Home / Logistics Knowledge / Container Types & Sizes / 40ft High Cube Reefer Container (40RH/40RF)
The 40RH is the reefer fleet's mainstay, holding over twice the volume of a 20ft reefer — the standard for long-distance, high-volume frozen food, meat and produce. Usually a high cube, it is about 30 cm taller inside than a 20RF, so more pallet layers fit.
The 40RH is the workhorse of the reefer fleet, holding over twice the volume of a 20ft reefer — the standard for long-distance, high-volume frozen food, meat and fruit-and-vegetable exports. It is usually a high cube, about 30 cm taller inside than a 20RF, so more pallet layers fit, and its gross limit is higher than a dry box (about 34 tonnes).
It shares the 20RF's design: a front-top refrigeration unit, T-rail floor and foam-insulated walls, working from about −25 °C to +25 °C. At sea it runs on the ship's reefer sockets, in the yard on shore power and on the road from a genset. A continuous temperature log is the core record for acceptance and claims.
Full name: 40-foot High Cube Refrigerated (Reefer) Container
A single piece must be no longer than the 11,577 mm internal length, no wider than 2,294 mm and no higher than 2,555 mm; the door opening is 2,294 mm wide × 2,530 mm high. Leave return-air channels on both sides.
| Dimension | mm | cm | m | ft & in | in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 11577 | 1157.7 | 11.577 | 37 ft 11.8 in | 455.8 |
| Width | 2294 | 229.4 | 2.294 | 7 ft 6.3 in | 90.3 |
| Height | 2555 | 255.5 | 2.555 | 8 ft 4.6 in | 100.6 |
| Door opening width | 2294 | 229.4 | 2.294 | 7 ft 6.3 in | 90.3 |
| Door opening height | 2530 | 253.0 | 2.530 | 8 ft 3.6 in | 99.6 |
| Dimension | mm | cm | m | ft & in | in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 12192 | 1219.2 | 12.192 | 40 ft 0.0 in | 480.0 |
| Width | 2438 | 243.8 | 2.438 | 7 ft 12.0 in | 96.0 |
| Height | 2896 | 289.6 | 2.896 | 9 ft 6.0 in | 114.0 |
| Door opening width | 2294 | 229.4 | 2.294 | 7 ft 6.3 in | 90.3 |
| Door opening height | 2530 | 253.0 | 2.530 | 8 ft 3.6 in | 99.6 |
| Item | Tonnes (t) | Kilograms (kg) | Pounds (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tare weight (empty) | 4.60 – 4.90 | 4,600 – 4,900 | 10,141 – 10,803 |
| Maximum payload (net cargo) | 29.30 | 29,300 | 64,595 |
| Maximum gross weight (box + cargo) | 34.00 | 34,000 | 74,957 |
New (one-trip) 40RH 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) 40RH 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.
With a reefer the machinery matters as much as the box. Ask for the Pre-Trip Inspection report, check the compressor hours and the door gaskets, and look for impact damage to the unit. On the second-hand market a dead reefer that only insulates is worth a fraction of a working one.
For a 40RH, 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).
A 40ft high-cube reefer is pricier still: new / one-trip units about USD 12,000–25,000 depending on the unit brand and spec.
A working used unit about USD 6,500–14,000; insulation-only about USD 4,500–8,000.
Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and Evergreen all build to the same ISO standards, so the external dimensions of a 40RH 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 40RH 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.
For reefers, ask which unit brand and which temperature accuracy the line guarantees, and whether the reefer slots on your service are guaranteed rather than subject to rolling.
A 40RH takes about 20–22 EUR pallets (frozen cargo often 2–3 layers). Full containers of frozen meat, seafood, ice cream, frozen vegetables, dairy, vaccines and temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals move 20-plus tonnes in a single trip.
The 40RH's gross is higher (about 34,000 kg) and frozen cargo is dense, so it easily reaches the limit. Sit heavy items on pallets spread over the T-rails to avoid crushing the return channels and insulation.
Palletise and strap, leave return-air gaps on both sides and a channel at the door. When the box is not full, chock or dunnage-bag the load so pallets cannot slide and block the airflow.
The 40RH suits high-volume frozen and chilled cargo: frozen meat, seafood, frozen food, frozen vegetables, dairy, cold-treated fruit, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, chocolate and temperature-sensitive chemicals.
The same rule applies: pre-cool first, then stuff. Close vents for frozen cargo, open them as needed for chilled produce and watch ethylene control; the US and Australia impose strict cold-treatment recording and probe requirements.
A Guangzhou frozen chicken-leg order to the Middle East is pre-cooled to −18 °C, the 40RH is pre-cooled, 22 tonnes is loaded, the temperature log is unbroken and spot checks at destination pass for quick clearance.
External dimensions are 12,192 x 2,438 x 2,896 mm, so a 40ft reefer is a high cube. Internal dimensions are about 11,577 x 2,294 x 2,555 mm and the door opening is 2,294 mm wide by 2,530 mm high.
Nominal volume is 67.9 CBM. Allow about 58-60 CBM usable, because reefer loading always leaves an air path along the floor and below the ceiling.
The same as a 20ft reefer: about -25 C for frozen cargo up to +25 C for chilled and ambient cargo. Frozen cargo normally travels at -18 C, chilled cargo between -2 C and +4 C, and some fruit programmes are run warmer. Confirm the necessary range at booking, because not every unit on every lane can hold the extremes.
Tare weight is about 4,600-4,900 kg, higher than a dry 40ft because of the machinery and insulation. Maximum payload is about 29,300 kg and maximum gross mass 34,000 kg, which is more than a standard 40ft dry box.
About 20-22 Euro pallets (1,200 x 800 mm) or 17-18 standard 48 x 40 in pallets single-stacked, fewer than a dry 40ft because the insulated walls reduce the internal width to 2,294 mm.
On the ship, no: it plugs into the vessel's power. On the road, at a depot without reefer points, or during a long rail leg, a genset is needed and is charged separately. Ask for a temperature log at the end of the voyage, since it is the evidence you need if cargo is damaged.
A Pre-Trip Inspection of the cooling unit, sensors and door seals carried out before loading. Always request the PTI report for food and pharmaceutical cargo, and keep it with the shipping documents.
It is a volume decision. A 40ft reefer carries about 2.4 times the volume of a 20ft at a much lower cost per CBM, so use the 40ft for anything above roughly 25 CBM and keep the 20ft for part loads, trial shipments and destinations where a smaller box is easier to handle.
A carrier-run temperature programme that some countries require for fruit and vegetables on arrival, for example for US and Australian imports. It needs calibrated sensors, a specific pulp temperature and a predefined voyage profile, so it must be booked in advance.
Slowing ripening and extending shelf life by changing the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the box. It is common on long vegetable and fruit voyages and on some seafood and flower shipments, and it must be requested at booking.
New and one-trip units run about USD 12,000-25,000 depending on the cooling unit brand and spec. A working used unit is about USD 6,500-14,000 and an insulation-only box about USD 4,500-8,000.
It exists but is limited and expensive, because the carrier has to keep a whole unit cold for a shared load. For anything other than small trial volumes, a full 20ft or 40ft reefer is more practical and more reliable.
45R1: 45 identifies a 40-foot high cube, R a refrigerated unit and 1 a door opening at one end. Confirm the code on the booking when a specific unit or temperature range has been agreed.
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