How many CBM in a 40ft High Cube container?
The quick answer
A 40ft high cube has about 76 cubic meters of space inside, or 2,684 cubic feet. The inside is 12.03 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.70 m high, about 30 cm taller than a standard 40ft. The door opening is 2.34 m wide and 2.58 m high.
- Same floor as a 40ft — 20 US pallets or about 24 Euro pallets per layer.
- Payload — about 26,500 to 28,600 kg, depending on the box's rating. Blue Water Shipping lists 28,620 kg.
- Taller door — 2.58 m high, against 2.28 m on a standard 40ft, so taller stacks go in.
- Planning a load? Compare boxes in the container loading calculator.
A 40ft High Cube holds about 76 m³ (CBM) — the same floor as a standard 40ft but a foot taller, so it fits more by volume. It is the go-to box for light, bulky cargo that cubes out before it weighs out.
Internal volume
76 m³
2,684 ft³
GMA pallets
20
single layer
Euro pallets
24
single layer
Max payload
27 t
26,500 kg
40ft High Cube 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 | 2.7 m | 8' 10" |
| Capacity (CBM) | 76 m³ | 2,684 ft³ |
| Max payload | 26,500 kg | 58,422 lb |
| Equivalent | 2 TEU | 40' HC · 2 TEU |
The same 20 pallets per layer, but taller stacks
The high cube has the same floor as a standard 40ft, so one layer still takes 20 US pallets (48 × 40 in) or about 24 Euro pallets. The gain is in height. Its door opening is 2.58 m high, against 2.28 m on a standard 40ft, so a two-high stack of pallets built to about 1.25 m goes in through the doors. In a standard 40ft the same two-high stack has to stay near 1.1 m per pallet.
How many more cartons fit than in a standard 40ft?
With 60 × 40 × 40 cm cartons loaded all the same way up, the extra 31 cm of height adds a sixth layer: 2.70 m holds 6 cartons high where 2.39 m holds 5. That is 600 cartons instead of 500, a 20% gain from a box with about 12% more volume. How much you gain depends on how your carton height divides into the box. Try your carton in the container loading calculator.
What the extra foot of height actually buys
A high cube is one foot taller externally, which shows up inside as about 2.70 m of clear height versus 2.39 m in a standard 40ft. Same floor, same doors' width — just 30 cm more headroom. On paper that's 8.4 extra CBM (76.0 vs 67.6, about 12% more volume); in practice the gain is often bigger than 12%, because the extra height turns wasted air above a stack into a usable layer of cartons, or lets you load taller-built pallets instead of leaving them short.
The classic high-cube use is pallet height. The 2.58 m door lets a two-high stack of pallets built to about 1.25 m go straight in, a stack a standard 40ft's 2.28 m door would not take. For e-commerce, furniture and other light goods, that can move part of a shipment off a second container.
When the HQ wins — and when it doesn't
At about 26,500 kg of payload over 76 m³, the break-even density is about 349 kg/m³. Light cargo below that fills the space first, so for it the extra 8.4 m³ is pure gain. Ask for both prices on your lane: when a high cube costs the same as a standard 40ft, light cargo belongs in the high cube.
The HQ doesn't help dense cargo: if you weigh out at 26,500 kg long before 67 m³, the extra height carries nothing but air. And on inland legs in some countries, the taller box can face route or clearance restrictions road-standard 40fts don't — worth confirming with the trucker for door deliveries in height-restricted areas.
Frequently asked questions
How many CBM is a 40ft high cube container?
About 76 m³ inside (2,684 ft³), from internal dimensions of 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.70 m. That is about 8.4 m³ more than a standard 40ft.
What is the difference between 40ft and 40ft HC?
Only the height. The high cube is 9 ft 6 in tall outside against 8 ft 6 in, which gives about 2.70 m inside instead of 2.39 m, and a 2.58 m door instead of 2.28 m. Length, width and floor are the same.
Is a 40HQ the same as a 40HC?
Yes. HQ and HC are two labels for the same 9 ft 6 in high cube container.
How much weight can a 40ft high cube carry?
About 26,500 to 28,600 kg of cargo, depending on the box's rated gross weight. The box itself weighs about 3,900 kg. The CSC plate on the door shows your box's figure.