How many CBM in a 40ft container?
The quick answer
A 40ft standard shipping container has about 67.6 cubic metres of space inside, or 2,387 cubic feet. The box is 12.03 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.39 m high. A real load fills near 55 to 60 m³, because pallets and gaps take space.
- Pallets per floor layer — about 20 US pallets (48 by 40 in). Euro pallets, about 24.
- Payload — about 26,700 to 28,800 kg, depending on the box's rating. Read the CSC plate on the door.
- Door opening — about 2.34 m wide and 2.28 m high. Inside height is 2.39 m.
- Working out a load plan? Try the container loading calculator.
A 40ft container holds about 67 m³ (CBM) — roughly double a 20ft, or about 20–24 pallets. It is the most common box in ocean freight and the default for a full container load of general cargo.
Internal volume
67.6 m³
2,387 ft³
GMA pallets
20
single layer
Euro pallets
24
single layer
Max payload
27 t
26,700 kg
40ft Standard container dimensions
These are the inside measurements, the space you can actually load. The outside size, the door opening and the other boxes are side by side on the shipping container dimensions page.
| Internal length | 12.03 m | 39' 5" |
| Internal width | 2.35 m | 7' 8" |
| Internal height | 2.39 m | 7' 10" |
| Capacity (CBM) | 67.6 m³ | 2,387 ft³ |
| Max payload | 26,700 kg | 58,863 lb |
| Equivalent | 2 TEU | 40' GP · 2 TEU |
Pallets in a 40ft: 20 US or about 24 Euro
The inside floor is 12.03 m long and 2.35 m wide. Standard US pallets (48 × 40 in) fit 20 on one layer: a line of 11 with the 48-inch side across the box, next to a line of 9 with the 40-inch side across. Euro pallets (1,200 × 800 mm) fit about 24. A 25th fits on paper, but with only about 3 cm to spare, so plan on 24. If the goods can be stacked and stay under the payload, a second layer doubles these counts.
How many cartons fit in 67.6 m³?
Dividing the space by one carton's volume gives the paper answer: a 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton is 0.096 m³, so 704 would fit. Real boxes don't divide evenly into the container. Loaded all the same way up, 500 of those cartons fit (20 along, 5 across, 5 high), which uses about 71% of the space. Mixing the way cartons face can win back some of the rest. Try your carton in the container loading calculator.
Twice the space of a 20ft, about the same payload
A 40ft has about double the volume of a 20ft (67.6 against 33.1 m³) but no more weight capacity. Its payload depends on the box's rated gross weight: about 26,700 kg on a box rated 30,480 kg, and about 28,800 kg on one rated 32,500 kg, which is Blue Water Shipping's figure. A 20ft carries about 28,200 kg. At 26,700 kg over 67.6 m³, the break-even density is about 395 kg/m³: lighter cargo, like most consumer goods, furniture and apparel, fills the space before the weight limit.
So if your cargo is dense enough to reach the weight limit at half the volume, a 20ft is usually the better buy: about the same payload in a smaller box. For very heavy lots, two 20fts carry about twice the weight of one 40ft.
Pallets, cartons and the 'two TEU' economics
A 40ft floor-loads about twenty GMA pallets or twenty-four Euro pallets in a single layer — double-stackable to roughly forty positions if the freight allows. Loose-loaded cartons typically achieve 55–60 m³ of the nominal 67.6, so quotes built on '58 CBM usable' are being realistic rather than pessimistic.
A 40ft counts as 2 TEU. Compare its price per cubic meter with a 20ft's on your lane before you book: once a shipment is clearly more than a 20ft can hold, the 40ft is the box to price, rather than a 20ft plus shared-container (LCL) space for the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How many CBM is a 40ft container?
67.6 m³ inside, or 2,387 ft³, from internal dimensions of 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m. Builders differ by a few centimeters, so check the shipping line's spec for the exact box.
What is the difference between a 40ft and a 40HQ container?
Height. A 40ft high cube (40HQ or 40HC) is about 30 cm taller inside, 2.70 m instead of 2.39 m, and its door is 2.58 m high instead of 2.28 m. That adds about 8.4 m³, for 76.0 m³ in total. The floor is the same, so one layer holds the same number of pallets.
How much weight can a 40ft container carry?
It depends on the box's rating. A 40ft rated 30,480 kg gross carries about 26,700 kg (58,863 lb); many newer boxes are rated 32,500 kg and carry about 28,800 kg. The exact figure is on the CSC plate on the door. On US roads, the 80,000 lb gross limit for the whole truck can cut it further.
Is a 40ft container twice the size of a 20ft?
In volume, almost: 67.6 m³ against 33.1 m³. In weight, no: its payload is about the same as a 20ft's, roughly 26,700 to 28,800 kg against 28,200 kg. That is why heavy cargo often ships in 20ft boxes and bulky cargo in 40ft ones.