site if the cargo is staying in the container after delivery — worth arranging before the truck arrives, not after.
Open top and flat rack
Both exist for cargo that cannot go through the doors: machinery, long steel, anything that has to be craned in from above. They are almost always oversize in at least one dimension once loaded, which puts them on a retractable trailer and often under a permit.
What we can carry
- Max gross
- 43.5 t
- Side loader
- 22.5 t
- 20' & 40'
- All configs
- 45'
- Retractable
- Reefer
- Yes
- Open top / flat rack
- Yes
Need a container moved?
Send the details and you will have a quote the same day. If it is urgent, call — we run to terminal windows, not office hours.