20ft, 40ft and High Cube: inside dimensions and door openings

Compare three example containers

The table contains three Hapag-Lloyd equipment examples checked on 5 October 2026. Measurements describe the inside space and door opening, rather than the nominal outside length. Actual containers can differ by manufacturer and equipment series; inspect the assigned unit’s specification and plate.

The High Cube source’s table reports 235.0 cm inside width while its graphic reports 235.2 cm. Our example uses the smaller table figure. The 40ft standard table prints tare as “3.750”; its gross minus payload confirms 3,750 kg. These discrepancies are recorded in the source data rather than silently treated as universal dimensions.

Check the door opening

A carton or loading envelope can fit the interior and still fail at the door. Our conservative mode uses the smaller interior/door width and height for the whole plan. With the 20ft example, usable width is 234 cm and usable height is 229.2 cm when there is no pallet base.

This model can leave interior room unused. Loading individual cartons through the door and building a taller stack inside is a different operation; the planner does not simulate it. Set a door dimension to 0 only when you intentionally want an interior-only geometric check, and verify loading access separately.

A pallet base consumes height. Enter its height and include the empty equipment mass consistently. The default container example has no pallet base. The tool does not insert clearance automatically or simulate pallets inside a container.

Plan identical cartons

Load 250 identical upright cartons measuring 100 × 100 × 50 cm, weighing 100 kg each. Use the published examples and keep door constraints on. Each floor position needs 100 × 100 cm; floor rotation cannot improve a square footprint.

The 20ft plan has floor(590 ÷ 100) × floor(234 ÷ 100) = 5 × 2 = 10 cartons per layer. Floor(229.2 ÷ 50) gives 4 layers, or 40 cartons. The two 40ft examples have 12 × 2 floor positions. The High Cube door permits 5 of these 50 cm layers rather than 4, giving 120 cartons.

The diagram shows the first loaded layer. Partial final layers and the last container can hold fewer cartons than the capacity. The supported search tries grids and two rectangular sections with different floor rotations; it repeats one pattern upwards. It does not promise the best arrangement among all possible patterns.

Apply payload and handling limits

Payload = maximum gross weight − empty equipment weight

The 20ft example allows 30,480 − 2,350 = 28,130 kg payload. Its 40-carton geometry weighs 4,000 kg, so geometry limits this worked example. With heavier goods, whole-carton payload capacity can become the smaller bound.

Volume division cannot establish a real carton count. Check dimensions, permitted orientations, whole layers, doors, available height and payload. Before operating, verify floor loading, load distribution, carton strength, securing, handling clearance and local transport limits. Those checks are outside this geometric tool’s model.

Sources and scope

Official references checked 5 October 2026. Numerical tables are worked planning examples using the stated inputs; they are not carrier prices or loading certification.

• 20 ft dry container — Hapag-Lloyd ↗

  Example interior and door dimensions, tare, gross weight and payload. Actual equipment varies. Checked 5 October 2026.

• 40 ft dry container — Hapag-Lloyd ↗

  Example interior and door dimensions, tare, gross weight and payload. Actual equipment varies. Checked 5 October 2026.

• 40 ft High Cube — Hapag-Lloyd ↗

  Example interior and door dimensions, tare, gross weight and payload. Actual equipment varies. Checked 5 October 2026.

Read our calculation methods and limitations. To report an error or a changed official rule, contact Freight Layout.