Guide · Loading and pallets
Shipping a Car in a Container
Yuri Kan Updated
A sedan-sized car fits in a 20 ft container: a 4.8 × 1.85 m (15′9″ × 6′1″) sedan sits inside the 5.898 × 2.352 m (19′4″ × 7′8½″) floor and passes the 2.340 × 2.280 m (7′8″ × 7′6″) door with mirrors folded, per 13 of 18 sheets. A 40 ft container takes two cars nose-to-tail; a 40 ft high cube with a racking system carries three to four. The alternative for a single drivable car is RoRo — cheaper, but the car travels exposed on a vehicle deck.
The arithmetic is friendlier than it looks. Take as the example a sedan 4.8 m long and 1.85 m wide (your own car’s length and width are on its registration papers or the maker’s sheet); the 20 ft container inside is 5.898 × 2.352 m, leaving about 1.1 m of length and 0.5 m of width to spare. The pinch point is the door: 2.340 m wide × 2.280 m high, 49 cm wider than the example’s body. Mirrors stand out beyond the body width a maker quotes, so measure across them; fold them before the car goes in.
The height limit of 2.280 m at the door rules out very few passenger vehicles — tall vans and lifted trucks are the exceptions that need a high cube (door 2.585 m) or a flat rack.
The numbers in this chart
| Container | Internal dimensions: Length × Width, m | Sedans |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ft container | 5.898 × 2.352 | 1 |
| 40 ft container | 12.032 × 2.352 | 2 |
Checked : outside sizes set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; every other figure against 23 published sheets of 19 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
How many cars per container
20 ft: one car, full stop — a second will not fit lengthwise.
40 ft: two cars nose-to-tail on the floor: 2 × 4.8 m = 9.6 m inside the 12.032 m interior, with room for bracing between them.
40 ft high cube with racking: three to four cars, using bolted or hydraulic rack systems that tilt one car above another under the 2.698 m ceiling. Racked loading is a specialist job — the economics only work for commercial movers shipping cars in volume.
Securing the car inside
A car in a container is secured to the lashing points — the steel rings along the bottom side rails. The standard method: wheel chocks in front of and behind each tyre, then four ratchet straps, one per wheel, run over the tyres and tensioned to the lashing rings. Straps go over the tyres, never over the body or through suspension components — the suspension must stay loaded and free to flex with the ship’s movement. Handbrake on, in gear (or park), battery disconnected, fuel tank no more than a quarter full per most carriers’ rules.
Getting the car in
Two loading methods dominate. Drive-in via ramps: the container sits on the ground or at a loading dock, steel ramps bridge the sill, and the car drives in under its own power — the everyday method. Forklift with a spreader attachment: the car is lifted on padded arms and placed inside — used for non-runners, low-clearance sports cars that cannot climb ramps, and racked loads. Either way, the driver’s door must still open inside the box: with 2.352 m of inside width against a 1.85 m car, there is roughly 25 cm per side — enough to squeeze out, not enough to be careless.
Container vs RoRo
RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) drives the car onto a vehicle-carrier deck and lashes it there — usually the cheaper option for one drivable car on a major route. Container shipping costs more but buys a sealed steel box: the car travels locked away from weather, salt spray and handling, personal effects may travel inside it (where customs rules allow), non-runners are no problem, and two cars can split one 40 ft box. Classic, high-value and inoperable vehicles almost always go containerised; a daily driver on a busy RoRo lane usually goes RoRo.
Frequently asked questions
Can a car fit in a 20 ft container?
Yes — a 4.8 × 1.85 m (15′9″ × 6′1″) sedan fits the 5.898 × 2.352 m (19′4″ × 7′8½″) floor of a 20 ft with room to spare and passes its 2.340 × 2.280 m (7′8″ × 7′6″) door with mirrors folded, per 13 of 18 sheets. Only tall vans and lifted trucks exceed the door height.
How many cars fit in a 40 ft container?
Two cars fit a 40 ft container nose-to-tail on the floor — 9.6 m (31′6″) of car in a 12.032 m (39′5½″) long inside, per 13 of 16 sheets. With a professional racking system in a 40 ft high cube, three to four.
How do you secure a car in a container?
Wheel chocks at each tyre plus four ratchet straps run over the tyres — never over the bodywork — tensioned to the lashing rings on the container’s bottom rails. Handbrake on, battery disconnected, fuel tank a quarter full or less.
Is container car shipping better than RoRo?
It costs more but protects more: a sealed box against an open vehicle deck. Choose container for classics, non-runners, high-value cars or two cars sharing a 40 ft; choose RoRo for one ordinary drivable car on a route with frequent RoRo sailings.