ISO 12G1 · 0.5 TEU

10 ft Container Dimensions

Yuri Kan Checked against 6 of 88 published sheets 19 October 2026

A 10 ft container measures 2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 m outside (9′10″ × 8′ × 8′6″) and 2.831 × 2.350 × 2.393 m inside (9′3½″ × 7′8½″ × 7′10″) — length and width per ISO 668; the height and the inside width and height per all 4 sheets; the inside length per 3 of 4 sheets. That gives 15.9 m³ (562 ft³) on about 6.7 m² (72 ft²) of floor. Empty it weighs about 1,300 kg — sheets print 1,200–1,480 kg — with a payload near 8,860 kg (per 3 of 5 sheets); the weights rest on fewer sheets than the larger sizes’ and vary more between makers, so read them as approximate. It counts as 0.5 TEU and is used mainly for on-site storage rather than ocean freight — roughly the contents of a single room.

Measured drawing of a 10 ft container: 2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 m outside, 2.831 × 2.350 × 2.393 m inside, door 2.340 × 2.280 m. — 10 ft container dimensions drawing: outside, inside, door and floorMeasured drawing of a 10 ft container: 2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 m outside, 2.831 × 2.350 × 2.393 m inside, door 2.340 × 2.280 m, 5 EUR pallets on the floor, 15.9 m³, 1,300 kg empty.2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 mOpen image: 10 ft container dimensions drawing: outside, inside, door and floor

10 ft container dimensions drawing: outside, inside, door and floor
Measure	Metric	Imperial
Length outside	2,991 mm	9′10″
Width outside	2,438 mm	8′
Height outside	2,591 mm	8′6″
Length inside	2,831 mm	9′3½″
Width inside	2,350 mm	7′8½″
Height inside	2,393 mm	7′10″
Door width	2,340 mm	7′8″
Door height	2,280 mm	7′6″
Floor area	6.7 m²	72 ft²
Volume	15.9 m³	562 ft³
Tare (empty)	1,300 kg	2,866 lb
Payload	8,860 kg	19,533 lb
Max gross	10,160 kg	22,399 lb
TEU	0.5	—
ISO type	12G1	—
EUR pallets, one tier (counted)	5	—
US pallets, one tier (counted)	4	—

10 ft container: dimensions and weight

10 ft container12G1
External dimensions
	Metric	Imperial
Length	2.991 m 10 ft container · Outside length 2,991 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed	9′10″
Width	2.438 m 10 ft container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed	8′
Height	2.591 m 10 ft container · Outside height 2,591 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	8′6″
Internal dimensions
Length	2.831 m 10 ft container · Inside length 2,831 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	9′3½″
Width	2.350 m 10 ft container · Inside width 2,350 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	7′8½″
Height	2.393 m 10 ft container · Inside height 2,393 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	7′10″
Door opening
Width	2.340 m 10 ft container · Door width 2,340 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	7′8″
Height	2.280 m 10 ft container · Door height 2,280 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	7′6″
Specification
Tare weight	1,300 kg 10 ft container · Tare 1,300 kg Sheets disagree Every reading and where it is printed	2,866 lb
Max gross weight	10,160 kg 10 ft container · Max gross 10,160 kg Sheets disagree Every reading and where it is printed	22,399 lb
Max payload	8,860 kg 10 ft container · Payload 8,860 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	19,533 lb
Capacity (volume)	15.9 m³ 10 ft container · Volume 15.9 m³ Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed	562 ft³
Pallets (one tier, counted on the floor)	5 EUR · 4 US
TEU	0.5 (by length)

Beside each figure, its evidence: ISO set by the standard · ✓ 16 sheets that agree, counted · range the sheets disagree · 1 sheet one source. A mark opens the sheets behind the figure.

Checked 19 October 2026: outside length and width set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; the outside height and every other figure against 6 published sheets of 6 lessors and makers. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources

Machine-readable: /data/containers.json · closest published sheet: Triton, 9 of 12 figures

Data: ISO 668 (1995 text, read in IS 6566:2001) · Singamas 10 ft general purpose container · Bullbox, Cargostore Worldwide, SCF, Sea Box, Triton

Price, US market:one-trip $3,500–5,000cargo-worthy $2,500–3,700WWT $1,900–2,900every price and its sources →

Compare every size in one chart

Scale plan view of a 10 ft container: 5 Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) in a single tier on a 2.831 × 2.350 m floor. — 5 EUR pallets in one tier, counted on the floor — 10 ft container, top viewScale plan view of a 10 ft container: 5 Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) in a single tier on a 2.831 × 2.350 m floor, numbered in stuffing order.EUR 1200 × 800Drawn to scaleOpen image: 5 EUR pallets in one tier, counted on the floor — 10 ft container, top view

Range chart of what a 10 ft container costs to buy in the US by condition: One-trip (new) $3,500–5,000. — 10 ft container price by condition (USD, October 2026)Range chart of what a 10 ft container costs to buy in the US by condition: One-trip (new) $3,500–5,000, Cargo-worthy $2,500–3,700, Wind & watertight $1,900–2,900.USDtypical US asking pricesOpen image: 10 ft container price by condition (USD, October 2026)

10 ft container price by condition (USD, October 2026)
Size	One-trip (new)	Cargo-worthy	Wind & watertight
10 ft container	$3,500–5,000	$2,500–3,700	$1,900–2,900

Bar chart placing the 10 ft container (15.9 m³, 8,860 kg payload) among the seven container lengths from 10 to 53 ft. — 10 ft container: volume and payload against every other sizeOpen image: 10 ft container: volume and payload against every other size

10 ft container: volume and payload against every other size
Size	Volume	Max payload
10 ft container	15.9 m³ · 562 ft³	8,860 kg · 19,533 lb
20 ft container	33.2 m³ · 1,172 ft³	28,250 kg · 62,281 lb
40 ft container	67.7 m³ · 2,391 ft³	28,800 kg · 63,493 lb
40 ft high cube container	76.4 m³ · 2,698 ft³	28,670 kg · 63,207 lb
45 ft high cube container	86.0 m³ · 3,037 ft³	27,850 kg · 61,399 lb
48 ft container	97.6 m³ · 3,447 ft³	25,530 kg · 56,284 lb
53 ft container	111.8 m³ · 3,948 ft³	25,250 kg · 55,667 lb

What a 10 ft container is used for

The 10 ft container is the smallest box in regular use. At 2.991 m long, it occupies about half the footprint of a 20 ft unit (6.058 m) and counts as 0.5 TEU. Its length and width are those of ISO 668's 10 ft size, and it shares the same 8 ft (2.438 m) width and 8′6″ (2.591 m) height as its larger siblings, so it stacks and locks into the same corner castings.

The end doors open to 2.340 m wide × 2.280 m high — the same clear opening the data gives a 20 ft box — so pallet jacks, ride-on mowers and standard shelving all pass through without trouble. Inside, the usable envelope is 2.831 × 2.350 × 2.393 m.

In ocean freight, 10 ft boxes are rare — carriers price slots by TEU, so shipping one is seldom economical, and many lines will only carry them paired into a 20 ft slot. Where they shine is on land: site storage, tool cribs, market stalls, and tight urban plots where a 20 ft unit will not fit. Because production volumes are low, a new 10 ft unit often costs more than a 20 ft box twice its length — you pay for scarcity, not steel.

Many 10 ft containers on the market are not factory-built at all but cut-downs: a 20 ft or 40 ft unit sectioned and re-welded with a new end wall. Done well they are perfectly serviceable for storage; just check the CSC plate if you ever intend to ship one, because a cut-down loses its certification. Weights differ from maker to maker too: the published sheets print an empty 10 ft at 1,200–1,480 kg.

The 10 ft container on one page, plus the whole pack

Every dimension in millimetres, metres and feet, the door opening, tare, payload and volume, and the floor drawn to scale with EUR and US pallets on it. In the same email, the container pack: all 17 containers by the job, 17 sheets like this one, the 85 owner prefixes, an A3 wall chart and an Excel workbook.

17 containers, by the job
17 container sheets
85 owner prefixes

See every page

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What fits in a 10 ft container

The interior gives you 15.9 m³ (562 ft³) of space on a 6.7 m² floor — roughly the contents of a studio apartment or a single room. Floor-loaded, it takes 5 EUR pallets or 4 US pallets in a single tier by our layout of the inside floor.

Maximum payload is about 8,860 kg, limited by the 10,160 kg max gross rating rather than floor space — for dense cargo like tiles or paper you will hit the weight ceiling long before the walls. Some makers rate theirs up to 12,000 kg gross, so check the plate on the box you are offered.

Common uses. The 10 ft size earns its keep where footprint is the constraint: secure site storage on urban builds, a lockable tool crib beside a workshop, a kiosk or ticket booth shell, a generator or pump enclosure, bicycle parking, and back-of-house storage for shops and restaurants. It fits a single parking bay, provided the bay is at least its 2.438 m (8′) wide.

Delivery is another quiet advantage: at 2.991 m long and about 1.3 t empty, a 10 ft box travels on a flatbed truck or trailer and can be placed by a HIAB crane arm in spots a 20 ft delivery vehicle cannot reach.

10 ft vs 20 ft container

10 ft vs 20 ft container
	10 ft container	20 ft container
ISO type code	12G1	22G1
External dimensions — Length	2.991 m9′10″	6.058 m 20 ft container · Outside length 6,058 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 19′10½″
External dimensions — Width	2.438 m8′	2.438 m 20 ft container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′
External dimensions — Height	2.591 m8′6″	2.591 m 20 ft container · Outside height 2,591 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′6″
Internal dimensions — Length	2.831 m9′3½″	5.898 m 20 ft container · Inside length 5,898 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 19′4″
Internal dimensions — Width	2.350 m7′8½″	2.352 m 20 ft container · Inside width 2,352 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′8½″
Internal dimensions — Height	2.393 m7′10″	2.393 m 20 ft container · Inside height 2,393 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′10″
Tare weight	1,300 kg2,866 lb	2,230 kg 20 ft container · Tare 2,230 kg Sheets disagree Every reading and where it is printed 4,916 lb
Max gross weight	10,160 kg22,399 lb	30,480 kg 20 ft container · Max gross 30,480 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 67,197 lb
Max payload	8,860 kg19,533 lb	28,250 kg 20 ft container · Payload 28,250 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 62,281 lb
Capacity (volume)	15.9 m³562 ft³	33.2 m³ 20 ft container · Volume 33.2 m³ Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 1,172 ft³
EUR pallets	5	11
TEU	0.5	1

Checked 19 October 2026: the outside sizes of the ISO boxes (of the 10 ft, its length and width) set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; every other figure against 25 published sheets of 23 lines, lessors and makers. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources

Data: ISO 668 (1995 text, read in IS 6566:2001) · CMA CGM Equipment Guide · Evergreen Container Specifications · Hapag-Lloyd Container Specifications · Maersk Container Specifications · ONE Container Specifications · Singamas 10 ft general purpose container · Singamas product range · Bullbox, Cargostore Worldwide, COSCO, Crowley, HMM, Matson, MSC, OOCL, SCF, Sea Box, Seaco, SeaCube, Textainer, TOTE, Triton, Yang Ming, ZIM

Frequently asked questions

How big is a 10 ft shipping container?

A 10 ft container is 2.991 × 2.438 × 2.591 m outside (9′10″ × 8′ × 8′6″) and 2.831 × 2.350 × 2.393 m inside (9′3½″ × 7′8½″ × 7′10″) — length and width per ISO 668; the height and the inside width and height per all 4 sheets; the inside length per 3 of 4 sheets. That gives 15.9 m³ (562 ft³) of capacity.

How much does a 10 ft container weigh?

An empty 10 ft container weighs about 1,300 kg (2,866 lb) — sheets print 1,200–1,480 kg. With a maximum gross of 10,160 kg that leaves a payload of roughly 8,860 kg (per 3 of 5 sheets); makers’ sheets differ for this size, so the weights marked on the door are the figures to trust.

How much does a 10 ft container cost?

In October 2026, used 10 ft containers typically sell for $2,500–3,700 and new (one-trip or factory-built) units for about $3,500–5,000. Because few are made, they cost more than a 20 ft box of the same grade. Prices vary significantly by market, location and condition.

How many square meters (square feet) is a 10 ft container?

The internal floor area is about 6.7 m² (72 ft²) — a floor of 2.831 × 2.350 m (9′3½″ × 7′8½″) — the length per 3 of 4 sheets, the width per all 4 sheets. That is roughly the size of a small garden shed or half a parking space.

Can 10 ft containers be shipped by sea?

Yes, but rarely — carriers price capacity per TEU, and a 10 ft box uses a slot inefficiently, so per-cubic-metre rates are high. Most 10 ft units are used for static storage on land.

Will a 10 ft container fit in a parking space?

Yes, if the bay is at least 2.438 m (8′) wide: the box is 2.991 × 2.438 m (9′10″ × 8′), per ISO 668. Bays are drawn to local rules, so measure yours; with both doors swung open the box needs about 4.210 m (13′9½″) of length, since each door leaf is about half the box’s width.