Shipping container sizes are a critical aspect of shipping your goods safely and securely to your destination. They determine what types of cargo they can carry, how much space it will take to load and transport, and more. They also affect the price you pay for your shipping service and your overall budget.
Shipping containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but most have basic dimensions like length, width and height that they are measured in. These basic measurements are the same for each type of container, but can vary slightly from one manufacturer to the next.
Standard 10-foot, 20-foot and 40-foot containers are the most common, although high cube models offer extra height to maximize storage space. These high-cube containers can increase the height of your shipping container by up to 27cm, giving you more room for taller, heavier or bulkier cargo.
20-foot and 40-foot containers are used to store everything from lawn mowers to tools, bikes, furniture, and even documents, as well as general equipment on a construction site or in an office building. They’re also a popular choice for portable storage companies that need a safe and secure home for their clients’ items.
While the most popular size of shipping container is 20-foot, 40-foot containers are a great choice for larger projects as they can easily fit a few large storage containers in them for more capacity and flexibility. These containers are also ideal for creating a multi-level shipping container structure to provide more space and better air circulation.
They are available in a variety of colors and styles, including steel, aluminum, and wood. They also feature doors on one, two, or all sides.
Most shipping containers are standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) via ISO 668 to ensure they can be stacked correctly on ships and chassis trailers. This makes shipping containers easier to use and ensures that your shipments get to their destinations safely and efficiently.
Standard shipping containers are 8′ wide and 2.44m long, measuring in TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent units). Ocean cargo containers must be able to stack perfectly on top of each other to prevent damage during shipping.
The maximum weight or payload that can be safely carried in a shipping container is called the max load. This number will vary from container to container, but it should be close.
This is the most important metric to consider when choosing a shipping container. It determines how much cargo can be transported in the container, which will affect your shipping prices.
Other important shipping container measurements are the tare weight (empty), and max load capacity (net). These numbers will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they should be fairly consistent for most containers.
Ten-foot containers are the smallest standard container sizes, but they still have enough space to hold most of the contents of a one-bedroom apartment. They’re a popular choice for portable storage companies, but they aren’t usually purchased by individuals.
