---
title: "10 ft container: Definition and Meaning | NPSA"
description: "A 10 ft container is a steel box about 10 feet long. It is a small size used for compact storage, tool storage and tight sites."
url: https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/10-ft-container
publisher: National Portable Storage Association (NPSA)
phone: "(816) 960-6552"
email: info@npsa.org
---

Dimensions and weight

# 10 ft container

A 10 ft container is a steel box about 10 feet long. It is a small size used for compact storage, tool storage and tight sites. Industry makes most 10 ft units 8 feet 6 inches tall, though the ISO standard lists this length at 8 feet tall.

## Why it matters

A 10 ft container fits where a 20 footer cannot. Examples are a narrow side yard, a retail back lot or a small job site. Operators like it because a short box is easy to place and move. Customers get less room, so they should measure their items first. A common mistake is to assume all 10 ft boxes share one height and one set of ISO fittings. Heights, door styles and weights vary by builder. Some are built for storage only and are not made to ship by sea. Ask the seller for exact outside and inside sizes, the door opening and the empty weight before you order.

[Read: Shipping container sizes and dimensions for rental fleets](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/guides/container-sizes-and-dimensions)

Definition source: [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_container)

## Related terms

[### 8 ft container An 8 ft container is a small steel storage container about 8 feet long. One dealer lists an 8-foot steel container at about 7 feet 11 inches long and 7 feet 2 inches wide outside, and 7 feet 6 inches high. It is a small, non-standard size, not an ISO 20-foot or 40-foot box.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/8-ft-container)[### 20 ft container A 20 ft container is the standard short ISO shipping container. It is about 19 feet 10 1/2 inches long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet 6 inches tall on the outside. It is the most common size in portable storage and counts as one twenty-foot equivalent unit.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/20-ft-container)[### internal dimensions Internal dimensions are the length, width and height of the usable space inside a container. They are smaller than the outside size because of wall thickness, floor and roof structure. ISO 1496 is the authoritative document for internal container dimensions.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/internal-dimensions)[### external dimensions External dimensions are the length, width and height of a container measured on the outside. ISO 668 classifies series 1 freight containers by external dimensions. A standard 20-foot container is about 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet 6 inches tall outside.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/external-dimensions)[### door opening Door opening is the width and height of the clear opening when a container's doors are open. It is smaller than the container's inside width and height because of the door frame and header. Carrier specs list door opening separately from inside size.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/door-opening)

[All 220 terms](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary)

For the industry

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