Moving Overseas – How Can I Figure Out What Size Cargo Container I Need for Sea Shipping?

Are you moving to the Philippines or Ireland, relocating to the United States or Australia or returning home to India? If you are moving overseas to a new location or returning home after an extended stay outside of the country, chances are you may need international sea shipping services. Sea shipping is generally a lot less expensive than air shipping and if you have a lot of items to ship, or if you have bigger and heavier cargo including furniture, electronics, art work, household goods and maybe even a vehicle, cargo shipping by sea is most likely going to be your best option.

Many people who are moving overseas choose container shipping as the most efficient and economical route for their household goods and personal items. If you are considering shipping ocean freight, you may want to find out more about the amount of cargo you are shipping and the type of cargo container you will need to transport your goods overseas.

An experienced cargo shipping company can help you figure out the size of your cargo shipment and the type of container that is best suited to safely transport your items abroad. While there are a number of different types and sizes of cargo shipping containers, the most popular container sizes tend to be 20 foot and 40 foot shipping containers.

Generally the amount of room in a cargo shipping container is explained in cubic feet. The measurement of one cubic foot or (CuFt.) is 1 foot high by 1 foot wide by 1 foot long or 12″ by 12″ by 12″. There are 35.2 cubic feet in one cubic meter.

For example, let’s say you are moving to the UK and you are interested in shipping 5 baskets of clothes, 8 medium boxes of kitchen items, a grill for cook-outs, a couple of big screen televisions, a dining room cabinet, a dresser, king sized bed, a stereo with cabinet, vacuum cleaner and work bench, it is approximately 292 cubic feet. A free online calculator for international cargo shipping can help you estimate very easily the size of your cargo shipment in cubic feet.

It is helpful to remember that a 20′ cargo container holds between 850 and 1,050 cubic feet of goods. There is typically enough room in a 20 foot cargo container to fit a one to two bedroom household. If you are shipping a car overseas, a 20 foot container typically holds one car and a few small household items.

For larger shipments, you may need a bigger shipping container like a 40′ container. A 40 ft. container holds about 1,850 to 2,200 cubic feet. A 40′ container is generally enough room to transport a three to five bedroom household overseas. If you are shipping a vehicle overseas, a 40 foot container typically holds one vehicle and the contents of a 2 bedroom household.

If you are thinking about international shipping for perishable items that require refrigeration or a temperature controlled environment, you will likely need to ship your goods in a refrigerated container, also known as a reefer container.

If you have never moved overseas before or used sea shipping to transport a significant amount of household goods and other personal items, you may find the process of estimating the size of your cargo shipment a bit overwhelming or confusing at first. This is nothing to worry about. An experienced cargo shipping agency can help you with this process. In fact, it can be very helpful to use a free online freight quote tool to estimate your shipping costs and the volume of your shipment.

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