How many used engines fit in a container?
130 used engines fit in a 40-ft container and 90 in a 20-ft — or 65 + 65 and 45 + 45 when gearboxes share the box. Those are ENGICOR's commercial configurations for bare engines of 87 to 166 kg; exporters who ship engines with the gearbox attached quote 100 to 110 and 70 to 80. Here is where the numbers sit against container payload and cube, what each model weighs, and a video of a load going in.
Wholesale onlyRegular orders are one full container — 90 engines in a 20-ft or 130 in a 40-ft, or with gearboxes 45 + 45 / 65 + 65. New customers can make their first purchase from 10 engines (10, 20, 30 or 40), with gearboxes and consolidated shipping, at list price, with no first-order surcharge (LCL freight quoted separately): first-order offer. A second order can start from 45 engines, also at list price. We do not sell single units.
More modelsBeyond the models on this page we hold many more — 488 engine and gearbox families in our warehouse list, always subject to inventory changes. Tell us how many units you need so we can give you the best price: full stock list.
The short answer: four configurations
We ship 90 engines in a 20-ft and 130 in a 40-ft. If you want gearboxes in the same box, the mixed configurations are 45 engines + 45 gearboxes and 65 engines + 65 gearboxes — in a mixed load 90 and 130 are the total units, never engines plus extra gearboxes. The count is the same whatever mix of models you order, so your arithmetic does not change between quotations.
These are our commercial configurations, not the physical limit of a container. The weight, dimensions and distribution of each load are checked when it is prepared. What follows is the container arithmetic behind the question, because a figure without its arithmetic is worth very little when you are planning a shipment.
| Container | Engines only | Engines + gearboxes |
|---|---|---|
| 20-ft | 90 engines | 45 engines + 45 gearboxes |
| 40-ft | 130 engines | 65 engines + 65 gearboxes |
The two limits of any container load
Every container load runs into one of two ceilings: it fills up, or it gets too heavy. Which one you hit first depends on what you load, and for used engines the answer is different in the two box sizes.
A standard 20-ft dry container has about 33 cubic metres of internal space, a tare of roughly 2,230 kg and a maximum gross of 30,480 kg, which leaves about 28,250 kg of payload. A standard 40-ft has about 67 cubic metres — double the space — a tare of roughly 3,750 kg, and the same 30,480 kg maximum gross, which leaves about 26,730 kg of payload.
Read those two sentences again, because the consequence is the thing most first-time importers get wrong: a 40-ft container gives you twice the cube but roughly fifteen hundred kilos LESS payload than a 20-ft. The box got bigger; the weight limit did not. Check the CSC plate on the door of the actual unit — some 20-ft containers are plated at 24,000 kg gross rather than 30,480 kg, which drops their payload to around 21,700 kg.
| 20-ft standard | 40-ft standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal space | about 33 m³ | about 67 m³ |
| Tare (empty weight) | about 2,230 kg | about 3,750 kg |
| Maximum gross weight | 30,480 kg | 30,480 kg |
| Payload | about 28,250 kg | about 26,730 kg |
| ENGICOR engines-only configuration | 90 engines | 130 engines |
| ENGICOR mixed configuration | 45 engines + 45 gearboxes | 65 engines + 65 gearboxes |
What a used engine actually weighs
An engine without its gearbox, in the petrol models that move in this trade, runs from about 87 kg to about 166 kg. From our own published specification sheets: a Toyota 1NZ-FE is approximately 87 kg, a 2AZ-FE approximately 121 to 127 kg, a Hyundai G4KD approximately 134 kg, a Nissan VQ35DE approximately 155 kg dressed, and a Toyota 1GR-FE approximately 166 kg. Light commercial diesels sit at the upper end of that range and above.
Put those against the payload. 130 units of the heaviest of these models, the 1GR-FE, come to about 21,580 kg of engines; 130 of the lightest, the 1NZ-FE, to about 11,310 kg. Both are inside a standard 40-ft's payload before pallets and dunnage — which is why, for an engines-only load, the practical question is how the units are stacked, blocked and braced, and why every load's weight and distribution are checked when it is prepared rather than assumed from a table. Gearboxes in a mixed load change the weight profile again, and are part of that same check.
| Engine model | Approximate weight |
|---|---|
| Toyota 1NZ-FE | about 87 kg |
| Toyota 2AZ-FE | about 121 to 127 kg |
| Hyundai G4KD | about 134 kg |
| Nissan VQ35DE | about 155 kg dressed |
| Toyota 1GR-FE | about 166 kg |
| Engine with gearbox and ancillaries attached | about 240 to 260 kg |
Why other exporters quote 100 to 110
Search this question and you will find Japanese exporters answering 100 to 110 engines in a 40-ft, and 70 to 80 in a 20-ft. Those figures are not wrong. They are answers to a different question, because the Japanese half-cut trade ships the engine with its transmission and ancillaries still attached — one large exporter states plainly that all their engines come with the transmission, compressor, alternator and ECU in place.
That changes the unit. An engine-and-gearbox assembly with ancillaries runs to roughly 240 to 260 kg. At that weight the payload really does bind: 110 units at 250 kg is 27,500 kg, past the limit of a standard 40-ft.
So when you compare quotations, compare units and not just counts: a container of engine-and-gearbox assemblies and a container of engines are different products, and the per-unit price should reflect that. If you need transmissions, our mixed configurations bring them in as separate units at their own published prices — 45 + 45 in a 20-ft, 65 + 65 in a 40-ft. Used gearboxes are sold untested and as-is (in their current condition).
What loading day looks like
This is the yard on loading day at the Guangzhou warehouse we work from: engines moved by forklift up the ramp, pallets wrapped and numbered to match the photo file, gearbox pallets staged for a mixed load. The full set of short videos is on the videos page.
Work it out for your own mix
Two tools on this site do the arithmetic for you. The container quoter builds a 90- or 130-unit load model by model at the published per-unit prices and emails the FOB total. The landed cost calculator then takes that FOB figure and your own freight, insurance, duty, VAT and port charges, and returns what one engine costs you in your warehouse — per unit, for a 20-ft or a 40-ft. The container mix guide covers which models to put in the box so it sells through.
What this means for your order
The count is only half the arithmetic. Sea freight is charged per container and not per unit, so the freight bill spreads over 130 units in a 40-ft instead of 90 in a 20-ft — which is why the 40-ft lands at a lower freight cost per unit even when the per-unit price is identical.
The practical consequence for a first order is simple: a 20-ft is the cheaper mistake and the 40-ft is the better economics. Most importers test a market with a 20-ft, learn what their counter actually sells, and move to 40-ft loads once the mix is proven.
If you want the total for a specific mix rather than a rule of thumb, our container quoter builds the load model by model and emails the FOB figure; the quotation is valid for 14 days.
Price a container yourself
Build the mix you want in the online quoter — 90 engines in a 20-ft or 130 in a 40-ft, or 45 + 45 / 65 + 65 with gearboxes — and the FOB total reaches your inbox the same minute, at our published per-unit prices, every engine Grade A. Prefer to ask? Tell us the destination country and the models you need and we reply within one business day, usually within hours.
New customer? Your first order can start with 10, 20, 30 or 40 engines, with gearboxes and consolidated shipping available — first purchase only, at list price, with no first-order surcharge. See the first-order offer →
Frequently asked
How many used engines fit in a 40ft container?
ENGICOR ships 130 engines in a 40-ft, or 65 engines + 65 gearboxes in the mixed configuration. That is our commercial configuration, not the physical limit of the box: a standard 40-ft has roughly 67 cubic metres of space and about 26,730 kg of payload, and each load's weight, dimensions and distribution are checked when it is prepared. Exporters who ship engines with the transmission attached often quote 100 to 110.
How many used engines fit in a 20ft container?
ENGICOR ships 90 engines in a 20-ft, or 45 engines + 45 gearboxes in the mixed configuration. A 20-ft has roughly 33 cubic metres of internal space and about 28,250 kg of payload — more payload than a 40-ft, because the smaller box has the same 30,480 kg maximum gross weight and a lighter tare.
Does a 40ft container carry more weight than a 20ft?
No — a standard 40-ft container carries about 1,500 kg LESS cargo than a standard 20-ft. Both are rated to the same 30,480 kg maximum gross weight, but the 40-ft weighs about 3,750 kg empty against roughly 2,230 kg for a 20-ft, so its payload is about 26,730 kg against about 28,250 kg.
How much does a used engine weigh?
An engine without its gearbox weighs between about 87 kg and 166 kg depending on the model: a Toyota 1NZ-FE is about 87 kg, a 2AZ-FE about 121 to 127 kg, a Nissan VQ35DE about 155 kg and a Toyota 1GR-FE about 166 kg. With the transmission and ancillaries still attached, the same unit runs to roughly 240 to 260 kg.
Why do some suppliers say only 100 engines fit in a 40ft?
Because they ship engines with the gearbox and ancillaries still attached, which roughly doubles the weight of each unit and makes payload the binding limit. Their count and ours describe different units.
Can I add gearboxes to a container of 90 or 130 engines?
No. Gearboxes only come in the mixed configurations, where 90 and 130 are the total: 45 + 45 in a 20-ft, 65 + 65 in a 40-ft. Other ratios are a commercial enquiry for our sales team.
Can I order fewer than a full container?
Our standard order is a full container, business to business, in the four configurations above; you choose the mix of models inside the container. First-time buyers can start with a trial order of 10 to 40 engines from the seventeen published models, shipped LCL (in a shared container), at our published list price per unit, with no first-order surcharge; LCL sea freight from Guangzhou is quoted separately.