20 FT Refrigerated Containers

A 20ft refrigerated container, available either as a working mechanical reefer or as a non-operational refrigerated unit. The distinction decides most enquiries we take. If your goods have to be brought down to a temperature and held there, you need the working machine and the power supply that goes with it. If they arrive already cooled, or simply need protecting from daily temperature swings, a decommissioned NOR shell gives you the same 28.3 cubic metres of heavy insulation with nothing to power and nothing to service.

20ft specification

• External: 6.06 × 2.44 × 2.90 m (20 ft × 8 ft × 9 ft 6 in)
• Internal: 5.43 × 2.28 × 2.26 m (17 ft 10 in × 7 ft 6 in × 7 ft 5 in)
• Door opening: 2.34 m wide × 2.58 m high (7 ft 8 in × 8 ft 6 in)
• Inside cubic capacity: 28.3 m³
• Tare: 3,290 kg · max gross: 22,111 kg

The 40ft equivalent runs 12.19 metres externally for 57.8 m³, with a 4,360 kg tare and a 26,120 kg maximum gross. Both share the external footprint of a general purpose container; the usable space inside is smaller because the machinery pack and the ventilation take a share of the length.

Working reefer or non-operational

• Mechanically refrigerated. Variable temperature control across +25 to -25 °C. Needs a power source, on site or on the vehicle carrying it. Three-phase is the norm, and we also hold single-phase units where three-phase is not available.
• Non-operational (NOR). Decommissioned reefers, usually with the machinery removed, sold as insulated containers. They hold a steady ambient rather than creating cold, and cost considerably less.

Which goods need which

Meat, cheese, dairy and seafood need the mandated cold chain and therefore the working machine. Fruit, flowers and many vegetables often need nothing more than a steady temperature and no direct sun, which a NOR unit delivers on its own. What decides it in practice is the journey: how far the goods are travelling, how long they will sit, and what temperature they start at. Tell us the product and the hold time and we will say plainly which of the two you actually need.

Portable refrigeration, not just shipping

A reefer is not limited to freight. A working 20ft makes a mobile cool-room on a worksite, mine site, construction project, film set, festival pitch or catering operation — anywhere refrigeration is needed for a season rather than built into a building. We can fit shelving, lighting, butcher doors and lock boxes before it goes out; tell us how you intend to work in it and we will quote the fit-out with the container.

Delivery, power and cover

Delivery is free across the UK mainland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, and the price shown is the total payable with no VAT added at checkout. A 20ft on a tilt-bed needs roughly twice the container’s length as a clear approach and a level, load-bearing standing at the end of it; a crane or HIAB offload, where the position requires one, is agreed in writing before delivery. The practical difference between the two versions shows up here: a NOR unit is delivered and used, while a working reefer needs its supply commissioned and terminated for a reefer plug before it can hold anything. Before delivery, working units are pre-tripped and inspected, so the machinery has been run and its operation verified. New units carry 12 months against structural defects and water ingress. You also have 14 days to change your mind under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and a separate 30-day right to reject faulty goods under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Compare specific units

Browse everything temperature-controlled in the refrigerated container category, or weigh up the individual 20ft units. Cost-led buyers take the used 20ft reefer containers; a late-model machine means the 2021 Thermo King 20ft reefer; and single-phase sites are covered by the 20ft mobile cold storage freezer and cooler. Sizing and site preparation are covered in our container buyers guide.