Home / Logistics Knowledge / Container Types & Sizes / 20ft General Purpose Container (20GP)
The 20GP is the highest-volume base container in ocean FCL shipping. One 20ft standard box equals 1 TEU, the basic unit of container throughput. It is the simplest to get, with box supply on nearly every lane from every carrier.
The 20GP is the baseline dry container in global shipping and the unit every port, freight rate and ship capacity is measured against — one 20GP equals 1 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). When a trading company or buyer asks "how many boxes does this load need", the quote is almost always expressed in these.
Its structure is simple: a steel frame with corrugated side panels, a double door at one end sealed with a container seal, a timber floor (some new boxes use steel), a flat load-bearing roof for stacking, and corner castings at all eight corners for crane lifting, chassis locking and ship lashing. Because it follows the ISO 6346 standard, the same box moves on a container ship, a rail flatcar or a truck chassis without ever being opened and re-stuffed.
It weighs only about 2.2 tonnes empty yet carries up to about 28 tonnes, giving it the best payload-to-tare ratio of any box — the first choice for heavy cargo.
Full name: 20-foot General Purpose (Dry Cargo) Container
Loading through the end door, a single piece must be no longer than the 5,898 mm internal length, no wider than the 2,352 mm internal width and no higher than the 2,393 mm internal height. Also check the door opening — 2,340 mm wide × 2,280 mm high — and leave clearance for lifting and pushing when cargo approaches the door height.
| Dimension | mm | cm | m | ft & in | in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 5898 | 589.8 | 5.898 | 19 ft 4.2 in | 232.2 |
| Width | 2352 | 235.2 | 2.352 | 7 ft 8.6 in | 92.6 |
| Height | 2393 | 239.3 | 2.393 | 7 ft 10.2 in | 94.2 |
| Door opening width | 2340 | 234.0 | 2.340 | 7 ft 8.1 in | 92.1 |
| Door opening height | 2280 | 228.0 | 2.280 | 7 ft 5.8 in | 89.8 |
| Dimension | mm | cm | m | ft & in | in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 6058 | 605.8 | 6.058 | 19 ft 10.5 in | 238.5 |
| Width | 2438 | 243.8 | 2.438 | 7 ft 12.0 in | 96.0 |
| Height | 2591 | 259.1 | 2.591 | 8 ft 6.0 in | 102.0 |
| Door opening width | 2340 | 234.0 | 2.340 | 7 ft 8.1 in | 92.1 |
| Door opening height | 2280 | 228.0 | 2.280 | 7 ft 5.8 in | 89.8 |
| Item | Tonnes (t) | Kilograms (kg) | Pounds (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tare weight (empty) | 2.18 – 2.30 | 2,180 – 2,300 | 4,806 – 5,071 |
| Maximum payload (net cargo) | 28.20 | 28,200 | 62,170 |
| Maximum gross weight (box + cargo) | 30.48 | 30,480 | 67,197 |
New (one-trip) 20GP containers have just left the factory or carried a single load: flat panels, tight door seals and no corrosion, which makes them the right choice for food, precision goods and long-term leasing. Used (multi-trip) 20GP boxes have years of ocean service behind them and may show dents, light rust and worn flooring, but a structurally sound unit that passes a cargo-worthy survey still ships perfectly normally.
What separates two apparently identical 20ft or 40ft boxes is the floor and the door gear. Check for a swollen or delaminating plywood floor, rusty door hinges and worn gaskets before you load food, paper, textiles or anything that reacts to moisture.
For a 20GP, most exporters simply take the carrier’s “cargo worthy” unit, because the shipping line is responsible for the box being fit for carriage at the moment it is picked up. If you buy your own container instead, pricing is graded by age and condition: CW (cargo worthy), WWT (wind and water tight) and AS-IS (sold as seen).
New / one-trip units run roughly USD 2,500–5,500 on the US resale market; in China, new boxes are priced per the shipping line's contract and move with steel costs.
Cargo-worthy used units run about USD 1,400–2,800; wind & water tight (WWT) units about USD 1,300–2,200, depending on the depot and condition.
Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and Evergreen all build to the same ISO standards, so the external dimensions of a 20GP match the standard exactly and the box can be stacked and interchanged on board and on the chassis without adaptation.
Across carriers, the practical differences for a 20GP are in box age and condition (new units are assigned to the mainline services), the builder (CIMC, Singamas, CXIC, Maersk Container Industry and others), small variations in the tare and payload figures stamped on the plate, and the configuration of special equipment — reefer unit brand, tarpaulin type on an open-top, folding versus fixed end walls on a flat-rack. Mention heavy, over-height or specialised cargo at booking so the carrier allocates the right unit.
On dry boxes ask for the newest unit on the service if the cargo is food-grade or moisture-sensitive.
A 20GP holds roughly 200–250 standard export cartons (about 60×40×50 cm each) or about 10 standard EUR pallets (1,200×800 mm) stacked two high. Everyday goods such as small appliances, hardware, sanitaryware, canned food and chemical drums — cargo with a medium-to-high density — tend to fill its weight before its volume.
For tiles, iron blocks or steel coils, the key is weight distribution and weighing: spread heavy items evenly across the floor, keep the centre of gravity low and near the box centreline, and never let a single concentrated load punch through the timber floor. The floor is typically rated for a forklift front wheel of about 5,460 kg, so heavy machinery needs steel plates to spread the pressure.
For big pieces that do not fill the box, first unitise them with timber, dunnage bags and straps, then load heavy to light and back to front. Leave a buffer dunnage bag at the door and fit a door bar so nothing falls on the person opening it.
The 20GP is built for heavy cargo and smaller full loads: hardware and fasteners, tiles, stone, glass, bearings, motors, chemical raw materials, metal products, and bagged grain or feed. With a light tare and a high payload it is the box least likely to exceed road limits tonne-for-tonne.
With dense cargo such as tiles or stone, weight hits the ceiling before volume does, so always declare VGM (the SOLAS verified gross mass) accurately. Palletised chemical drums need dunnage underneath and anti-slip; bagged cargo needs moisture protection — line the box with PE film or a waterproof sheet.
A Foshan tile shipment to the Middle East fills a 20GP to about 26 tonnes; VGM is declared from an actual weighbridge ticket and the box sails normally. Another shipment of furniture fittings under 20 CBM instead ships as LCL, saving the cost of a whole box.
External dimensions are 6,058 x 2,438 x 2,591 mm (about 19 ft 10.5 in long, 8 ft wide and 8 ft 6 in high). Internal dimensions are roughly 5,898 x 2,352 x 2,393 mm and the door opening is 2,340 mm wide by 2,280 mm high. These are ISO standard figures, so the same box from any carrier will measure the same to within a few millimetres.
An empty 20ft dry container (its tare weight) is about 2,180-2,300 kg, roughly 2.2 tonnes. The maximum payload is about 28,200 kg and the maximum gross mass about 30,480 kg. The exact numbers are stamped on the CSC plate on the door and move slightly between builders.
"20ft" describes the length of any 20-foot box, whether it is a dry container, a reefer, an open-top or a flat-rack. "20GP" is the 20-foot general purpose dry container, so for ordinary general cargo the two terms lead to the same unit. When a forwarder quotes 20GP, they mean the standard dry box.
Single-stacked, a 20ft takes about 10-11 Euro pallets (1,200 x 800 mm) or 10 standard 48 x 40 in (GMA) pallets. Overhanging or heavier pallets reduce the count, and 9 to 10 is a realistic figure for mixed cargo. A second layer works only for light goods that can bear the weight, which is how most exporters get 20 or more pallets into a 20ft.
The nominal internal volume is 33.2 CBM. Plan on about 28-30 CBM of usable volume once packaging, pallet footprints and the space lost at the door are taken into account.
No. 20 ft is the nominal external length. The internal length is about 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in), and every piece has to pass a door opening 2.34 m wide by 2.28 m high. Cargo that is longer or taller than the door needs an open-top or a flat-rack.
No. The maximum gross mass is 30,480 kg including the box itself, so the cargo limit is about 28.2 tonnes. Road axle limits usually bite first: in most of Europe and North America a loaded 20ft is capped at roughly 24-26 tonnes on the road, and some destinations are stricter still.
VGM is the Verified Gross Mass required by the SOLAS convention. The shipper named on the bill of lading has to declare it before the container is loaded, either by weighing the packed box (method 1) or by adding verified cargo weights to the tare (method 2). A VGM that does not match the terminal's reading can get the container rolled.
22 stands for a 20-foot container, G for general purpose (dry) and 1 for a box with a door opening at one end. The complete code appears on the container plate, the booking confirmation and the equipment interchange receipt, and it identifies the exact box type that was contracted.
A one-trip container has carried a single cargo from the factory to its first destination, so the panels, door seals and floor are close to new. It costs more than a used box, but it is the usual choice when the container is being bought rather than hired, especially for food or precision goods.
New and one-trip units run about USD 2,500-5,500 on the US resale market. Cargo-worthy used boxes are roughly USD 1,400-2,800 and wind-and-water-tight units about USD 1,300-2,200. Prices follow steel costs and trade volumes, so treat them as ranges rather than quotes.
A 20ft high cube is a 20-foot box about 30 cm taller than the standard height. It is rare in liner service, because almost every high cube in circulation is 40ft. If you need extra height, a 40HC is far easier to book.
Typical port-to-port transit is 12-18 days to the US West Coast, 20-30 days to the US East Coast and 28-40 days to North Europe, before customs clearance and inland delivery. Schedules shift with the season and with carrier routings, so confirm the ETD and ETA at booking.
The 20ft is the first choice for dense cargo: tiles, stone, hardware, fasteners, steel, machinery parts, chemicals in drums and bagged goods. Because the box weighs only about 2.2 tonnes empty, it has the best payload-to-volume ratio of any container, which is why heavy consignments are almost always quoted in 20GP.
Two 20ft boxes hold about 66 CBM, almost the same as one 40ft at 67.7 CBM, but they can carry roughly 56 tonnes against about 26.7 tonnes for the single 40ft. Choose two 20ft for heavy cargo and one 40ft when the shipment is light and bulky, or when the destination cannot take two deliveries.
No. The payload limit is a structural and legal limit, not a volume question. Even when the box looks half empty, exceeding the maximum gross mass risks a rejected VGM, overweight fines, a damaged floor and, in the worst case, a road accident. Spread the weight evenly and check the road limit at both ends.
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