Crown Relo guide: Understanding shipping container sizes

We all know what a shipping container looks like, but when deciding what size you need, it can feel like a minefield. A common question we hear is, “What can I fit in a shipping container?”. We have put together a handy reference guide to explain the available types and their sizes, dimensions and capacities.

At Crown Relocations Norway, we provide three container options:

  • 20 ft standard shipping container
  • 40 ft standard shipping container
  • 40 ft High Cube shipping container

20 ft shipping container 


Shipping container dimensions 


A 20 ft container is the smallest international container with external measurements of 5.898m long x 2.44m wide and 2.394m high. Its cubic capacity is approximately 30 cubic meters.
 

Container capacity 


A 20ft container can hold the typical contents of a 2-bedroom apartment or townhouse. In the image below, you can see approximately what that equates to in terms of personal items. Selecting a professional packing team is vital to ensure everything is packed and loaded correctly.

If a 20ft container is too small for your needs, we recommend our 40 ft container.

40 ft shipping container 


Shipping container dimensions


The 40ft container has external measurements of 12m long x 2.44m wide and 2.394m high. Its cubic capacity is approximately 60 cubic meters.
 

Container capacity 


A 40ft container can hold the contents of a typical 4-bedroom home.

40 ft High Cube container 


Shipping container dimensions


The 40ft High Cube container has external measurements of 12m long x 2.44m wide and 2.99m high (hence its name, High Cube!) Its cubic capacity is approximately 70 cubic meters.

Container capacity

 
A 40ft High Cube container can hold the typical contents of a 5-bedroom villa or the usual contents of a 3-bedroom home, plus a vehicle.