What Fits in a 20ft Storage Container?

The measurements

• Length: 5.9 m (20 ft)
• Width: 2.4 m (8 ft)
• Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
• Floor area: 14.16 m² (160 sq ft)
• Volume: 34.0 m³ (1,280 cu ft)

Every one of our containers is the same size, so these figures apply whichever container you rent.

For a household

The contents of an average three-bedroom house fit in one container: beds and mattresses, sofas and chairs, wardrobes and chests of drawers, the dining table, white goods and the boxes from the kitchen, loft and garage. A one or two-bedroom flat takes up less space, so you will have room to spare.

If you are not sure, list your larger pieces of furniture and tell us roughly how many boxes you have. We will tell you honestly whether one container is enough.

For a business

A container takes about 10 pallets on the floor, or around 90 washing machines. Our customers have used them for stock they sell on eBay, a removals firm’s overflow, tools and materials, exhibition and event equipment, and archive boxes.

Packing to make the most of the space

• Take beds, tables and shelving apart, and keep the fixings in a labelled bag.
• Put the heaviest and least-needed things at the back and on the bottom.
• Use boxes of the same size so they stack safely to the ceiling, and label them on the side.
• Leave a walkway down one side if you will need to get at things while they are stored.
• Stand things on pallets and leave a small gap at the walls so air can move; our page on damp and condensation explains why.
• Drain fridges, freezers and washing machines before they go in.

Cars, motorbikes and garden machinery

Our storage agreement does not allow petrol, oil or other flammable substances in a container, so please talk to us before you plan to store a car, motorbike or mower. The rest of the list is on what you can and cannot store.

Questions people ask