Capacity of a container: 10ft, 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, 48ft

The capacity of a container depends on its dimensions. Between 20ft and 40ft containers, each has a different capacity. A 40ft container has a larger cargo-carrying capacity compared to a 20ft container.

Understanding the capacity of a container makes it easier to store and load cargo into it. The convenience referred to here is that you may only need one container to ship all the goods being exported.

Using a single container with the right capacity creates cost efficiency, as the expenses associated with freight shipping will not be too high.

The capacity of a container is represented in CBM or cubic meters, which is listed on the door of the shipping container. Container cubic capacity, or CBM, refers to the volume of cargo measured in cubic meters.

In other words, container cubic capacity or CBM is the same as volume, although volume can be represented with different units of measurement. The larger the CBM of a container, the more cargo it can carry. Conversely, the smaller the CBM, the less cargo it can transport.

Daftar isi

1 How to Calculate the Capacity of a Container
2 The Capacity of 20ft Container
3 The Capacity of 40ft Container
4 Capacity of a Container 10ft, 45ft, 48ft

How to Calculate the Capacity of a Container

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Calculating the capacity of a container is fairly simple. Start by identifying the container’s length, width, and height, then multiply the three dimensions: length x width x height. The result of this calculation is what we call the capacity of a container or cubic meters or CBM.

Using the formula above, you can easily estimate how much cargo can fit into a single container you plan to purchase.

You can also use online tools to calculate the capacity of a container, such as CBM Calculator and Online Container Loading and Stuffing Calculator.
Begin calculating how much cargo can fit into the container. For example, you want to ship packaged tea in boxes with dimensions of 14 x 5 x 6 centimeters and a weight of 200 grams.
Open the CBM Calculator in your browser.
Select cubic meter and enter the tea box dimensions in the fields: Length 14 centimeters, Width 5 centimeters, and Height 6 centimeters. Fill in the Gross Weight with 200 grams.
After inputting all components, the result will show the number of items without pallets that can fit into a twenty foot container, which is 78,872 tea boxes.

The Capacity of 20ft Container

Even though they are both 20ft in size, each type of container has a different capacity. The difference in cubic measurements is also clearly seen between a 20ft standard and a 20ft high cube. Below is the capacity of a 20ft container based on its type and dimensions.

20ft General Purpose or Dry Container. Capacity: 33.2 cubic meters.
20ft General Purpose or Dry Container High Cube. Capacity: 37.4 cubic meters.
20ft Open Side Container. Capacity: 31 cubic meters.
20ft Open Side Container High Cube. Capacity: 35.1 cubic meters.
20ft Refrigerated Container. Capacity: 26 cubic meters.
20ft Refrigerated Container High Cube. Capacity: 32.2 cubic meters.

The Capacity of 40ft Container

The same applies to 40ft containers. Each type within this size has a different capacity, including the difference between standard and high cube units. For more clarity, check the detailed information below.