A standard container is 8 feet 6 inches externally. A high cube is 9 feet 6 inches. That one foot of external height is the entire difference, and it is worth understanding properly because it is nearly free on the water and occasionally prohibitive on the road.
The numbers
Representative internal figures, which vary a little by builder:
- 40ft standard: internal height about 2.39 m, capacity about 67.7 cubic metres
- 40ft high cube: internal height about 2.69 m, capacity about 76.4 cubic metres
- 45ft high cube: same 2.69 m height, capacity about 86 cubic metres
So the high cube buys roughly 0.30 m of height and 8.7 cubic metres, about 13 percent more volume. Floor area is identical, so the pallet count per tier does not change. See pallet sizes and container fit.
The 20ft high cube exists but is uncommon and hard to source on most lanes. Treat 20ft as standard height unless you have confirmed otherwise.
When it pays
- Light, bulky cargo. If you are cubing out rather than weighing out, the extra 13 percent is pure gain and the freight differential is usually small.
- Two tiers of pallets that do not quite fit. This is the classic case. Two pallets at 1.30 m loaded height need 2.60 m, which fits a high cube and does not fit a standard. The difference between one tier and two is enormous.
- Tall single items that would otherwise need an open top.
Do the arithmetic on loaded pallet height, not carton height, and remember the pallet itself is about 145 mm. Model it with the container estimator and the CBM calculator.
When it does not
- Dense cargo. If you hit the weight limit at half the height, the extra volume is worthless and the high cube's slightly higher tare marginally reduces your payload. See container weight limits and payload.
- Road height restrictions, which is the real constraint.
The road height problem
This is what catches people. A 9 foot 6 container is 2.90 m tall. Put it on a standard container chassis with a deck height of roughly 1.20 m and the loaded combination is about 4.10 m.
- In the United States, the common maximum vehicle height is 13 feet 6 inches, about 4.11 m, so a high cube on a standard chassis is right at the limit and routinely moves on a low profile chassis.
- In much of Europe, the general limit is 4.00 m, and in some countries lower. A high cube therefore needs a low deck or step frame chassis, which is a specific piece of equipment that must be ordered and is not always available.
- Bridge and tunnel clearances on the final delivery leg can bind well below the national limit, particularly on rural and industrial estate roads.
Ask about the delivery address, not just the country. The question that avoids the problem is: can this site take a 9 foot 6 container on a standard chassis, and if not, is a low deck chassis available on the delivery date?
Rail and terminal considerations
High cubes are standard on most intermodal rail networks, but some older European rail routes have loading gauge restrictions that exclude them, which is worth checking on inland moves. Double stack rail in North America handles them without issue.
The short answer
For most ocean freight, book the high cube. On the main deep sea trades the rate difference is small or nil, the equipment is abundant, and the extra volume is free optionality. Book standard when your cargo is dense enough that height is irrelevant, or when you know the delivery leg cannot take the height.
