Container dimensions: inside, outside, door — 20′, 40′ and 45′
All container dimensions at a glance: internal, external and door opening sizes of 20ft, 40ft and 45ft containers. The internal dimensions are the same values the 3D calculator works with.
This page is about ISO shipping containers. Portable cabins, site offices and modular buildings have their own dimensions and are a different topic; the calculator is not made for them.
Internal dimensions of the common sea containers
All values in centimetres. High cube containers (HC) are around 30 cm taller than the standard version (GP).
| Preset | Length | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20′ GP | 590 cm | 235 cm | 239 cm |
| 20′ HC | 590 cm | 235 cm | 270 cm |
| 40′ GP | 1203 cm | 235 cm | 239 cm |
| 40′ HC | 1203 cm | 235 cm | 270 cm |
| 45′ HC | 1355 cm | 235 cm | 270 cm |
External dimensions and door opening
Outside, lengths and width are standardised by ISO 668; height is 8′6″ for standard and 9′6″ for high cube. As rough metric figures: a 20ft is 6.06 m long outside, a 40ft 12.19 m, a 45ft 13.72 m — width always 2.44 m. The door opening is smaller than the inside cross-section; these are exactly the values the 3D calculator uses for its door check.
| Container | External L × W × H | Door opening W × H |
|---|---|---|
| 20′ Standard | 606 × 244 × 259 cm | 234 × 228 cm |
| 20′ High Cube | 606 × 244 × 290 cm | 234 × 258 cm |
| 40′ Standard | 1219 × 244 × 259 cm | 234 × 228 cm |
| 40′ High Cube | 1219 × 244 × 290 cm | 234 × 258 cm |
| 45′ High Cube | 1372 × 244 × 290 cm | 234 × 258 cm |
Door sizes are reference values — they vary by a few centimetres between manufacturers.
How much a container may carry has its own page: payload & maximum weight. The loading volume in m³ is under container volume.
The button opens the calculator with a matching example load — freely adjustable there.