20ft Standard Container
Dimensions, capacity, payload and real pallet counts — computed with our loading engine.
Typical figures for a MSC Upgraded 20'. Every carrier differs — see the comparison table below.
The 20ft dry container is the baseline unit of ocean freight — one TEU. It is the default choice for dense cargo that hits the weight limit long before it fills the space: stone, machinery, canned goods, liquids in IBCs.
How many pallets fit in a 20ft standard container?
These are not rules of thumb. Each number is the result of running our bin-packing engine — the same one behind the product — against the real internal dimensions, with the pallet free to turn in plan but not to tip.
| Pallet | Footprint | Fits on floor |
|---|---|---|
| EUR / EPAL | 120 × 80 cm | 11pallets |
| Industrial / ISO | 120 × 100 cm | 9pallets |
Floor positions, single layer. Stackable cargo multiplies this — how far depends on your cargo height and stack weight. Not shipping standard pallets? Drop your own cargo list into the free Excel loading calculator and the same engine will work it out for your boxes.
Internal dimensions
| Internal length | 590 cm |
| Internal width | 231.1 cm |
| Internal height | 239 cm |
| Internal volume | 32.6 m³ |
| Door width | 228.6 cm |
| Door height | 228 cm |
| Tare weight | 2,300 kg |
| Max payload | 28,180 kg |
A 20ft usually "weighs out" before it "cubes out". Check the payload line before you plan on filling the space.
Door opening is narrower and lower than the internal cross-section — an item that fits inside does not automatically fit through the door.
Specifications by carrier
"A 20ft standard container" is not one box. Across the 12 carriers below, payload ranges from 21,670 kg to 30,130 kg — a spread of 8,460 kg. If you plan a heavy load against the wrong figure, you find out at the weighbridge.
| Carrier / type | L × W × H (cm) | Door W × H | Volume | Tare | Payload | EUR / EPAL | Industrial / ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APL 20' Standard | 589.8 × 235.2 × 239.2 | 234 × 228 | 33.2 m³ | 2,150 kg | 21,850 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Cosco 20' standard | 589.8 × 235 × 239 | 234 × 228 | 33.1 m³ | 2,200 kg | 24,800 kg | 11 | 9 |
| CSCL 20' Standard | 589.8 × 235.2 × 239.3 | 234 × 228 | 33.2 m³ | 2,300 kg | 28,180 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Default 20 standard | 589.6 × 235 × 239.3 | 234 × 227.4 | 33.2 m³ | 2,280 kg | 28,200 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Evergreen 20' Steel Dry Cargo Container | 589.8 × 235.2 × 238.5 | 234.3 × 228 | 33.1 m³ | 2,330 kg | 21,670 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Hanjin 20ft Dry Container | 589.8 × 235.2 × 239.3 | 234 × 228 | 33.2 m³ | 2,200 kg | 28,280 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Happag-Lloyd 20' standard | 590 × 235.2 × 239.7 | 234 × 229.2 | 33.3 m³ | 2,370 kg | 30,130 kg | 11 | 9 |
| Maersk 20 standard | 589.6 × 235 × 239.3 | 233.9 × 227.4 | 33.2 m³ | 2,280 kg | 28,200 kg | 11 | 9 |
| MOL 20ft Dry Container | 589.9 × 235.2 × 238.6 | 234 × 227.9 | 33.1 m³ | 2,200 kg | 21,780 kg | 11 | 9 |
| MSC Standard 20' | 590 × 235 × 239.3 | 234.2 × 228 | 33.2 m³ | 2,230 kg | 21,770 kg | 11 | 9 |
| MSC Upgraded 20' | 590 × 231.1 × 239 | 228.6 × 228 | 32.6 m³ | 2,300 kg | 28,180 kg | 11 | 9 |
| NYK 20' Dry Container | 588.8 × 235 × 239 | 234 × 227.8 | 33.1 m³ | 2,170 kg | 28,095 kg | 11 | 9 |
Pallet columns are floor positions computed by the LoadCargo.in bin-packing engine (best of its packing modes), not estimates. Data generated 2026-07-14.
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