A 40HQ has about 12.03 m of internal length, 2.35 m of width and 2.39 m of height — roughly 67.6 m³. Pipe is round, so how much of that volume you actually use depends on how the circles nest and on how much of the container you are willing to load above the door height.
The nesting maths
For a pipe of outside diameter d, the number across the width is floor(2.30 / d). The number of rows is floor(2.30 / (d × 0.866)), because each row sits in the valley of the one below — that 0.866 is the hexagonal packing factor, and it is why a bundle is narrower than the sum of its diameters.
Indicative capacity, 6 m sections stacked two deep along the length
| OD (mm) | Across width | Rows | Metres (12 m per line) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 20 | 24 | ≈ 5,760 |
| 160 | 14 | 16 | ≈ 2,688 |
| 200 | 11 | 13 | ≈ 1,716 |
| 250 | 9 | 10 | ≈ 1,080 |
| 315 | 7 | 8 | ≈ 672 |
| 400 | 5 | 6 | ≈ 360 |
| 500 | 4 | 5 | ≈ 240 |
| 630 | 3 | 4 | ≈ 144 |
These are geometric maxima at full width and height. A real plan is always lower — see the three reasons below. We issue the actual loading plan with every quotation rather than promising the table number.
Why the real number is lower
1. You cannot stack to the ceiling safely
Pipe bundles settle. A stack loaded to the roof will shift in transit and arrive with the top layer out of shape, so most loaders stop below the door height and use the remaining space for fittings cartons.
2. Fittings eat the last metres
A line needs elbows, tees and flanges, and those ship in cartons on pallets. It is usually better to load 90 % pipe and fill the balance with cartons than to maximise pipe and ship fittings in a second container.
3. Mixed diameters do not nest with each other
Small pipe nests into the gaps of large pipe only up to a point. A container of DN110 inside DN315 sounds efficient until you cannot unload it in the order the site needs.
Coils change the arithmetic
Coiled pipe to DN110 is often the cheaper option per metre shipped, because a coil uses the container volume more completely than straight lengths. Above about DN160 the coil becomes too stiff to handle without a proper decoiler, and straight lengths win.
What we need to build a plan
- Diameters and total metres per diameter
- Fittings list, if any
- Whether 6 m or 12 m is acceptable on site
- Destination port and whether a 20 ft is enough for a trial order
Send those four and the loading plan comes back with the quotation, not after it.