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CONTAINERPARK

22G1

20ft Shipping Containers for Sale

The standard 6.06 m ISO dry container: 33.2 m³ of volume, up to 28 t of payload, and the easiest size to move by road almost anywhere in the world.

External length
6 058 mm
Internal height
2 393 mm
Cubic capacity
33.2 m³
Payload
28 230 kg
20ft Shipping Container

The 20ft dry container — ISO type 22G1 — is the reference unit of the container trade. Its external dimensions are fixed by ISO 668 at 6 058 × 2 438 × 2 591 mm, which is why a 20ft box bought in Hamburg fits the same chassis, the same crane spreader and the same ship cell as one bought in Singapore.

It is also the most widely available size in every condition grade, from factory-fresh one-trip units through cargo-worthy and wind-and-watertight stock down to as-is boxes sold for their steel. That depth of supply is what makes 20ft the default recommendation for buyers who need containers quickly, in quantity, or in more than one country.

Technical specifications

Unit system
Technical specifications
Property20ft Standard22G1
External dimensions
Length6 058 mm19 ft 10.5 in
Width2 438 mm8 ft
Height2 591 mm8 ft 6.0 in
Internal dimensions
Length5 898 mm19 ft 4.2 in
Width2 352 mm7 ft 8.6 in
Height2 393 mm7 ft 10.2 in
Door opening
Width2 340 mm7 ft 8.1 in
Height2 280 mm7 ft 5.8 in
Weights
Tare weight2 250 kg4 960 lb
Maximum gross mass30 480 kg67 200 lb
Payload28 230 kg62 240 lb
Capacity
Cubic capacity33.2 m³1 170 cu ft

Nominal figures for current production. The CSC safety approval plate on the individual unit is the governing document.

Construction & fittings

ISO type code
22G1
Construction
Corrugated Corten steel on a welded steel frame
Corner castings
ISO 1161, all eight corners
Floor
28 mm marine-grade plywood on steel cross-members
Doors
Double doors one end, 4 cam-operated locking bars, gasket seals
Ventilation
Passive vents in the upper side panels
Forklift pockets
Normally fitted
Lashing points
Rings on the top and bottom side rails
CSC status
Valid plate on one-trip and cargo-worthy units

What you get in a standard 20ft container

Corrugated weathering-steel panels welded to a rigid steel frame, with ISO 1161 corner castings at all eight corners. The floor is normally 28 mm marine-grade plywood laid on steel cross-members and is rated to take a loaded forklift. Double doors at one end carry cam-operated locking bars with weather gaskets, and passive vents in the upper side panels give the type its G1 designation.

Most 20ft units also have forklift pockets in the bottom side rails. 40ft units do not — a practical difference that decides how you will move the box once it is on the ground.

  • Internal volume 33.2 m³ — roughly 10 standard europallets on the floor
  • Payload up to 28 230 kg on a unit plated at 30 480 kg maximum gross
  • Tare around 2 250 kg, so it is liftable by most 25 t crane trucks
  • Door opening 2 340 × 2 280 mm

Choosing a condition

Condition, not size, is what moves the price on a 20ft box. A one-trip unit and an as-is unit of the same dimensions can differ by a factor of three.

If the container will be shipped as freight, you need cargo worthy or better with a valid CSC plate. If it will stand on a yard as a store, wind and watertight is normally the right specification and the better value. The container conditions guide sets out all six grades side by side.

Ground space and access

A 20ft container needs about 7 m of standing space, plus room to open 2.3 m of doors. Delivery is the harder constraint: a tilt-bed trailer needs roughly 25 m of straight, firm approach and about 4 m of width, and it must be able to reverse in. Where that is not available, a crane truck places the unit from the side, and where neither works the container is collected from the depot.

Read container delivery before you commit to a delivery address, and container unloading for what has to be ready on site.

Buying more than one

Multiple 20ft units usually price better than the same volume in 40ft boxes when the constraint is road access rather than sea freight — and worse when the constraint is ocean freight, because a 40ft slot costs less than two 20ft slots on most trades. Tell us the quantity and the destination on the RFQ and we will quote both configurations where it is close.

Typical uses

  • Ocean freight

    Standard equipment on every container service worldwide; the unit of account for slot bookings.

  • Site and yard storage

    Secure, weatherproof, movable storage that needs no foundation and no planning lead time.

  • Export of vehicles and plant

    2 340 mm door width takes most cars, small plant and palletised machinery.

  • Conversion base

    The most common starting point for offices, workshops, welfare units and technical enclosures.

Multiple units and container lots

Single units, multiple units and full lots are all quoted. Consolidating units from one depot usually reduces the transport component noticeably, so state the quantity on the enquiry even when it is provisional.

A heavy container handler lifting a shipping container at a depot, with rows of containers behind

Delivery

Road delivery across Europe from whichever depot suits your destination, and named-port quotations on agreed Incoterms overseas.

Frequently asked questions

How many europallets fit in a 20ft container?
Eleven europallets (1 200 × 800 mm) fit on the floor if they are loaded in the standard pattern and nothing overhangs; ten is the figure most shippers plan on, because it leaves room to stow and secure. For 1 200 × 1 000 mm industrial pallets, plan on nine to ten.
What is the difference between a new and a one-trip 20ft container?
In practice they are the same product. Containers are built in Asia, and a "new" unit is nearly always sold after one loaded voyage to Europe — that is what one-trip means. A genuinely never-loaded unit exists only at the factory gate. We describe our stock as one-trip for that reason; see one-trip containers.
Can a 20ft container be moved once it is loaded?
Yes, within its plated gross mass of 30 480 kg, using equipment rated for it. What you cannot do is drag a loaded container across a yard with a forklift — the frame is designed to be lifted at the corner castings or picked up from the forklift pockets when empty or lightly loaded.
How long does a used 20ft container last?
A cargo-worthy box that is kept off wet ground, allowed to drain and repainted when the coating fails will normally outlast the buyer's need for it. Left sitting in a puddle with blocked drainage, the same box loses its floor bearers first. Condition on arrival matters less than what happens afterwards.
Do you supply 20ft containers outside Germany?
Yes. Units are supplied from German depots and from the wider North European depot network, and quoted delivered to European addresses or to an overseas port. See worldwide delivery.
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