The Single Product Container calculator tells you how many cartons of one SKU fit into a 20ft, 40ft, 40HC or 45HC sea container — by both volume (CBM) and payload (kg). Use it to plan FCL bookings, MOQ negotiations and price-per-piece landed cost before you commit to a PO.
Standard container internal capacity
- 20ft Standard — ~33.2 m³ usable, up to 28,000 kg payload
- 40ft Standard — ~67.7 m³ usable, up to 26,500 kg payload
- 40ft High Cube — ~76.4 m³ usable, up to 26,500 kg payload
- 45ft High Cube — ~86.0 m³ usable, up to 27,000 kg payload
Volume vs payload — which limit hits first?
Light freight (apparel, foam, plastics) usually fills the container by volume long before the weight limit. Heavy freight (tiles, machinery, glass) tops out the payload limit while half the cubic space is still empty. This tool shows both percentages side-by-side so you can pick the right container size on the first try. For mixed shipments use the CBM Calculator, and for road consolidations use the Pallet Calculator.
Real-world utilisation
Theoretical CBM assumes perfect cube-stacking with no wasted space. In practice you only achieve 80–90% of theoretical capacity after dunnage, pallets, door access and irregular carton sizes. Read more in our guides on 20ft container dimensions and 40ft container dimensions.