Used or new
40 feet open top container
12.19 × 2.44 × 2.59 m outside · 66.3 m³ inside · about 3,880 kg empty
The 40 ft open top is a 40 ft ISO box (42U1) whose roof is a removable tarpaulin over steel bows, with a door header that swings out of the way, so that a crane can lower long or heavy cargo straight in: 12,029 × 2,350 × 2,348 mm inside, 66.3 m³, typically 26,600 kg of cargo. Partner sellers quote it with its bows and tarpaulin, delivered to your PIN code.
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Asking prices differ widely: for a 40 feet open top container, half of the 12 sellers we read on 20 October 2026 ask between ₹2,59,000 and ₹4,25,000, ₹1,66,000 apart. Several quotes show you where the low end is.
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What a 40 ft open top container is used for
Cargo that a forklift cannot push through a door goes in by crane: steel sections and long pipes, machinery frames, marble and granite blocks, cable drums, glass on A-frames. With the tarpaulin off, the bows out and the door header swung aside, a crane can lower a load in along almost the whole length of the box; with them back on, the box closes again for the road or the yard.
- For cargo craned in at every shipment: this is the box.
- For short, dense loads: the 20 ft open top, typically ₹2,00,000 (13 sellers).
- For storage only: a used standard 40 ft box is typically ₹1,80,000 against ₹3,50,000 for an open top, and its steel roof needs no tarpaulin.
- For loads wider than the box or taller than its walls: the 40 ft flat rack.
Few sellers state a grade for an open top (cargo-worthy: ₹4,00,000 (3 sellers)), so the checks below count for more than the word in a listing.
Bows, tarpaulin and door header: checks before you pay
- The roof bows. They lift out for loading and go back to carry the tarpaulin; on a used box some may be bent or missing. Count them and try one.
- The tarpaulin. Look for tears, and check that its eyelets and the cable that holds it down are all there: a new tarpaulin is a purchase of its own.
- The door header. Ask the seller to swing it open: its hinge pins can seize on a box that has stood long in a yard.
- The floor and the corners, as on any 40 ft box: the floor takes what the crane sets down, and the corner castings take the lift.
- The CSC plate and the lashing rings. If the box will go to sea with your cargo, the last examination on its CSC plate (the safety approval of the International Convention for Safe Containers) must still be valid; count the lashing rings inside and look for cracks at their base.
Dimensions and capacity of the 40 ft open top
| Measure | Size |
|---|---|
| ISO size-type code | 42U1 |
| External size (L × W × H) | 12,192 × 2,438 × 2,591 mm40′ × 8′ × 8′ 6″ |
| Internal size (L × W × H) | 12,029 × 2,350 × 2,348 mm39′ 5½″ × 7′ 8½″ × 7′ 8½″ |
| Door opening (W × H) | 2,340 × 2,278 mm7′ 8″ × 7′ 5½″ |
| Floor area inside | 28.3 m²304 sq ft |
| Inside volume | 66.3 m³2,341 cu ft |
| Tare weight (empty), range 3,800–4,060 kg | 3,880 kg |
| Payload (typical) | 26,600 kg |
| Maximum gross weight | 30,480 or 32,500 kg, depending on the box |
Typical values (median of 5 data sheets published by CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and ZIM, 20 October 2026); feet and inches rounded to the nearest half inch. The markings on the doors give the tare and maximum gross weight of each box, the maximum gross also being on its CSC plate: a box rated higher carries more, its maximum gross weight minus its tare. Every size in feet, cm and mm: open top container dimensions.
Weight and delivery
Empty, the open top weighs about 3,880 kg, 180 kg more than a standard 40 ft box, so at the same rating it carries that much less. The data sheets we read give 26,600 kg; a box rated 32,500 kg gross carries more: the CSC plate and the markings on the doors give the figures of each box. It travels on the same trailer as any 40 ft box and comes off the same way (site preparation and unloading); if a crane will load your cargo, it can set the box down too, so choose “I can unload” under “Unloading on site” in your request. For a box coming from another city, the delivered price estimate gives an order of magnitude. GST is 18% (HSN 8609), as on any container: ask whether the quote includes it (GST on shipping containers).
Questions about the 40 ft open top
What does a 40 ft open top container cost in India?
The typical asking price is ₹3,50,000: half of the 12 sellers on IndiaMART and TradeIndia ask this or less, and the middle half ask ₹2,59,000 to ₹4,25,000 (20 October 2026). Listings run from ₹1,70,000 to ₹7,00,000: new and used boxes are listed together, so ask what each one covers (the bows, the tarpaulin, the state of the box) and compare quotes for the same box.
Should I buy a 40 ft open top or book one?
For a single shipment, book it: the shipping line supplies the open top with the freight and takes it back empty. Buy one if it will be loaded at your site again and again, kept for storage, or sent abroad as your own container (SOC). How it compares with a flat rack is in the open top container guide.
What is the height limit of a 40 ft open top?
Inside the walls, it can be up to 2,348 mm high with the tarpaulin on. Cargo that stands higher travels as out-of-gauge cargo, which shipping lines and transporters accept case by case: ask them before you load.