40 ft container
40 ft container loading calculator
What a forty-foot box holds and where it stops. Dimensions for the standard and the high cube, the pallet counts, the weight it is allowed to carry, and a 3D plan for your cargo — the planner below opens on a 40 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
110 cartons per layer × 5 layers = 550 cartons
Space estimate: payload has not been checked. Add your available cargo allowance to apply a weight limit.
- Cartons per complete layer
- 110
- Layers used
- 5
- Volume use
- 77.9%
- Carton volume
- 52.8 m³
- Cargo weight
- 5500 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.
40 ft dry container: Hapag-Lloyd. 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
25 euro pallets or 21 industrial pallets. About 68 m³ and 26.7 tonnes.
Standard 40 ft dry box, single tier, no overhang.
A 40 ft is the container that runs out of space first. It carries barely more weight than a 20 ft — about 26.7 tonnes against 28 — on twice the floor, so it suits light and bulky cargo: furniture, garments, packaging, assembled goods. Dense freight in a 40 ft leaves the box half empty at the weight limit, which is the most common reason two 20 fts cost less than one 40 ft.
40 ft container dimensions
The 40 ft family: standard, high cube, pallet-wide high cube, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 ft standard (dry) | 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 25 · 21 | ~26,700 kg · 68 m³ |
| 40 ft high cube | 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m | 25 · 21 | ~26,500 kg · 76 m³ |
| 40 ft pallet-wide high cube | 12.10 × 2.44 × 2.69 m | 30 · 24 | ~26,000 kg · 79 m³ |
| 40 ft high cube reefer | 11.56 × 2.29 × 2.55 m | 23 · 20 | ~29,000 kg · 67 m³ |
| 40 ft open top | 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.33 m | 25 · 21 | ~26,500 kg · 66 m³ |
Nominal figures. Boxes of the same size differ by a few centimetres between manufacturers; the door on a standard 40 ft is about 2.34 m wide and 2.28 m high. Payload is the ISO rating; the road and rail legs usually allow less.
Pack a 40 ft container
The planner is already set to a 40 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 40 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.
- 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.
- Road limits arrive before the rating
- A 40 ft may be rated for 26.7 tonnes, but the truck collecting it may not be: many European routes cap the loaded box plus chassis at 40–44 tonnes gross, and US roads at 80,000 lb. Plan to the tightest leg, not to the plate on the door.
- What may sit on what
- Double-stacking doubles a count only if the lower tier can carry the upper one and the total clears the roof. Fragile, non-tiltable and crush-limited items break that arithmetic, and they are the norm rather than the exception.
Questions
How many euro pallets fit in a 40 ft container?
25 on a single tier, or 21 industrial pallets; a pallet-wide 40 ft high cube takes 30 euro pallets. Double-stacking doubles those only if the lower tier carries the upper and the total clears 2.39 m — in a standard box it usually does not.
What are the internal dimensions of a 40 ft container?
About 12.03 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.39 m high, giving 68 m³. The high cube is 2.69 m high and 76 m³ on the same floor.
What is the maximum weight in a 40 ft container?
About 26.7 tonnes of payload — less than a 20 ft, because the empty box weighs more against the same 30.48 t gross rating. Road limits usually bite earlier still.
How many cubic metres is a 40 ft container?
68 m³ for a standard 40 ft and 76 m³ for a high cube. Real fill is 75–90% of that with uniform cartons, and the planner reports the exact figure for your mix.
Plan the 40 ft
Your cargo in a forty-foot box, with the fill and the weight, in 3D.
Open the planner