Shipping Container Dimensions

External dimensions are the fixed part

ISO 668 fixes the external envelope. Length is 2 991 mm (10 ft), 6 058 mm (20 ft), 12 192 mm (40 ft) or 13 716 mm (45 ft). Width is 2 438 mm (8 ft) on every standard container. Height is either 2 591 mm (8 ft 6 in) for a standard container or 2 896 mm (9 ft 6 in) for a High Cube.

This is why the system works: a container built anywhere fits any chassis, any spreader and any ship cell in the world. Anything that deviates from these figures is not a standard ISO container, whatever it is called in the listing.

Internal dimensions are where the variation is

Internal figures depend on corrugation profile, lining, flooring and builder. The values published here are the ones normally seen on current production, and they will be within a few tens of millimetres of the unit you receive — but for a load with less than about 50 mm of clearance, measure the actual container rather than trusting any table, including this one.

The most common trap is height. A standard container gives 2 393 mm inside; a High Cube gives 2 698 mm. If the cargo is 2 500 mm tall, that difference is the entire decision. See high cube containers.

Door openings are smaller than the interior

The door aperture is framed by the door sill, the header and the corner posts, so it is always narrower and lower than the internal cross-section. A 20ft container is 2 352 mm wide inside but only 2 340 mm through the doors, and 2 393 mm tall inside but 2 280 mm through the doors.

For anything driven or rolled in — vehicles, plant, stillages — the door opening is the binding dimension, not the internal height.

Which dimension should you design against?

• Fitting it on a site — external length and width, plus about 2.5 m for the doors to swing
• Fitting it under a bridge or through a gate — external height, plus the chassis height on the delivery vehicle
• Fitting cargo inside — internal length, width and height, less any dunnage and securing
• Getting cargo through the doors — the door opening, every time
• Weight limits — payload and maximum gross, not volume. See container weight.