Container glossary
What is tare weight?
Tare weight is the weight of the empty container itself — about 2,230 kg (4,916 lb) for a 20 ft and 3,740 kg (8,245 lb) for a 40 ft dry box. It is painted on the door of every container and is the figure you subtract from max gross to find how much cargo the box may carry.
Tare weight by container size
| Container | Tare | Max gross |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ft container | 2,230 kg 4,916 lb | 30,480 kg 67,197 lb |
| 40 ft container | 3,740 kg 8,245 lb | 30,480 kg 67,197 lb |
| 40 ft high cube container | 3,900 kg 8,598 lb | 32,500 kg 71,650 lb |
| 45 ft high cube container | 4,800 kg 10,582 lb | 32,500 kg 71,650 lb |
| 20 ft reefer | 3,080 kg 6,790 lb | 30,480 kg 67,197 lb |
| 40 ft high cube reefer | 4,480 kg 9,877 lb | 34,000 kg 74,957 lb |
Data: Hapag-Lloyd Container Specifications · Maersk Container Specifications
How a container gets its tare figure
The manufacturer weighs the finished container and marks the result on it. From then on that number belongs to that one box: it depends on the steel used, the floor, the design and the year it was built, so two twenties standing side by side can differ by a couple of hundred kilograms. Across the fleet a 20 ft dry container runs from roughly 1,900 to 2,400 kg.
That is why the table above is headed “typical”. The figures are the ones this site uses everywhere, drawn from carrier specification sheets, but the box that arrives at your door has its own. Special types weigh more empty — a refrigeration unit or a reinforced frame is extra steel — and every kilogram of tare is a kilogram taken from payload.
Finding the tare on the door and the plate
Look at the right-hand door. Under the container number is a block of weights in kilograms and pounds: MAX GROSS, TARE, NET (or PAYLOAD) and the cubic capacity. The same tare is repeated on the data plate that carries the CSC approval. Those markings are the authority for that unit; a table on a website, this one included, is not.
You need the number at one specific moment: when declaring a VGM by the second method, where the weighed contents are added to the tare. Copy it from the door of the box you actually loaded, or from the carrier’s equipment record for that container number.
Using a tare from a table for a box you can read
The common error is filling in a weight declaration with a tare taken from a search result. Published figures for the same container disagree — our spec variance study measured the spread across seven sources — and a difference of 150 kg in tare moves the declared mass by 150 kg. If the terminal’s scale and your paperwork do not match, it is the container that waits while the discrepancy is settled.
The opposite error is forgetting tare altogether when planning a road move. The truck’s legal limit covers everything on the axles: tractor, chassis, the empty box and the cargo. A reefer or a flat rack eats several hundred kilograms more of that allowance than a dry box before anything is loaded. The weight guide sets the three figures side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an empty 20 ft container weigh?
About 2,230 kg (4,916 lb) for a standard dry box. Individual units range from roughly 1,900 to 2,400 kg depending on manufacturer and year, so read the exact figure on the door.
Is tare weight included in max gross?
Yes — max gross is the tare plus the heaviest cargo the box may carry. A 20 ft rated at 30,480 kg (67,197 lb) with a 2,230 kg (4,916 lb) tare leaves 28,250 kg (62,281 lb) for cargo.
Where is the tare weight written on a container?
On the right-hand door, in the block of weights below the container number, marked TARE in kilograms and pounds. It is repeated on the data plate riveted to the left door.