20ft Vs 40ft Shipping Container

20ft vs 40ft Shipping Container

The standardization of freight containers has given the loader a huge opportunity of transporting goods globally with maximum flexibility and ease. The different dimension of a maritime shipping container is envisioned to make the businesses run smoothly by giving the feasibility of storing and moving different goods.

The 20ft and 40ft metal shipping containers are the standard and most common ones and dry vans are mostly associated with them. They have set parameters that are taken as reference for standard measurements. The 20ft box is known as the Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) and the 40ft one is referred to as the Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit or FEU.

Are 20ft and 40t shipping containers different in appearance?

Primarily, 20ft and 40ft both container types are designed from heavy-duty steel or aluminum. The standard units are known for their versatility and they adeptly carry all types of dry loads. Being constructed of the same metal and carrying on the same dry goods, they basically differ in sizes or measurements.

Let’s see the table given below to know about the dimensions of both of them.

20ft shipping container

Internal dimension

19’4 x 7’8 x 7’10

External dimension

19’10 x 8’0” x 8’6”

Door Opening

7’8 x 7’5

Max gross weight

67200 pounds

40ft Shipping Container

Internal dimension

39’5 x 7’8 x 7’10

External dimension

40’ x 8’ x 8’6”

Door Opening

7’8 x 7’5

Max gross weight

67200 pounds

How much can be loaded in 20ft and 40ft containers?

A 40ft steel shipping container has two times more capacity than a 20ft steel shipping container. Even a 40ft unit can stack a 20ft box inside of it.

The 20ft metal shipping box has the capacity to carry 11 Euro-Pallets and 10 standard pallets.

A 40ft metal shipping box can store around 24 Euro-Pallets, and 21 standard pallets.

What is the difference between a 20ft shipping container and a 40ft shipping container?  

There are lots of evident differences between the two other than sizes that are mentioned below.

Let’s go through them one by one.

Price

The price of a 20ft cargo unit is lesser than a 40ft one as 40ft shipping units are larger in size and provide more space to load merchandise.

Weight

The 20ft shipping box provides less storage of goods than the 40ft box. The 20ft ideal for keeping quite heavy loads but if you want your goods to be transported with safety then 40ft will be a good choice. As 40ft will provide more space to goods.  

Loading and Storage Space

Loading and storage space is more in a 40ft box but 20ft boxes are better when you have less cargo to load. You can send separated cargoes in separate 20ft boxes without mixing them.

Thus, we see that both 20ft and 40ft cargo containers are used for different purposes. If you want to buy a 20ft shipping container or you need a 40ft shipping container for sale then you should keep the above points in mind. LOTUS Containers, one of the renowned shipping container companies, has been supplying all types of containers with maximum affordability and ease.