20 ft container
20 ft container loading calculator
What a twenty-foot box actually holds. Internal dimensions, the pallet count that follows from them, the weight that usually limits it first, and a 3D plan for your cargo — the planner below opens on a 20 ft.
Complete basic estimates are free. Preview mixed loads in 3D; full custom plans unlock with a $9 pack.
Free carton fit calculator
One carton size, one empty rectangular space. Enter the inside dimensions and get a calculated carton count, layer drawing and volume use immediately.
Complete basic results. No account or card needed.
Estimated cartons in one space
51 cartons per layer × 5 layers = 255 cartons
Space estimate: payload has not been checked. Add your available cargo allowance to apply a weight limit.
- Cartons per complete layer
- 51
- Layers used
- 5
- Volume use
- 73.74%
- Carton volume
- 24.48 m³
- Cargo weight
- 2550 kg
- Loaded height
- 200 cm
The original carton height is vertical (40 cm). Amber cartons turn 90° on the floor. Higher layers repeat this orientation and pattern; a payload-limited final layer can be incomplete.
Loads for your order — feasible geometric estimate
1
Loading spaces needed for 100 cartons: 1. The drawing and cargo measurements above show one space at capacity, not the whole order.
Volume/payload lower bound: 1. This is only a necessary bound; it is not a demonstrated packing plan or a promise of the minimum number of loads.
20 ft dry container: ACL. Dimensions are a published equipment example, not a universal fleet specification. Confirm your actual interior and cargo allowance.
Compare the same cartons in another space
Each row uses the carton size, orientation, order and payload allowance entered above. Only internal dimensions change. Confirm the allowance separately for each equipment type.
| Loading space | Cartons per load | Volume use | Loads for order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft dry container | 255 | 73.74% | 1 |
| 40 ft dry container | 550 | 77.9% | 1 |
| 40 ft high cube | 660 | 82.98% | 1 |
How the carton estimate works
- Find a layer that fits. Compare both horizontal rotations and mixed layouts with a single dividing line. With all orientations allowed, repeat this check for each choice of vertical carton dimension.
- Repeat the layer within the height. Divide internal height by carton height in the selected orientation and round down. The method keeps one vertical orientation and repeats the same layer; it does not prove the best possible 3D packing.
- Apply payload and count the loads. If a payload is entered, divide it by carton weight and round down. Use the smaller of the space count and weight count. Divide the order by this capacity and round up for a repeatable geometric estimate.
What the estimate leaves to check
This is one rectangular carton size in an empty rectangular interior. It does not check door entry, wheel arches, packing gaps, pallets, carton crush strength, stacking stability, load restraint, unloading order or axle loads. Interior fit alone does not establish a practical loading plan. Check the actual shipment and equipment before loading.
Read the loading-order guideDifferent cartons or handling rules?
The separate 3D planner handles mixed loads and additional constraints. Explore examples and preview your own load free; full custom 3D results start with a $9 pack.
The short answer
11 euro pallets or 10 industrial pallets. About 33 m³ and 28 tonnes.
Standard 20 ft dry box, single tier, no overhang.
A 20 ft is the container that runs out of weight first. Its floor takes eleven euro pallets, but at 28 tonnes of payload that is 2.5 tonnes a pallet before the box is full — so for tiles, drinks, paper and machinery the question is rarely how many pallets fit but how many the rating allows. Light cargo has the opposite problem: 33 m³ fills fast with cartons that do not stack to the roof.
20 ft container dimensions
The 20 ft family: standard, high cube, pallet-wide, reefer and open top, with internal measurements, one-tier pallet counts, payload and volume.
| Container | Internal L × W × H | Pallets, one tier (euro · industrial) | Payload · volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft standard (dry) | 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 11 · 10 | ~28,200 kg · 33 m³ |
| 20 ft high cube | 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.69 m | 11 · 10 | ~28,000 kg · 37 m³ |
| 20 ft pallet-wide high cube | 5.90 × 2.44 × 2.69 m | 14 · 10 | ~28,000 kg · 39 m³ |
| 20 ft reefer | 5.44 × 2.29 × 2.27 m | 10 · 9 | ~27,500 kg · 28 m³ |
| 20 ft open top | 5.89 × 2.35 × 2.35 m | 11 · 10 | ~28,000 kg · 32 m³ |
Nominal figures. A standard 20 ft door opening is about 2.34 m wide and 2.28 m high, smaller than the box behind it; reefer interiors are quoted to the load line. Measure the allocated box before planning to the centimetre.
Pack a 20 ft container
The planner is already set to a 20 ft. Enter your cartons or pallets — or describe the shipment — and it places every piece, reports the fill, and says what did not fit.
The full planner handles mixed sizes and additional handling rules. Explore complete examples and preview your cargo free; full custom 3D plans unlock with a $9 pack.
What changes the answer
Four reasons a 20 ft holds fewer pallets, or more, than the table says.
- The door, not the box
- A standard container door is about 2.34 m wide and 2.28 m high — narrower and lower than the 2.35 × 2.39 m inside. Anything that fits the box but not the opening does not go in, and a high cube's taller door is often its real advantage.
- Weight before space
- Dense cargo hits the payload limit long before it fills the floor. A 20 ft container holds about 28 tonnes and 33 m³ — anything above roughly 850 kg per cubic metre runs out of weight first, and the pallet count stops mattering.
- Volume is not capacity
- 68 m³ of box holds far less than 68 m³ of cartons. Rows that do not divide the width evenly, the gap above the top tier and odd sizes at the end take 10–25% on a good day. The fill percentage the planner reports is the honest figure.
- Overhang
- Cargo that extends past the pallet edge changes the footprint the trailer sees. A few centimetres per pallet is what turns 33 into 30, and it is the single most common reason a published count does not survive contact with real cargo.
Questions
How many euro pallets fit in a 20 ft container?
11, loaded as a mix of lengthways and across so the 2.35 m width is used — two across at 1.2 + 0.8 m, with the odd one at the end. A pallet-wide 20 ft (2.44 m inside) takes 14, two euro pallets side by side.
What are the internal dimensions of a 20 ft container?
About 5.90 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.39 m high, giving 33 m³. The door is narrower and lower than that: roughly 2.34 by 2.28 m.
What is the maximum weight in a 20 ft container?
Around 28 tonnes of payload against a 30.48 t gross rating, but the road leg often allows less — many European routes cap the loaded box plus chassis at 40–44 t gross, which leaves 24–26 t of cargo. Check the tightest leg, not the tag.
How many cubic metres is a 20 ft container?
33 m³ internal for a standard box, about 37 for a 20 ft high cube and 28 for a 20 ft reefer. Usable volume is less: expect 75–90% fill with uniform cartons and less with mixed sizes.
Plan the 20 ft
Your cargo in a twenty-foot box, with the fill and the weight, in 3D.
Open the planner