6,700 pounds. 24 tons
Shipping container dimensions. Shipping containers tend to be 20 or 40 feet in length, but we are going to focus on 20-footers as the more commonly-used container type for individuals and families moving abroad. A 20-foot long container is 8 feet 6 inches tall, and 8 feet wide. This gives you an internal space of 19 feet and 4 inches in length, by 7 feet 8 inches in width and 7 feet and 10 inches in height. The actual volume of household goods that can be loaded into a container will vary, depending on how good of a fit one can achieve inside the container. Things tend to fit in, like a jigsaw puzzle. The total weight can also vary. A full 20-ft container can hold an average weight of approx. 6,000-lbs worth of goods, although if your goods are dense and tightly packed, the overall weight can exceed 7200-lbs. In terms of shipping household goods and personal effects, a 20-foot container is pretty big. Outside, it's about 8-feet wide by 8-feet high by 20-feet long, and it comes to you already on a chassis with wheels. Gift wrap is available for a small fee. This 40' container was 39'4 long, 7'6 tall, and 7'8 wide inside. The container holds 2261 cubic feet of area (despite the figures displayed on the outside). That is about 84 cubic yards. In the business, ships are divided into 20' container units known as TEU (twenty foot equivalent units).  A 20-foot container’s overall capacity is 1,170 cubic feet and its maximum gross weight is 6,700 pounds. These limits vary slightly according to where in the world you’re shipping from, so always check with your agent. A 20-foot long container is 8 feet 6 inches tall, and 8 feet wide. This gives you an internal space of 19 feet and 4 inches in length, by 7 feet 8 inches in width and 7 feet and 10 inches in height. A 20ft container is just simply a cargo shipping container with length of about 20 feet. If you need a rough figures to easily remember, a 20ft container has external length, width, and height of about 20’, 8’, and 8’6” respectively. Those dimensions in meter system are 6.0, 2.4, and 2.6 meters. The answer depends on how heavy is the empty container in question. You’re allowed to load as long as gross weight (container + cargo) does not exceed above-mention limit of 24 tons. Let’s take an example. If container’s tare weight is 2,25 tons, then maximum payload is 24-2.25=21.75 tons (see illustration if photo). For shipments over 500 cubic feet and up to 985 cubic feet, the most cost effective option is to use a 20’ feet ocean container, which will hold household goods of a large one bedroom apartment or a two bedroom apartment). If the shipment size is over 986 cubic feet, it is more cost effective to choose a 40’ container load.. A 20’ container can also ship 200 cubic feet of household goods and a standard size vehicle for the same price. Use our cubic feet calculator to determine the weight of your shipment. 1  Large 1 Bedroom. An “FEU”? How many bushels can they hold? TEU – “twenty foot equivalent unit.” A standard container size that can be loaded and sealed onto ships, railroad cars, trucks, and planes. The dimensions of a TEU are 20 ft (length) × 8 ft (width) × 9 ft (height).  How much weight can a container hold? While our moving and storage containers hold up to 7,500 pounds, most of our customers typically get 4,000 to 5,000 pounds in the storage container due to item size and packing constraints. If you load your storage container with typical household belongings, you are not likely to exceed the 7,500 pound weight limit. Our storage containers are approximately 16' long, 8' wide and 8' high with nearly 900 cubic feet of available space. Generally, our storage containers will hold the contents from the main living areas of a 1,500-square-foot home (basement, garage, patio and attic items may require an additional container). As the title implies, we are trying to figure out in real terms how much a twenty foot (20x8x8) standard container will actually hold. Has anyone used this size container, and can give us an idea of how much furniture you can fit in? We are trying to figure out whether we should ditch some bits or try and cram them in. 
http://www.movehub.com/advice/loading-shipping-container http://www.sefco-export.com/cont4.htm http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/container/container.html http://www.movehub.com/advice/loading-shipping-container http://www.container-transportation.com/20-foot-shipping-container.html http://morganshipping.com/shipping/shipment-size/packaging-for-20-feet-container http://www.soytransportation.org/Stats/Containers_WhatsATEU.pdf http://www.unitedmayflower.com/portable-storage-mover/storagefaqs-tips.html http://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/how-much-will-20ft-container-hold-665948/
how much weight does a shipping container hold