How many shipping containers is that?

The twenty-foot equivalent unit is the unit of world trade. One holds 33.2 cubic metres and about 28 tonnes.

The volume Unit Compared with

30.1 × 20-foot container

1,000 m³ ÷ 33.2 m³ = 30.12 containers.

Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.

Every reference on this page, with its size and its ratio to your number
Reference	Size	Yours ÷ theirs	Note
20-foot container	33.2 m³	30.1×	One TEU
removal van	40 m³	25×
40-foot container	67.7 m³	14.8×	Two TEU
40-foot high cube	76.4 m³	13.1×
average UK home interior	190 m³	5.26×

The largest container ships carry over 24 000 TEU — about 800 000 cubic metres of boxes, stacked twelve high.
The standard container was designed in 1956 by Malcom McLean and has barely changed since; the whole port system is built around its exact dimensions.

Frequently asked

A 20-foot container is 6.06 × 2.44 × 2.59 m externally, with about 33.2 m³ of internal volume and a 28-tonne payload limit.

A twenty-foot equivalent unit — the standard way to count container capacity. A 40-foot container is two TEU.