Used
Used 20 feet reefer container
6.06 × 2.44 × 2.59 m outside · 28.2 m³ inside · about 2,920 kg empty
The used 20 ft reefer is a refrigerated container: a 20 ft ISO box (22R1) with insulated walls and a refrigeration unit built into its front end. Inside it measures 5,456 × 2,290 × 2,180 mm (28.2 m³) and holds any set point in its unit's range, down to −25, −30 or −40 °C and up to +25 or +30 °C depending on the unit. It runs where it stands on a three-phase supply, or a generator set. Partner sellers who cover your PIN code quote it delivered.
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Asking prices differ widely: for a used 20 feet shipping container, half of the 116 sellers we read on 20 October 2026 ask between ₹1,04,000 and ₹1,40,000, ₹36,000 apart. Several quotes show you where the low end is.
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What a 20 ft reefer container is used for
A 20 ft reefer is a cold room that comes on a truck, for fruit and vegetables after harvest, milk products and ice cream, meat and fish, flowers or medicines, wherever no cold store is near. Its floor takes 10 Euro pallets in one layer, or 9 pallets of 1,200 × 1,000 mm, and the box fits sites that a 40 ft trailer cannot reach.
- For a small cold store, or a tight site, this is the box.
- For more volume, the 40 ft high cube reefer holds 67.5 m³, more than twice as much, with the same kind of unit, and it is priced from ₹5,50,000 (8 sellers). Because the unit is most of the price, the 20 ft reefer is not the cheaper box its size suggests: compare the two before you choose.
- For a season or an event, a reefer on rent.
- For goods that only need to stay dry, a used 20 ft box, from ₹1,04,000.
- For a box with a new unit, the new 20 ft reefer is listed far higher, by very few sellers: ₹18,50,000 (1 seller).
Few sellers list a used 20 ft reefer: 4 sellers on IndiaMART asked ₹3,30,000 to ₹9,50,000 in 6 listings (20 October 2026). That spread belongs to the units, to their age, their make and whether they have been overhauled, more than to the boxes.
Used 20 ft reefer container for sale: run the unit first
A reefer can look sound while its unit is tired. Before paying, ask the seller to:
- send photos of the unit’s plate (make, model, year of manufacture, refrigerant) and of the CSC plate;
- share the latest pre-trip inspection (PTI) report, with its date and the time the unit took to pull down;
- connect the box to its power supply, set the temperature you need and show you the display until the box reaches it, noting how long that took, on a visit or a video call;
- show the controller’s alarm list, and its temperature log if you will store medicines;
- say whether the unit carries a warranty, and who services that make in your district.
While the unit runs, look along the outer walls and the door edges: frost, wet patches or cold spots mean failed insulation or a door seal that leaks. Pay the balance once the unit has run on your site. The floor, the drains and the papers are checked as on any reefer: see checks before you buy a second hand reefer container, and how to inspect a used container for the steel box.
20 ft refrigerated container dimensions and weight
| Measure | Size |
|---|---|
| ISO size-type code | 22R1 |
| External size (L × W × H) | 6,058 × 2,438 × 2,591 mm19′ 10½″ × 8′ × 8′ 6″ |
| Internal size (L × W × H) | 5,456 × 2,290 × 2,180 mm17′ 11″ × 7′ 6″ × 7′ 2″ |
| Door opening (W × H) | 2,290 × 2,252 mm7′ 6″ × 7′ 4½″ |
| Floor area inside | 12.5 m²134 sq ft |
| Inside volume | 28.2 m³996 cu ft |
| Tare weight (empty), range 2,480–3,080 kg | 2,920 kg |
| Payload (typical) | 27,520 kg |
| Maximum gross weight | 30,480 or 32,000 kg, depending on the box |
| Temperature range | −25 to +25 °C or −30 to +30 °C or −40 to +30 °C |
Typical values (median of 8 data sheets published by CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC, 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. On the shipping lines' reefer data sheets the inside height is lower than the door opening, and the volume a little more than length × width × height: these are their figures, as published. How a reefer works, its temperatures and its power: reefer container.
Power, delivery and GST for a 20 ft reefer
Empty, a 20 ft reefer weighs about 2,920 kg (2,480 to 3,080 kg on the data sheets), some 690 kg more than a dry 20 ft box, for its unit and its insulation. It comes off the trailer by side-lifter or crane: say which in your request, and have it set level, with the unit end towards your power point and space left in front of the unit for its air. Container units usually take 380–460 V three-phase; ask the seller for the unit’s voltage, its power use in kW and its plug, and have an electrician check your supply before the delivery.
For a box coming from another city, the delivered price estimate gives an order of magnitude. GST is 18%, under HSN 8609 (tariff item 8609 00 10 for refrigerated containers): ask whether the quote includes it, and see GST on shipping containers.
Questions about the 20 ft reefer container
What are the internal dimensions of a 20 ft reefer container?
5,456 mm long, 2,290 mm wide and 2,180 mm high (17′ 11″ × 7′ 6″ × 7′ 2″), on the 8 data sheets we read; the door opening is 2,290 × 2,252 mm. Keep the load below the line marked near the roof and clear of the unit’s wall, so that the cold air can flow back to the unit.
What is the capacity of a 20 ft reefer container?
28.2 m³ by the shipping lines’ figures, 10 Euro pallets on the floor, and typically 27,520 kg of cargo; the markings on its doors give the exact tare and maximum gross of each box.
What is the price of a used 20 ft reefer container in India?
From ₹6,50,000 in our survey of 20 October 2026: at least half of the prices we found, the lowest of each of the 4 sellers on IndiaMART and 5 listings with an exact price, are at or below it. That is too few for a firm price: ask each seller for the unit’s year and its PTI report before you compare two quotes. Sellers in other cities quote the same way: your PIN code decides who replies.
How cold can a 20 ft reefer get?
The data sheets give down to −25, −30 or −40 °C and up to +25 or +30 °C, depending on the unit. A used unit may no longer reach its lowest point: ask the seller to show it holding your temperature, and load goods that are already at it.