Container fill calculator
Enter your carton dimensions and weight to see how many fit a 20' GP, 40' GP and 40' high cube. More importantly, whether your cargo weighs out or cubes out. That single answer decides which container you should be quoting.
Your carton
Carton volume: 0.0300 m³
What fits each container
20' general purpose
Limited by: Cubes out
950 cartons
- Units
- 22,800
- Volume used
- 28.5 m³ (100%)
- Weight used
- 11,875 kg (46%)
40' general purpose
Limited by: Cubes out
1,933 cartons
- Units
- 46,392
- Volume used
- 58.0 m³ (100%)
- Weight used
- 24,163 kg (91%)
40' high cube
Limited by: Weighs out
2,120 cartons
- Units
- 50,880
- Volume used
- 63.6 m³ (97%)
- Weight used
- 26,500 kg (100%)
Usable volume is set below nominal, 28.5 m³ for a 20' GP against a nominal 33.2, because cartons do not tessellate perfectly and you cannot stack to the ceiling everywhere. Palletising removes a further 12%. Payload assumes roughly 26 tonnes; your destination's road legal limit may be lower than what the box itself can carry, and that is the figure that will stop the truck.
How to read the result
Every container has two limits: internal volume and payload. Your cargo will hit one before the other, and which one it hits decides your freight cost per unit.
Cubes out means volume ran out first. The container is full but light. Move to a 40' high cube and you get more than double the volume for a similar weight allowance, which is usually much better economics per unit.
Weighs out means the payload limit was reached while space remained. A larger container will not help; you are buying air. A 20' GP is usually the right box.
If you are shipping a dense product and a light one together, pairing them lets you approach both limits at once, which is the most freight-efficient thing you can do. See the full guide to weighing out versus cubing out for worked examples, and note that tea, coffee and spices must never travel with soap, detergent or perfumed products regardless of how well the numbers work.
The four words that decide the box
- Cubes out
- The cargo fills the container's volume while it is still well under the weight limit. Light goods such as tissue, biscuits, empty packaging and sachets cube out, and a 40-foot high cube is almost always the right box for them because volume is what you are buying.
- Weighs out
- The cargo reaches the container's payload limit while space is still available. Dense goods such as sugar, rice, canned food and detergent powder weigh out, and a 20-foot container is usually correct because a 40-foot only adds space you cannot legally fill.
- Payload
- The maximum weight of cargo a container may carry, excluding the tare weight of the container itself. Roughly 26 tonnes for a 20-foot general purpose container and broadly similar for a 40-foot, which is why the larger box helps light cargo and not dense cargo.
- High cube
- A container one foot taller than a standard box, offering roughly 76 cubic metres against a 20-foot container's 33. The extra height is volume, not payload, so it is worth its premium only for cargo that cubes out.
Common questions
How many cartons fit in a 20-foot container?
It depends on carton dimensions and weight. A 20' GP offers roughly 33 m³ nominal, of which about 28.5 m³ is realistically usable, against a payload of roughly 26 tonnes. Divide usable volume by carton volume and payload by carton gross weight. The lower of the two answers is how many cartons you can actually load.
What does it mean when cargo weighs out?
The cargo reaches the container's weight limit while space is still available. Dense products such as sugar, rice, canned food and detergent powder weigh out. For these a 20-foot container is usually correct, because a 40-foot gives you space you cannot legally fill.
What does it mean when cargo cubes out?
The cargo fills the container's volume while it is still light. Tissue, biscuits, empty packaging and sachets cube out. For these a 40-foot high cube is almost always correct, because volume is what you are buying.
Why is a 40-foot high cube better for light products?
It offers roughly 76 m³ against a 20-foot container's 33, more than double the volume, against a broadly similar payload limit. That asymmetry means light cargo gets far more value from the larger box, while dense cargo gets none.
How much volume does palletising cost?
About 12 per cent, which is what the calculator above applies. The pallet takes height and its footprint rarely matches the container width exactly. In exchange you get faster loading and discharge and less handling damage, which is usually worth it where the destination has mechanised handling.
Quote your container
Send the products and quantities you want and we will confirm the fill before quoting.