The Definitive Shipping Container Capacity Chart

If you’re planning to use a shipping container for storage, you’re probably wondering how much stuff you can fit inside. To help you gauge the amount of inventory or equipment you can keep in an onsite storage container, we’ve crunched the numbers and created the definitive container capacity chart.

•  
  Weight capacity
  Internal volume
  Volumetric shelf space
• 10-Foot Container
  ~22,000 lb
  ~9,980 kg
  555.5 cubic-feet
  15.7 cubic-meters
  135 cubic-feet
  3.8 cubic-meters
• 10-Foot High Cube
  ~22,000 lb
  ~9,980 kg
  626.4 cubic-feet
  17.7 cubic-meters
  144 cubic-feet
  4.1 cubic-meters
• 20-Foot Container
  ~55,000 lb
  ~24,900 kg
  1156 cubic-feet
  32.7 cubic-meters
  405 cubic-feet
  11.5 cubic-meters
• 20-Foot High Cube
  ~55,000 lb
  ~24,900 kg
  1303.7 cubic-feet
  36.9 cubic-meters
  432 cubic-feet
  12.2 cubic-meters
• 40-Foot Container
  ~61,000 lb
  ~27,600 kg
  2367.2 cubic-feet
  67 cubic-meters
  810 cubic-feet
  22.9 cubic-meters
• 40-Foot High Cube
  ~61,000 lb
  ~27,600 kg
  2619 cubic-feet
  74 cubic-meters
  1620 cubic-feet
  45.9 cubic-meters

*Assumes 1.5-foot shelf depth with shelving along both long walls. While you can technically make a perfect shelving system that creates more space, these conservative calculations are based on designs that we have found to be cost-effective and practical for accommodating features like doors and climate control units.

The numbers above are calculated using the interior dimensions of shipping containers. When using these numbers to determine what you can store in your container, we recommend using a packing efficiency modifier because it’s nearly impossible to use every square inch of space. For example, if you need to gauge the volume of dry goods you can fit in a container with shelves, multiply the volumetric shelf space by a packing efficiency modifier of .8 or .7 to create a realistic estimate.

To give you a sense of scale here are some calculations we’ve made.

How many oil drums can you fit inside a container?

• 10-foot standard and high cube containers = 40 drums
• 20-foot standard and high cube containers = 80 drums
• 40-foot standard and high cube containers = 160 drums

If you use every possible inch of space, how many banker’s boxes can you fit inside a container?

• 10 foot standard container = 441 bankers boxes
• 10-foot high cube container = 490 bankers boxes
• 20-foot standard container = 912 bankers boxes
• 20-foot high cube container = 1026 bankers boxes
• 40-foot standard container = 1953 bankers boxes
• 40-foot high cube container = 2170 bankers boxes

One twenty-foot container is 160 square feet - about the size of the smallest legal apartment in San Francisco.

A 40-foot container could fit two Volkswagen Beetles with room to spare.

Storage containers can be modified to provide proper storage for a wide range of products. For instance, containers used for restaurant inventory storage usually include climate control features. Custom shelving and cabinetry also keep storage tidy. Whatever you plan to store, it will be secure inside a container, just review the chart above to make sure it will fit.

To learn more, check out our other resources:

• Blog: Configuration Inspiration for Onsite Storage Containers.
• Blog: Insulating your Shipping Container Structure.
• Guide: Examples and Explanations of Shipping Container Modifications.

Questions? Contact us at sales@falconstructures.com or 877-393-4219.