Free tool · no sign-up

Container loading calculator

How many boxes fit in a 20 ft or 40 ft container? Enter one carton's size and weight to see the count for each container, the best way to stand them, and what stops more going in.

Your carton

Lengths in

Weights in

One carton

Length (cm)

Width (cm)

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

This side up: the carton stays upright (it may still turn on the floor)

The result

225 cartons fit in a 20 ft container, 500 in a 40 ft container, 600 in a 40 ft high cube and 660 in a 45 ft high cube.

20 ft container 20' GP, general purpose
225 cartons
Along × across × high
9 × 5 × 5
Each carton as placed
60 × 40 × 40 cm
Weight
2,700 kg of 28,180 kg
Volume used
65%
What stops more
The space
40 ft container 40' GP, general purpose
500 cartons
Along × across × high
20 × 5 × 5
Each carton as placed
60 × 40 × 40 cm
Weight
6,000 kg of 26,700 kg
Volume used
71%
What stops more
The space
40 ft high cube 40' HC, high cube
600 cartons
Along × across × high
20 × 5 × 6
Each carton as placed
60 × 40 × 40 cm
Weight
7,200 kg of 28,550 kg
Volume used
75%
What stops more
The space
45 ft high cube 45' HC, high cube
660 cartons
Along × across × high
22 × 5 × 6
Each carton as placed
60 × 40 × 40 cm
Weight
7,920 kg of 27,450 kg
Volume used
74%
What stops more
The space

Worked out in your browser: nothing you type is sent or saved.

How many boxes fit in a 20 ft or 40 ft container?

Some common carton sizes, turned whichever way fits most, by space alone (a heavy carton may be stopped by the payload first). Enter your own carton above.

Cartons that fit, by container
Carton	20 ft	40 ft	40 ft HC	45 ft HC
40 × 30 × 30 cm	686	1,470	1,890	2,079
50 × 40 × 30 cm	392	840	1,080	1,215
60 × 40 × 40 cm	225	500	600	660
60 × 50 × 50 cm	144	320	400	440
80 × 60 × 60 cm	63	135	180	198

What it counts, and when you need it

Before you book, you want to know whether your cartons need a 20 ft container (20' GP, general purpose), a 40 ft (40' GP), or a 40 ft high cube (40' HC, about a foot taller).

It counts how many cartons of one size fit, stacked in rows, each standing the same way.
It tries every way the carton can stand (only upright when this side up is ticked), keeps the one that fits most, then checks the payload: the most weight the container may carry.
It is an estimate. Real loads need a little room, and cartons of several sizes fit differently: for those, plan the load in 3D.
Loading pallets rather than loose cartons? Use the pallets per container calculator.

The formula

for each way the carton can stand:

cartons = (L ÷ l) × (W ÷ w) × (H ÷ h)

each division rounded down to whole cartons

keep the way that fits most

then: no more than payload ÷ one carton's weight

volume used = cartons × carton's volume ÷ inside volume

L, W and H are the container's inside length, width and height; l, w and h the carton's sides as it stands.

Worked example: cartons in a 20 ft container

The calculator starts with it.

Cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm at 12 kg in a 20 ft container (20' GP), 5,900 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm inside.
Along the length: 5,900 ÷ 600 = 9.8, so 9. Across: 2,352 ÷ 400 = 5.9, so 5. Up: 2,393 ÷ 400 = 5.98, so 5.
9 × 5 × 5 = 225 cartons, 2,700 kg: far under the 28,180 kg payload. They fill 65% of the space.
In a 40 ft high cube (40' HC), 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,700 mm inside: 20 × 5 × 6 = 600 cartons.

The containers

Typical inside sizes, volumes, doors and payloads (GP is general purpose, HC high cube). Your own container may differ: its door plate always wins.

Container	Inside, L × W × H (mm)	Volume (m³)	Door, W × H (mm)	Payload (kg)
20 ft container (20' GP)	5,900 × 2,352 × 2,393	33.2	2,340 × 2,292	28,180
40 ft container (40' GP)	12,032 × 2,352 × 2,395	67.8	2,340 × 2,292	26,700
40 ft high cube (40' HC)	12,032 × 2,352 × 2,700	76.4	2,340 × 2,597	28,550
45 ft high cube (45' HC)	13,556 × 2,352 × 2,700	86.1	2,340 × 2,597	27,450

Questions

Questions about container loading

How many boxes fit in a 20 ft container?

It depends on the box. Cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm: 225 in a 20 ft container (20' GP, general purpose), 9 along, 5 across and 5 high, on the sizes used here. Enter your own carton above.

How many boxes fit in a 40 ft container?

Cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm: 500 in a 40 ft standard container (40' GP) and 600 in a 40 ft high cube (40' HC), on the sizes used here. Enter your own carton above.

Why might fewer fit in practice?

The count uses every millimetre of the inside. Real loads need room at the door, for bulging cartons and for dunnage, so expect a little less. The container's door plate always wins.

What is a high cube container?

A container about a foot taller than a standard one: 2,700 mm inside instead of about 2,395 mm, on the sizes used here. Many cartons get another layer.

What does this side up change?

Ticked, the carton stays upright: it may turn on the floor, but never onto its side. Some cartons then fit fewer.

Can I mix carton sizes?

Not here: this counts one size in one direction. For several sizes, mixed turns and the order of loading, plan the load in 3D in Stowtix.

Sources

Hapag-Lloyd: container specification (opens in a new tab): containers' inside sizes, doors and payloads.
ONE (Ocean Network Express): dry container specifications (opens in a new tab): a second check of the containers' sizes.
NIST (the US National Institute of Standards and Technology): Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (opens in a new tab): exact units: 1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³.

Stowtix's own calculation for the counts. Container sizes are typical: your container's door plate, and your carrier's rate card, always win.

Figures last checked 15 October 2026. Made by Stowtix, a product of Gigadep Solutions Private Limited. Found a wrong figure? Write to info@gigadep.com.

Mixed cartons? Plan them in 3D

Stowtix fills containers with cartons of every size, turns them where it helps, and checks the weight and balance. In private beta: ask to join, or book a demo.

Plan this load in 3D Book a demo