Glossary · Sizes & types
TEU
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — a unit of cargo capacity equal to one 20ft container. A 40ft container counts as 2 TEU. Used in shipping and ports, e.g. "a 5,000 TEU vessel".
Sizes & types
Other terms in this group
- 20ft container
A standard container 20 feet long (about 6.06 m), about 2.44 m wide and 2.59 m high. Inside it measures about 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m, roughly 13.9 m² of floor space. The most popular size for offices, small warehouses and booths.
- 40ft container
A container 40 feet long (about 12.19 m) with the same width and height as a 20ft unit. Its floor area of about 28 m² fits an office with a meeting room, worker accommodation or a large warehouse.
- 10ft container
A short container about 2.99 m long, typically used for guard posts, small booths or mini storage. Easy to move and fits on tight plots.
- High cube (HC)
A container one foot (about 30 cm) taller than standard: about 2.90 m high outside and 2.70 m inside, usually in the 40ft size. More headroom for ceilings, air conditioning and tall racking.
- Dry container (GP)
The ordinary enclosed, general-purpose container for dry goods. This is the type most often converted into offices, warehouses and living spaces.
- Reefer
A refrigerated container with insulated walls and its own cooling unit, for frozen or fresh cargo. Used reefers are often turned into cold storage.
- Open top
A container without a steel roof (covered by a tarpaulin) for cargo that is too tall and must be loaded from above by crane.
- Flat rack
A container made of a floor with end walls but no side walls or roof, for oversized cargo such as machinery and heavy equipment.
- Open side
A container with wide doors along its long side so the whole side can open. Handy for booths, kiosks or warehouses with frequent loading.