Coreline International — International sea

Coreline International — International sea | corelineinternational.com

A standard 40 ft container holds about 67-68 m³ of interior space; the high-cube version, one foot taller, holds about 76 m³. That number only becomes useful once your own cargo is converted into cubic metres — and once the weight is checked against the same 30,480 kg gross limit that governs both box sizes.

corelineinternational.comSame 30,480 kg gross cap on 20 ft and 40 ft.10 EUR pallets fit a 20 ft floor; about 20 fit a 40 ft.

The two standard boxes, side by side

Interior dimensions, weight limits and pallet floor count for the two standard box sizes.
Measurement	20 ft container	40 ft container
Inside length	5.90 m	12.03 m
Inside width	2.35 m	2.35 m
Inside height	2.39 m	2.39 m
Usable volume	about 33 m³	about 67-68 m³
Empty (tare) weight	about 2,230 kg	about 3,700-3,900 kg
Maximum gross weight	30,480 kg	30,480 kg
Cargo payload	about 28,200 kg	about 26,500-26,700 kg
EUR pallets (1,200 x 800 mm) on the floor	about 10	about 20

Interior dimensions, weight limits and pallet floor count for the two standard box sizes.

Three boxes, three capacities

The same steel floor logic, scaled by length and height.

A shipment on the calendar

The key terms of this guide, drawn to one scale

The direct answer: 67 to 68 cubic metres

A standard 40 ft container gives about 67-68 m³ of loading space; a 40 ft high-cube gives about 76 m³.

The figure comes from the interior: 12.03 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.39 m high. Multiply those and you get the geometric volume carriers quote — the space inside the steel walls before a single carton goes in.

The high-cube variant keeps the same floor but stands one foot taller — 2.90 m of exterior height against 2.59 m on a standard box. That extra foot is what lifts usable volume from 67-68 m³ to roughly 76 m³.

Treat the headline number as a ceiling, not a promise. Cartons that do not stack flush, pallet overhang and clearance at the door all shave the total, so the reliable method is to convert your own cargo to cubic metres first and compare it with the box — not the other way round.

Measure, choose, book

Convert your cargo to cubic metres before choosing a box

Measure each carton in metres, multiply length by width by height, and add the results.

A shipment of 40 cartons at 0.60 x 0.40 x 0.50 m is 0.12 m³ per carton, 4.8 m³ in total. Run the same sum for every line of the packing list and the stack can be compared directly with 33 m³ (20 ft), 67-68 m³ (40 ft) or 76 m³ (high-cube).

If the cargo travels on EUR pallets of 1,200 x 800 mm, count floor positions instead: a 20 ft box takes about 10 on the floor, a 40 ft about 20, before any second tier. Multiply the 1.2 x 0.8 m footprint by the stacked height to get each pallet's cubic metres.

Measure the longest point of each carton, in metres
Multiply length x width x height per line, then sum the lines
For pallets: 1.2 x 0.8 m footprint x stacked height
Compare the total with 33, 67-68 and 76 m³

LCL or a full container: the 14-16 m³ crossover

Below roughly 14-16 m³, paying per cubic metre in a shared box usually wins; above it, a full 20 ft container usually costs less per cubic metre.

LCL — less than container load — bills space by the cubic metre, with 1 m³ treated as 1,000 kg. Cargo denser than that ratio pays on weight rather than volume, which is why a pallet of machine parts costs more to share than a same-sized pallet of pillows.

The arithmetic flips once a shipment passes about 14-16 m³. At that point the per-cubic-metre charges of LCL add up to more than the flat cost of a full 20 ft box, so forwarders treat that band as the usual crossover for booking FCL.

Air freight uses a different ruler: length x width x height in centimetres divided by 5,000 gives the chargeable weight. A carton that is cheap by sea can price as far heavier by air, which is why dense, urgent cargo is worth quoting on both modes before booking.

Pick the box by payload, not just by volume

Both standard sizes share the same 30,480 kg gross limit, so the bigger box is not the stronger one.

A 20 ft container weighs about 2,230 kg empty, leaving roughly 28,200 kg of payload. A 40 ft weighs about 3,700-3,900 kg empty, leaving about 26,500-26,700 kg. Doubling the length adds volume but actually removes around 1,500-1,700 kg of cargo capacity.

The practical rule: light, bulky cargo belongs in the 40 ft or the high-cube; dense cargo — tiles, metal, liquids, machinery — belongs in the 20 ft, where the payload is highest. Loading a 40 ft to the roof with dense goods trips the weight limit long before the volume runs out.

Objections shippers raise

Is 67 m³ the space I can actually fill?

Not quite — 67-68 m³ is the geometric interior of a standard 40 ft box. Real loads lose space to carton gaps, pallet overhang and clearance at the door, so measure your own stack in cubic metres and leave margin rather than planning to the last cubic metre.

My goods are heavy but compact — is a 40 ft still better?

Usually not. The 40 ft carries about 26,500-26,700 kg against roughly 28,200 kg in a 20 ft, because both share the same 30,480 kg gross limit. Dense cargo almost always belongs in the smaller, heavier-lifting box.

What happens if I skip the weight declaration?

The container does not load. Since 1 July 2016 SOLAS requires a Verified Gross Mass for every packed box — 'no VGM, no load' is enforced at the terminal, and the shipment waits for the next sailing.

When is a high-cube worth booking?

When the cargo is light but bulky. The high-cube adds one foot of height — 2.90 m outside against 2.59 m — lifting usable volume from 67-68 m³ to about 76 m³, while the payload stays governed by the same 30,480 kg gross cap.