High Cube Containers in Shipping: Size, Applications & Benefits

Shipping containers play an essential role in efficiently moving goods across borders. High cube containers in shipping are indispensable for transporting large, bulky cargoes. These containers offer superior storage capacity while maintaining structural integrity, making them more durable and versatile than standard containers.

This blog provides a detailed overview of high cube containers in shipping, covering their sizes, applications, advantages, and how they differ from standard containers. By understanding their benefits and limitations, you can make more informed decisions about when and how to use them effectively in shipping operations.

Understanding High Cube Containers

High cube containers are one of the most specific types of intermodal containers used in shipping. They are just like any other shipping container but have an added advantage in height. They are ideal for transporting oversized or high-volume cargo. Typically, these containers have a height of 9 feet 6 inches, which is one foot above the height of the standard shipping container. 

The extra height of high cube containers is ideal for situations where additional space is required to accommodate taller or larger cargo. As global trade expands and evolves, the demand for effective shipping methods has grown significantly, increasing the use of high-cube containers in shipping.

Key Features of High Cube Containers

High-cube containers have some unique features that distinguish them from ordinary containers. These containers offer you advantages when transporting bulk or oversized goods.

1. Additional Height: The key feature of high-cube containers is their increased height. Added height means an added storage capacity for certain types of cargo. Furthermore, this added vertical space now allows the containers to be more efficient in storing large cargo volumes.
2. Greater Volume: The added height contributes to a greater volume inside. More space means you can stack your shipments, which makes the containers more productive for moving large volumes.
3. Compatibility with Standard Equipment: High-cube containers can accommodate most standard shipping gear, such as cranes, straddle carriers, and flatbed trucks. So you can relax and not be concerned about any additional equipment required to load and unload the containers.
4. Intermodal Transport: When switching between multiple modes of transportation, such as ships, trains, and trucks, you can shift your goods without handling the cargo.
5. Versatility: High-cube containers have a temperature-controlled cooling system. They can be used to transport large machines, vehicles, large equipment, raw materials, and even perishable goods.
6. Modifiable for Specialised Needs: It can be customised to any specific requirement. This includes adding insulation, ventilation, or even refrigeration units, making it useful in almost every industry.

Dimensions of High Cube Containers

You should know the dimensions of high cube containers to understand if they will fulfill their shipping needs. The following are standard measurements of 20-foot and 40-foot high cube containers:

20-foot High Cube Container

• Outside Length: 20 feet (6.06 metres)
• Outside Width: 8 feet (2.44 metres)
• Outside Height: 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 metres)
• Inside Length: 19 feet 4 inches (5.90 metres)
• Internal Width: 7 feet 8 inches (2.33 metres)
• Internal Height: 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 metres)
• Volume Capacity: 37.4 cubic metres (1,320 cubic feet)
• Tare Weight: Approximately 2,300 kg (5,070 lbs)

40-foot High Cube Container

• External Length: 40 feet (12.19 metres)
• External Width: 8 feet (2.44 metres)
• External Height: 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 metres)
• Internal Length: 39 feet 6 inches (12.03 metres)
• Internal Width: 7 feet 8 inches (2.33 metres)
• Internal Height: 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 metres)
• Internal Volume: 76.2 cu. m. or 2,690 cu. Ft.
• Tare Weight: Around 4,000 kg, or 8,820 lbs

Additional height gives high cube containers much more interior volume than standard ones. 

Applications of High Cube Containers

High-cube containers are extensively used in multiple industries due to their various uses. Some of the common applications are:

• Palletised Cargo: High cube containers allow for the movement of more pallets due to their extra height. They are an ideal choice for bulk cargo transported on pallets.
• Furniture Movements: High cube containers are often used for furniture movements. Most items, such as sofas, beds, and wardrobes, are larger than the height of a normal container.
• Raw Materials and Commodities: Commodities transported in high-cube containers include large quantities of raw materials such as lumber, textiles, and paper, where the extra volume will be useful.
• Refrigerated Products: When a refrigeration unit is installed, high-cube containers transport perishable products, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and medicines. The increased height provides more room for refrigeration systems and cargo.
• Construction and Prefabricated Units: Because they offer added height and structural strength, you can customise prefabricated units into modular housing units, portable offices, and storage spaces on construction sites.

High Cube Containers vs. Standard Containers

The table below clearly shows the differences between high-cube containers and standard containers and helps you make informed decisions based on your shipping needs and requirements.

Factors to Consider When Choosing High Cube Containers

You must consider several important factors when deciding whether to use high-cube containers in shipping:

1. Type of Goods: Determine the kind of cargo to be shipped: huge, outsized, or bulk. Volume cargo will require the additional space of high cube containers. However, heavy, compact cargo does not always require a high-cube container.
2. Economy of Cost: High cube containers offer more space, but they might be costlier. You should compare the advantages of having extra warehousing space against the added costs.
3. Availability: Not all ports and shipping companies carry high cube containers in their inventory. Thus, you need to confirm the availability of high-cube containers before designing and executing their shipment.
4. Infrastructure Compatibility: High cube containers must be compatible with the infrastructure at both origin and destination ports and the transportation route.
5. Customisation Requirements: High cube containers can easily be customised if refrigeration, insulation, or any other modification is required to ship your goods. However, consider the cost and logistics involved with the modification.

Manage Large Cross-Border Shipments Seamlessly with CargoX

Handling large cross-border shipments requires more than just the right container for successful exporting. They need a good logistics partner. And this is where CargoX comes in. 

CargoX is a platform designed to simplify and secure the procedures associated with documentation regarding bulk cross-border shipments. CargoX can support any business size, from one container shipment to managing a large fleet of high-cube containers. It provides the flexibility and scalability required by businesses. The user-friendly interface at CargoX means that even the most complicated shipments can be sorted and handled efficiently. Besides, it allows you to focus on growing your business without looking into logistics hurdles.

Conclusion

High-cube containers in shipping are ideal for cross-border traders as they cater to oversized, bulky, or high-volume cargo. Because of their added height, increased volume, and advanced applications, they’re a real asset for logistics at the global level. Knowledge of their dimensions, applications, and benefits compared to standard containers can help you determine what optimises your shipping operations. With an innovative logistics platform like CargoX, the process of cross-border shipments is further simplified and more secure.