# Shipping Container Weight

Source: https://contsize.com/shipping-container-weight/ · CC BY 4.0 · checked 2026-10-19

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](https://contsize.com/glossary/max-gross/) of 30,480 or 32,500 kg, giving [payloads](https://contsize.com/glossary/payload/) 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](https://contsize.com/glossary/vgm/) (VGM).

Three numbers define container weight, all stamped on the door: **[tare](https://contsize.com/glossary/tare-weight/)** (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](https://contsize.com/how-much-does-a-20-ft-container-weigh/) and [how much a 40 ft weighs](https://contsize.com/how-much-does-a-40-ft-container-weigh/).

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](https://contsize.com/citations/#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](https://contsize.com/glossary/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.](https://contsize.com/figures/container-tare-vs-payload-en.png)

**The numbers in this chart**

*Tare vs payload, by container*

| Container | Tare, kg | Payload, kg | max gross, kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [20 ft container](https://contsize.com/20-ft-container/) | 2,230 | 28,250 | 30,480 |
| [40 ft container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-container/) | 3,700 | 28,800 | 32,500 |
| [40 ft high cube container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-high-cube-container/) | 3,830 | 28,670 | 32,500 |
| [40 ft high cube reefer](https://contsize.com/reefer-container/) | 4,620 | 29,380 | 34,000 |

Checked 19 October 2026: the figures in this chart against 40 of 88 published sheets from 21 lines, lessors and makers: 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](https://contsize.com/container-data-sources/)

*Tare vs payload, by container*

![Bar chart of the density threshold for the 20, 40, 40 HC and 45 HC containers.](https://contsize.com/figures/container-weight-or-volume-density-en.png)

**The numbers in this chart**

*Weight or volume: the cargo density at which each container is full both ways*

| Container | kg/m³ |
| --- | --- |
| [20 ft container](https://contsize.com/20-ft-container/) | 851 |
| [40 ft container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-container/) | 425 |
| [40 ft high cube container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-high-cube-container/) | 375 |
| [45 ft high cube container](https://contsize.com/45-ft-container/) | 324 |

Checked 19 October 2026: 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](https://contsize.com/container-data-sources/)

*Weight or volume: the cargo density at which each container is full both ways*

## 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.

*Container weights compared*

|  | [20 ft container](https://contsize.com/20-ft-container/) | [40 ft container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-container/) | [40 ft high cube container](https://contsize.com/40-ft-high-cube-container/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ISO type code | 22G1 | 42G1 | 45G1 |
| External dimensions — Length | 6.058 m19′10½″ | 12.192 m40′ | 12.192 m40′ |
| External dimensions — Width | 2.438 m8′ | 2.438 m8′ | 2.438 m8′ |
| External dimensions — Height | 2.591 m8′6″ | 2.591 m8′6″ | 2.896 m9′6″ |
| Internal dimensions — Length | 5.898 m19′4″ | 12.032 m39′5½″ | 12.032 m39′5½″ |
| Internal dimensions — Width | 2.352 m7′8½″ | 2.352 m7′8½″ | 2.352 m7′8½″ |
| Internal dimensions — Height | 2.393 m7′10″ | 2.393 m7′10″ | 2.698 m8′10″ |
| Tare weight | 2,230 kg4,916 lb | 3,700 kg8,157 lb | 3,830 kg8,444 lb |
| Max gross weight | 30,480 kg67,197 lb | 32,500 kg71,650 lb | 32,500 kg71,650 lb |
| Max payload | 28,250 kg62,281 lb | 28,800 kg63,493 lb | 28,670 kg63,207 lb |
| Capacity (volume) | 33.2 m³1,172 ft³ | 67.7 m³2,391 ft³ | 76.4 m³2,698 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](https://contsize.com/container-data-sources/)

Data: [ISO 668 (1995 text, read in IS 6566:2001)](https://contsize.com/citations/#iso-668) · [CMA CGM Equipment Guide](https://contsize.com/citations/#cma-specs) · [Evergreen Container Specifications](https://contsize.com/citations/#evergreen-specs) · [Hapag-Lloyd Container Specifications](https://contsize.com/citations/#hapag-specs) · [Maersk Container Specifications](https://contsize.com/citations/#maersk-specs) · [ONE Container Specifications](https://contsize.com/citations/#one-specs) · [Singamas product range](https://contsize.com/citations/#singamas-products) · 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)](https://contsize.com/20-ft-container/) | 2,230 kg |
| [40 ft dry (GP)](https://contsize.com/40-ft-container/) | 3,700 kg |
| [40 ft high cube](https://contsize.com/40-ft-high-cube-container/) | 3,830 kg |
| [20 ft reefer](https://contsize.com/reefer-container/) | 2,980 kg |
| [40 ft HC reefer](https://contsize.com/reefer-container/) | 4,620 kg |
| [20 ft open top](https://contsize.com/open-top-container/) | 2,250 kg |
| [40 ft flat rack](https://contsize.com/flat-rack-container/) | 5,000 kg |

Every figure checked: ISO 668 + 54 published sheets · 19 October 2026 · [Every figure and its sources](https://contsize.com/container-data-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](https://contsize.com/citations/#eu-96-53)). On US Interstate highways it is 80,000 lb, about 36.3 tonnes ([23 CFR 658.17](https://contsize.com/citations/#us-23cfr658)), 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](https://contsize.com/container-spec-variance/) 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.

## Related pages

- [20 ft container6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m · 33.2 m³](https://contsize.com/20-ft-container/)
- [40 ft container12.192 × 2.438 × 2.591 m · 67.7 m³](https://contsize.com/40-ft-container/)
- [ISO container standardsISO 668 · ISO 6346 · CSC](https://contsize.com/iso-container-standards/)
- [Container size chart (all 17)17 containers · Metric and imperial · Prints on one sheet](https://contsize.com/shipping-container-dimensions-chart/)
- [CBM calculatorVolume → container fill → chargeable weight](https://contsize.com/cbm-calculator/)
- [VGM calculatorSOLAS method 2 · in your browser](https://contsize.com/vgm-calculator/)
- [Container spec variance indexOriginal research · every sheet read · open data](https://contsize.com/container-spec-variance/)
- [How much does a 20 ft container weigh?](https://contsize.com/how-much-does-a-20-ft-container-weigh/)
- [How much does a 40 ft container weigh?](https://contsize.com/how-much-does-a-40-ft-container-weigh/)