What are the interior dimensions of a 20ft container?
A standard 20ft shipping container measures about 19'4" long, 7'8" wide and 7'10" high inside, with a door opening of about 7'8" wide by 7'5" high — about 148 square feet of floor inside (160 outside) and 1,170 cubic feet. A 20ft high cube is the same footprint with about a foot more headroom: roughly 8'10" inside and an 8'5" door opening.
20ft and 40ft container dimensions at a glance
| 20ft standard | 20ft high cube | 40ft standard | 40ft high cube | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outside (L × W × H) | 20' × 8' × 8'6" | 20' × 8' × 9'6" | 40' × 8' × 8'6" | 40' × 8' × 9'6" |
| Inside (L × W × H) | 19'4" × 7'8" × 7'10" | 19'4" × 7'8" × 8'10" | 39'5" × 7'8" × 7'10" | 39'5" × 7'8" × 8'10" |
| Door opening (W × H) | 7'8" × 7'5" | 7'8" × 8'5" | 7'8" × 7'5" | 7'8" × 8'5" |
| Floor inside | about 148 sq ft | about 148 sq ft | about 302 sq ft | about 302 sq ft |
| Volume | 1,172 cu ft (33.2 m³) | 1,320 cu ft (37.4 m³) | 2,390 cu ft (67.7 m³) | 2,694 cu ft (76.3 m³) |
| Empty weight | about 4,850 lb | about 5,200 lb | about 8,250 lb | about 8,600 lb |
| Standard pallets (48×40) on the floor | 9–10 | 9–10 | 20–21 | 20–21 |
| Delivered to Hattiesburg today | $2,545 used | ask us | $3,235 used | $3,260 used |
Typical figures for steel dry containers; a few inches and a few hundred pounds vary by manufacturer. The CSC plate on the right-hand door states the exact weights for a given box. Prices are our live delivered prices to 39401; enter your ZIP for yours.
The measurements
Outside: 20' long, 8' wide, 8'6" tall (9'6" for a high cube). Inside, the corrugated walls and the floor take a few inches: about 19'4" x 7'8" x 7'10" on a standard box. Floor area about 148 sq ft inside (160 sq ft outside footprint); volume about 1,170 cu ft.
High cube: same length and width, about 8'10" inside height, about 1,320 cu ft. The extra foot is what makes ceiling-height shelving, a loft, or a workshop you stand in all day comfortable. See the 20ft high cube and the 20ft standard WWT for the two ends of the range.
Weight: about 4,850 lb empty for a standard box. More in how much a container weighs.
The door opening is the real limit
Everything goes in through the end doors: about 7'8" wide by 7'5" high on a standard box, 8'5" high on a high cube. A riding mower, a pallet on a jack, a fridge, a side-by-side all fit. A full-size truck does not; a compact tractor with a loader often will not without dropping the ROPS. Measure the tallest and widest thing you own before you pick the box.
The doors swing outward about 270 degrees, so leave room beside the opening for them to fold back against the walls. A box set with its doors a foot from a fence is a box you cannot fully open.
If you need access from the side, a weld-in man door or a roll-up door kit on the accessories page turns the long wall into the entrance. Plan it when you buy, because a one-trip or cargo-worthy box with straight panels takes a conversion far better than a dented used one.
What that actually holds
Rough rules: the contents of a 2-3 bedroom house, or a one-car garage, or 9 to 10 standard 48x40 pallets on the floor. A workshop with a bench down one side and 3 feet of walkway. A feed room for a small place, or a year of hay for a couple of horses if it is stacked tight and kept vented.
Vehicles: a sedan, a small SUV, a side-by-side, a zero-turn mower or a bass boat on a short trailer fit through the 7'8" door and inside the 19'4" length. A full-size crew-cab pickup is longer than the box. Fold the mirrors; the door, not the box, is what stops most vehicles.
Shelving: a 20ft standard takes four shelf levels at 18, 42, 66 and 84 inches with 24-inch-deep shelves down one wall and still leaves a 5'8" aisle. A high cube adds a fifth level at about 102 inches. The floor plans further down are drawn to these measurements.
If that reads small, the 40ft is the same box twice as long for well under twice the price — see 20ft vs 40ft. See containers for sale — delivered price by ZIP
What a 20ft floor plan looks like, drawn to scale
Two of our free plan sets, drawn to the real inside dimensions above. Each set has the floor plan, elevation, section, parts list and build order.
Buying a container?
Longleaf sells used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft shipping containers, delivered by tilt-bed across the Pine Belt. Enter your ZIP for the delivered price — it comes straight from the supplier feed and already includes the haul. Locks, vents, shelving and lights are on the accessories page. We sell; we do not rent.
- 20ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $2,885 delivered
- 20ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $3,635 delivered
- 20ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $2,470 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft High Cube One Trip (new) — from $4,925 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,210 delivered
- 40ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $6,355 delivered
- 40ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,160 delivered
Keep reading
- How do you stop condensation in a container? — Stop condensation in a shipping container: why steel sweats in south Mississippi, the vents, fan and desiccant that fix it, and what never to put in one.
- How do you secure a container on a jobsite? — Securing a shipping container on a jobsite: why a lock box and puck lock beat any padlock, where to point the doors, and when a container is the wrong answer.
- Are containers good for farm storage? — Shipping container for farm storage: what a container is genuinely good at on a working place, where a pole barn beats it, and how to site one that lasts.
- Where can I buy a 40ft high cube container in the Pine Belt? — 40ft high cube container for sale in the Pine Belt: used or one-trip, delivered by tilt-bed to your lot, and the 130 feet of run and headroom a 40HC needs.
- Shipping containers for sale in Hattiesburg, MS: what a delivered 20ft or 40ft really costs — Shipping containers for sale in Hattiesburg, MS: used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft boxes, what sets the delivered price, what it includes, what to check first.
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