20ft Matson container photos, as promised. (fit in, mattresses, transfer)

[BearIsBear]

Aloha everyone. I had a difficult time getting exact measurements for a 20ft container so here are the measurements I have for my 20ft Matson container. Please understand that some containers may differ slightly. Matson delivered my 20ft container today, but had to replace it as one of the latches would not shut without climbing on the container and kicking it secure, as the 2nd driver showed me as he asked why I wanted it replaced. No way was I going to fill the container and take the chance of not being able to have it properly secured! Now I just hope they don't charge me for it.

What I did find is that the floor on the first container was almost 58" high and the second was 53.5" high from the ground to the floor of the container. So when they say it is 4' off the ground, which is true for the container, the floor of the container is higher and varies with the trailer used.

The interior dimensions for this container was 19'3.5" (to the door) by 7'8" wide by 7'9.5" high (to the very top) The corners had a small indent so there the height was around 7'6.5" high. The outer most width, the actual measurement I was looking for, is about 1.5" making the width between 7'11". Just shy of an 8' 2x4 piece of wood.

The container also had anchor points for tie downs on the floor as well in the corners and near the doors. These will definitely help.

This post was somewhat of a continuation of my prior post, but i thought it could be useful information on it's own. Hope this helps others!

Prior post: http://www.city-data.com/forum/maui/...r-la-maui.html












Height


Length


Width


Indent


Width inlcuding indent


Height of 1st container florr


Height of second container floor


Near doors

[KauaiHiker]

I've loaded and unloaded a 20-ft container with household goods twice now. Both times I did it by myself, with friends, and with hired help--one day with help, several days by myself. The hardest items were mattresses that are big and heavy and that one person just cannot do alone. I didn't have any oversized items--like your 2x4s--though one tall bookshelf only had a few inches to spare (I could've taken it apart if necessary).

Both times it was loaded to the gills and I had to optimize the packing of the last items so they fit (I call it "tetrising"). It was easy to load boxes optimally, but you start losing space with tables, chairs, lamps, and bicycles all jumbled on top of each other. We used cheap blankets and comforters from thrift stores for padding and tied down the larger items using the welded in eyes mentioned above. But mostly we just wedged items in carefully so they couldn't move too much. We didn't have any breakage, even the cases of wine that one of the helpers put on the bottom layer were fine.

Most importantly, we did not use a ramp. Both times, I found the height of the container to be just as often a help as a hindrance. I could easily transfer boxes from my arms to the floor of the container, and vice-versa, so it saved bending down. But you do then need an extra person in the container to lift the item again to its final place--or you have to climb up and do it yourself after bringing several items. We used a ladder to climb in and out and to pack the last items before closing the doors, but you can also climb in and out fairly easily on the truck bumper.

Just wanted to add that you should check your city ordinances for parking a truck trailer on your residential street (they usually don't fit in driveways). The cops gave me a notice on the trailer after 3 days, so I called them and learned there was a 4 or 5 day limit. I think I ended up going over by one day, but nothing happened.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by BearIsBear

Aloha everyone. I had a difficult time getting exact measurements for a 20ft container so here are the measurements I have for my 20ft Matson container. Please understand that some containers may differ slightly.

Yes, they vary slightly, but not by very much. Hapag-Lloyd quotes the internal l-w-h dimensions on their containers as plus or minus 3/8". Intermodal shipping containers, aka ISO containers have been standardized for over 40 years, so I'm surprised the Matson reps had such a hard time answering your questions. Why, they could have just checked Wikipedia (or more than half a dozen industry sites) for the dimensions you asked for.

Intermodal container - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/downloads...ication_en.pdf

I notice that you never did get the correct answer for the plywood floor thickness. The minimum allowed under the specs is 28mm marine grade (1.1 inches) and 30mm is common.

Also, for those trying to visualize or preplan their packing, there's an interesting app called CargoWiz that allows you to to drag and drop various box sizes and stack them to check fit. Primarily for commercial shippers and importers to maximize loads, it might be useful to some here. As of this writing they have a 20 day free trial of the software, and a 90 day return policy. Sea Container Dimensions, ISO Ocean Container Dimensions

[BearIsBear]

Really good info, thanks KauaiHiker and OpenD. Here's how madmartigan1 and I packed using our moving trucks, backed up to the trailer.

My half of the container loaded up.



My 24ft overkill truck



Madmartigan1's 16ft truck