Guide · Loading and pallets

Shipping Container Weight

Yuri Kan Checked against 54 of 88 published sheets 19 October 2026

An empty 20 ft container weighs about 2,230 kg (4,916 lb), within 2 % of what 8 of 18 published sheets print (they range 2,080–2,570 kg), a 40 ft about 3,700 kg (8,157 lb) and a 40 ft high cube about 3,830 kg (8,444 lb), within 2 % of what 9 of 16 and 10 of 19 published sheets print. Most boxes are plated for a max gross of 30,480 or 32,500 kg, giving payloads of 28.3–28.8 t; ISO 668 has allowed a rating of up to 36,000 kg since its 2016 amendment (per GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009). Road rules usually cap the cargo well below the box’s own rating. Since 2016 every export box needs a Verified Gross Mass (VGM).

Cite:ContSize (contsize.com), figures checked against ISO 668 and 54 published specification sheets, 19 October 2026where the figures come from →

Three numbers define container weight, all stamped on the door: tare (the empty box), max gross (box + cargo ceiling) and payload (their difference). A typical 20 ft dry container tares at ~2,230 kg, a 40 ft at ~3,700 kg, a 40 ft high cube at ~3,830 kg. One page each, pounds first: how much a 20 ft container weighs and how much a 40 ft weighs.

Max gross is 30,480 kg on most 20 ft boxes in service and 32,500 kg on most of today’s 40 ft boxes and high cubes (some lines rate some 20 ft boxes at 32,500 kg too). That is what manufacturers plate them for, not the ceiling of the standard: since its 2016 amendment ISO 668 allows a rating of up to 36,000 kg for the 20 ft, 40 ft and 45 ft sizes (per GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009), and a box is good for exactly what its CSC plate says. The paradox worth remembering: a 20 ft and a 40 ft container carry almost the same maximum cargo weight — the forty just wraps it in twice the volume.

Stacked bar chart of tare weight and maximum payload making up the maximum gross weight, in kilograms, for 20 ft container. — Tare vs payload, by containerStacked bar chart of tare weight and maximum payload making up the maximum gross weight, in kilograms, for 20 ft container, 40 ft container, 40 ft high cube container, 40 ft high cube reefer.kgOpen image: Tare vs payload, by container

Tare vs payload, by container
Container	Tare, kg	Payload, kg	max gross, kg
20 ft container	2,230	28,250	30,480
40 ft container	3,700	28,800	32,500
40 ft high cube container	3,830	28,670	32,500
40 ft high cube reefer	4,620	29,380	34,000

Bar chart of the density threshold for the 20, 40, 40 HC and 45 HC containers. — Weight or volume: the cargo density at which each container is full both waysBar chart of the density threshold for the 20, 40, 40 HC and 45 HC containers: cargo denser than 851 kg/m³ reaches a 20 ft's payload before filling it, and in a 40 ft that happens from 425 kg/m³.Open image: Weight or volume: the cargo density at which each container is full both ways

Weight or volume: the cargo density at which each container is full both ways
Container	kg/m³
20 ft container	851
40 ft container	425
40 ft high cube container	375
45 ft high cube container	324

Weight by container size

Tare varies by manufacturer, steel grade and year — a 20 ft’s runs 2,080–2,570 kg across the published sheets — so treat these as typical values and read the weights marked on the doors of the specific unit for exact figures.

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.

Container weights compared
	20 ft container	40 ft container	40 ft high cube container
ISO type code	22G1	42G1	45G1
External dimensions — Length	6.058 m 20 ft container · Outside length 6,058 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 19′10½″	12.192 m 40 ft container · Outside length 12,192 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 40′	12.192 m 40 ft high cube container · Outside length 12,192 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 40′
External dimensions — Width	2.438 m 20 ft container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′	2.438 m 40 ft container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′	2.438 m 40 ft high cube container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′
External dimensions — Height	2.591 m 20 ft container · Outside height 2,591 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′6″	2.591 m 40 ft container · Outside height 2,591 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 8′6″	2.896 m 40 ft high cube container · Outside height 2,896 mm Set by the standard Every reading and where it is printed 9′6″
Internal dimensions — Length	5.898 m 20 ft container · Inside length 5,898 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 19′4″	12.032 m 40 ft container · Inside length 12,032 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 39′5½″	12.032 m 40 ft high cube container · Inside length 12,032 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 39′5½″
Internal dimensions — Width	2.352 m 20 ft container · Inside width 2,352 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′8½″	2.352 m 40 ft container · Inside width 2,352 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′8½″	2.352 m 40 ft high cube container · Inside width 2,352 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′8½″
Internal dimensions — Height	2.393 m 20 ft container · Inside height 2,393 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′10″	2.393 m 40 ft container · Inside height 2,393 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 7′10″	2.698 m 40 ft high cube container · Inside height 2,698 mm Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 8′10″
Tare weight	2,230 kg 20 ft container · Tare 2,230 kg Sheets disagree Every reading and where it is printed 4,916 lb	3,700 kg 40 ft container · Tare 3,700 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 8,157 lb	3,830 kg 40 ft high cube container · Tare 3,830 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 8,444 lb
Max gross weight	30,480 kg 20 ft container · Max gross 30,480 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 67,197 lb	32,500 kg 40 ft container · Max gross 32,500 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 71,650 lb	32,500 kg 40 ft high cube container · Max gross 32,500 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 71,650 lb
Max payload	28,250 kg 20 ft container · Payload 28,250 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 62,281 lb	28,800 kg 40 ft container · Payload 28,800 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 63,493 lb	28,670 kg 40 ft high cube container · Payload 28,670 kg Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 63,207 lb
Capacity (volume)	33.2 m³ 20 ft container · Volume 33.2 m³ Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 1,172 ft³	67.7 m³ 40 ft container · Volume 67.7 m³ Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 2,391 ft³	76.4 m³ 40 ft high cube container · Volume 76.4 m³ Confirmed Every reading and where it is printed 2,698 ft³
EUR pallets	11	25	25
TEU	1	2	2

Every figure checked: ISO 668 + 29 published sheets · 19 October 2026 · 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 product range · COSCO, Crowley, HMM, Matson, MSC, OOCL, Seaco, SeaCube, Textainer, TOTE, Trailer Bridge, Triton, Yang Ming, ZIM

Tare weight by container type

Special types weigh more empty — refrigeration machinery, heavier frames and thicker floors all add steel:

Typical tare weights, as the published sheets print them
Container	Tare
20 ft dry (GP)	2,230 kg
40 ft dry (GP)	3,700 kg
40 ft high cube	3,830 kg
20 ft reefer	2,980 kg
40 ft HC reefer	4,620 kg
20 ft open top	2,250 kg
40 ft flat rack	5,000 kg

Every figure checked: ISO 668 + 54 published sheets · 19 October 2026 · Every figure and its sources

VGM: the verified gross mass rule

Since SOLAS 2016, every export container needs a Verified Gross Mass declared before loading: weigh the packed box, or weigh the cargo and add tare. No VGM, no vessel — terminals will not load an unverified container.

Road limits are stricter than container limits

A container legal at sea can be illegal on the highway. The limit on the road is on the whole vehicle — tractor, chassis, box and cargo together. In the European Union it is 40 tonnes for an articulated lorry of five or six axles, and 44 tonnes when it carries a container in an intermodal movement (Directive 96/53/EC). On US Interstate highways it is 80,000 lb, about 36.3 tonnes (23 CFR 658.17), and states add their own axle rules. Take off the tractor, the chassis and the tare, and what is left for cargo is usually less than the box is rated for. For a 20 ft on a usual US chassis, Westwood’s, Atlantic Container Line’s and Maersk’s sheets allow 37,500–39,200 lb (17,010–17,780 kg) of cargo, against its 28,250 kg payload. In the EU, a 7,196 kg tractor (Volvo’s sheet, in running order — with fuel and driver, as the EU defines it) and a 4,980 kg chassis (Schmitz Cargobull’s 40 ft) leave about 25,600 kg for a 20 ft’s cargo under the 40 t limit; only at 44 t, in combined transport, can it be filled to its plate. Check the rules of the country and the route before filling a container to its plate.

What happens if a container is overweight

Without a VGM, the terminal simply refuses the box — it does not board, and every day it waits accrues storage. On the road, an overweight container triggers axle-limit fines that land on the carrier and cascade back to the shipper, plus a stopped truck until the load is fixed. Repacking an overweight container — unstuffing, splitting, re-stuffing, re-clearing — routinely costs more than the original freight. And a deliberately mis-declared weight carries legal liability: SOLAS puts the VGM obligation on the shipper by name.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an empty 20 ft container weigh?

An empty 20 ft container weighs about 2,230 kg (4,916 lb), within 2 % of what 8 of 18 published sheets print (they range 2,080–2,570 kg). The figure moves with manufacturer, floor and build year — our comparison of what sources publish shows the spread — and the tare marked on the box’s doors is the figure that counts.

How much does an empty 40 ft container weigh?

About 3,700 kg (8,157 lb) for standard height and 3,830 kg (8,444 lb) for the high cube — within 2 % of what 9 of 16 and 10 of 19 published sheets print; across all the sheets the figures run 3,530–4,000 kg and 3,700–4,300 kg.

What is the maximum weight a container can hold?

Structurally, up to about 28,250 kg (62,281 lb) in a 20 ft, 28,800 kg (63,493 lb) in a 40 ft and 28,670 kg (63,207 lb) in a 40 ft HC, on max gross ratings of 30,480 kg and 32,500 kg — as most published line and maker sheets print them; an older 40 ft rated 30,480 kg carries 26,480–26,840 kg on its sheets. Road weight limits usually cap the practical load well below that.

What is tare weight?

The weight of the empty container itself, marked on its doors (the CSC plate does not carry it). Subtract it from max gross to get payload.

How is VGM measured?

By one of two methods, per SOLAS (MSC.380(94)). Method 1: weigh the packed, sealed container on a certified weighbridge (truck plus box, minus the truck). Method 2: weigh every cargo item, add packing materials and dunnage, add the container’s tare — the sum is the VGM.