What Actually Fits in a 20ft Storage Container? A Real Brisbane Guide

Last updated: April 2026. Storage Land, 675 Beaufighter Ave, Archerfield QLD 4108. ABN 47 671 581 534.

The short answer

A 20ft shipping container holds roughly the contents of a 3-bedroom house. Inside you are working with about 33 cubic metres of sealed, weatherproof space - around 6.05m long, 2.43m wide, and 2.59m high.

That is bigger than most people picture. And at $299/mo for a 20ft container on our Archerfield yard, it usually works out 30-40% cheaper than renting an equivalent volume of traditional self-storage units.

See current 20ft container availability →

Real-world examples of what people actually store

Here is what we see tenants using a single 20ft container for on a typical week at Storage Land:

A full 3-bedroom house move

Mattresses, bedframes, wardrobes, couches, dining setting, TV units, kitchen boxes, garage gear, bikes, and usually a washing machine and fridge with room to spare.

A tradie’s mobile work kit

Tools, a trailer-worth of timber offcuts, a small ride-on mower, shelving, and 20-30 labelled bins for consumables. Most sparkies, plumbers, and chippies we host fit their whole mobile workshop in one 20ft with room for seasonal stock.

An online seller’s inventory

A pallet jack-worth of stock is easy. Shopify and eBay sellers here store 100-300 boxes of product on racking, plus packing benches and shipping supplies. Note: we have timber-block elevation under every container so the floor stays dry.

Half a house plus a motorbike

People moving in with a partner often split their gear. A bike, tool chest, home office, and the “maybe” furniture all fit comfortably alongside boxes of kitchenware.

A full family’s caravan lifestyle reset

Whole house contents while a family lives on the road. 12 months later, same condition, same monthly rate, no lock-in.

The dimensions, in plain terms

The usable internal space of a standard 20ft container is:

• 5.9m long (about 19'4")
• 2.35m wide (about 7'8")
• 2.39m high (about 7'10")

That is a floor area of roughly 14 square metres - comparable to a small bedroom - but the full height gives you real stacking room. Most tenants use about 60% of the floor and stack boxes to 2m high.

What does NOT fit

Straight talk: a 20ft container is not going to swallow a 4-bedroom house with a double garage. It is also too tight for anything over 2.3m wide at the door - a typical caravan, for example, needs a different solution.

If you are moving a big family home, you are looking at either two 20ft containers side by side, or a 40ft unit. We also accept BYO 10ft and 20ft if you already own one - see BYO container storage.

How packing changes the answer

A well-packed container fits about twice as much as a chaotic one. Our tips:

• Use square boxes of the same size - stacks straighter, wastes less vertical space.
• Load furniture first against the walls, then stack boxes in front.
• Lay mattresses upright along a wall, not flat on top of everything.
• Dismantle bedframes and tables - you will gain 30-50% more floor space.
• Put the things you will want first nearest the door.

Deeper playbook: How to pack a storage unit properly →

Why a container beats a self-storage unit at this size

Most traditional Brisbane self-storage 3x3 or 3x4.5 units run $350-$450/mo, and you will often need two of them to match a 20ft container. Our 20ft container is $299/mo, all in, no lock-in contract, 30 days notice to vacate.

You also get:

• 24/7 drive-up access to your container door - no trolleys down hallways
• Sealed bitumen yard with full CCTV coverage
• Timber-block elevation so nothing sits on concrete that can sweat
• No lock-in contract, month to month

For the full price breakdown see our pricing page or read cheap storage Brisbane.

Helpful storage guides

• How much does storage cost in Brisbane?
• How to pack a storage unit so everything fits
• What you can and cannot store
• How to prevent mould in storage