Volume · 40 ft HC
How many CBM is a 40 ft high cube container?
Yuri Kan Checked against 32 of 88 published sheets Updated
A 40 ft high cube container is 76.4 CBM (2,698 ft³) inside: 12.032 × 2.352 × 2.698 m (39′5½″ × 7′8½″ × 8′10″). That volume is per all 19 sheets; the sheets print 76.0–76.5 m³. Cartons never fill a box solid, so plan on about 85 % of it, 64.9 m³: the site’s load planner puts 660 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm into a 40 ft HC.
| Container | Inside | Volume | Usable, 85 % | Cartons 60 × 40 × 40 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | 5.898 × 2.352 × 2.393 m | 33.2 m³ (1,172 ft³) | 28.2 m³ | 270 |
| 40 ft | 12.032 × 2.352 × 2.393 m | 67.7 m³ (2,391 ft³) | 57.5 m³ | 590 |
| 40 ft HC | 12.032 × 2.352 × 2.698 m | 76.4 m³ (2,698 ft³) | 64.9 m³ | 660 |
| 45 ft HC | 13.556 × 2.352 × 2.698 m | 86.0 m³ (3,037 ft³) | 73.1 m³ | 726 |
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 32 published sheets of 20 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: Hapag-Lloyd Container Specifications · Maersk Container Specifications · CMA CGM Equipment Guide
The numbers in this chart
| 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 |
Checked : the figures in this chart against 42 of 88 published sheets from 27 lines, lessors, makers and rail and road operators: those that print these figures. 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
What a CBM is, and what the 40 ft HC’s 76.4 m³ are
A CBM is one cubic metre of cargo, length × width × height in metres times the number of pieces: a carton of 60 × 40 × 40 cm is 0.096 m³, and the 40 ft high cube’s 76.4 CBM are its geometric inside, 12.032 × 2.352 × 2.698 m, or 2,698 ft³ in the units a US warehouse uses. A forwarder charges LCL freight on the cargo’s CBM and quotes a 40 ft high cube by its inside CBM, which is why the figure is worth knowing to one decimal.
How much of a 40 ft HC you can load
Volume alone promises 795 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm in a 40 ft HC (76.4 ÷ 0.096 m³); the load planner, which has to stand every carton on something and keep the door clear, loads 660. That gap is why every calculator on this site plans a 40 ft HC against 85 % of the inside, 64.9 m³: a planning rule, not a standard, and mixed carton sizes usually fill less. For your own cartons the container load calculator draws the plan in a 40 ft HC.
The 40 ft HC against the other sizes
The standard 40 ft holds 67.7 m³ on the same 12.032 × 2.352 m floor; the high cube’s 8.7 m³ more come from 305 mm of extra height, which matters when cartons stack to the roof or pallets go two high. A 45 ft high cube holds 86.0 m³. The 40 ft HC beside the other sizes, with the formula and the carton table, is the container CBM guide.
The 40 ft high cube 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
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Frequently asked questions
How many cubic feet is a 40 ft high cube container?
2,698 ft³, which is 76.4 m³: the 40 ft high cube’s inside is 39′5½″ × 7′8½″ × 8′10″ (12.032 × 2.352 × 2.698 m), per 13 of 19 sheets.
How many CBM can I actually load in a 40 ft high cube container?
About 64.9 m³, 85 % of the 40 ft high cube’s 76.4 CBM, is the planning figure for cartons; one carton size packed by the planner fills a little less or a little more, and mixed sizes less.
How many cartons fit in a 40 ft high cube container?
660 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm in a 40 ft HC by the site’s load planner, against the 795 that dividing 76.4 m³ by 0.096 m³ promises; for your own carton size the container load calculator counts and draws the plan.