At last chapter, I have introduced 20 foot container for international shipping.
Now, it is time to talk 40 foot container : another common used standard container type.
The dimension comes from 20ft to 40ft, does that mean 40ft container load 2 times cargo than 20ft ?
or shipping price double increased ?
With this question, let’s dive right in.
40ft container dimension
Same as 20’ft container, forget the exterior Dimensions, just pay attention to Internal Dimensions.
Why interior dimension is important ?
Case Study:
In April 2015,
A client booked a 40ft container for just one wooden crate shipment ( steel coil, less than 1000 kg, 4.8 CBM ) from Qingdao to Stockholm.
( See the right loading picture )
Question : Why don’t use 20ft or LCL service ?
Because the length of the crate is 6 Meter. You may still remember the interior size of 20ft container is 5.9 M, so it can’t be put into 20ft container.
And co-loader only provide 20ft container for LCL service for this route at that time.
So finally 40ft is the only choice left behind.
40FT container volume
So length doubled, what about the volume ?
Back to the question in the beginning , whether a 40ft container can load 2 times than 20ft container ?
When you mean shipping volume, yes, one 40ft container can load 64-68 CBM. If you remember a 20ft can load 32-33 CBM
But again, pay attention that the shipping capacity is just a theoretical data based on the calculation of the container interior dimension.
For consolidated shipments with various cargo in different packing dimensions, you can just load about 55 CBM at most.
How many pallets fit in a 40ft container ?
You have figured out the 40 foot container container volume as above.
To know how many pallets can be loaded by a 40ft container, the next step is to learn the pallet types and dimensions.
International pallet shipping comes in 3 commen used pallets :
| Standard Pallets | Euro Pallets | North America | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size ( inch ) | 47.24 x 39.37 | 41.24 x 37.50 | 48.00 x 40.00 |
| Size ( cm ) | 1200 x 1000 | 1200 x 800 | 1219 x 1016 |
The fit pallet quantities can be vary when using different pallet types.
40FT container weight
Compared with a 20ft container,
It’s indeed that the shipping capacity for 40ft container is double increased.
But that doesn’t mean the weight is also 2 times.
In fact, the weight allowed is not too much.
A 40-foot container’s tare weight ( empty weight ) is about 3,750kg.
And it can load to a maximum overall weight ( payload ) of 29 tons (26,300kg).
Same as loading 20ft container, you can’t load close to above weight.
3 factors effect how much amount of cargo you can load :
- restrictions and limitations of the shipping line,
- the nature of the cargo
- specific details of the shipment.
Then how much weight can be allowed to load by 40ft container ?
Based on the VGM regulation,
I would say maximum 25-27 Ton ( Additional heavy container cost required ),
Within 20 Ton is recommended.
| Tare Weight | Payload Capacity |
|---|---|
| 3,750 kg | 27,600 kg |
| 8,268.8 lbs | 61,200 lbs |
Conclusion
The dimension, weight and volume effect your decision to use 40 foot container.
Now I want to turn it over to you.
Here is a test question for your understanding of this container knowledge:
How many 40ft containers needed for 200 CBM cargo ?
And what if your cargo is 35 ton, but just 50 CBM, can 1 x 40ft container be used ?
Either way, let me know by leaving a quick comment below right now
or contact FreightPaul team.
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