Loading a container looks like a job for the warehouse and it is really a job for the person planning the order. The decisions that determine how much fits, and whether it arrives in good condition, are made weeks earlier when carton sizes and packing methods are agreed.
Here is the whole subject explained simply, for anyone shipping furniture for the first time.
What a container actually holds
Three sizes cover most shipments. A 20 foot container offers roughly 33 cubic metres. A 40 foot standard offers roughly 67. A 40 foot high cube, the same footprint with extra height, offers roughly 76.
Nobody achieves the full figure, because rectangular boxes never fill a space perfectly. Plan on using about 85 to 90 percent of the stated volume. Anything above that is a good result.
There is also a weight limit, generally in the region of 21 to 26 tonnes. Furniture almost never reaches it. Tiles, stone and metal reach it easily, and for those goods weight decides the container rather than volume.
The two numbers that decide everything
Ask every supplier for the carton dimensions and the loading quantity. From those you can calculate the volume of your whole order and the cost of freight per item.
Ask early, because carton sizes can sometimes be adjusted. A carton a few centimetres narrower may allow an extra row per layer, which across a full container can mean a meaningful number of additional items at no extra freight cost.
Why knock down packing matters so much
Sea freight is charged largely by volume, and an assembled chair or table is mostly air. Packed flat, the same items take a fraction of the space.
For dining tables, bed frames, shelving and many chairs, shipping knocked down is the single biggest cost saving available. The trade off is assembly at the other end, so ask for numbered parts, a hardware bag attached to the largest panel and a clear instruction sheet.
How a container should be packed
A few principles cover it. Heavy goods go on the floor and light goods on top. Weight is spread evenly rather than concentrated at one end, since an unbalanced container is harder to handle and can be refused.
Gaps are filled with airbags or void fill so nothing can move, because a load that shifts once will keep shifting for the rest of the voyage. Cartons are stacked in interlocking layers rather than columns, which spreads the load and stops crushing.
Nothing should press against the doors, since anything leaning on them will fall out when they are opened.
Protecting goods from moisture
A container crossing the ocean goes through warm days and cool nights, and moisture in the air condenses on cool surfaces. This is what people mean by container rain.
Two simple measures handle it. Desiccant bags hung inside absorb moisture from the air. A sealed polythene bag around each item keeps damp away from timber and fabric. For a full container of upholstered goods, use both.
Loading in the order you will unload
This costs nothing and saves real time. If you are shipping for several room types, several floors or several destinations, ask for the load to be arranged so the first things you need come out first.
For hotel projects, loading by room type saves whole days, because the installation team can work floor by floor without opening every carton to find matching items.
Photographs at three stages
Ask for the container photographed empty with the doors open, half loaded, and fully loaded just before closing. The empty shot records the container condition. The half loaded shot shows weight distribution and gap filling. The final shot records exactly what went in.
Many factories will add a short video walk through, which takes two minutes and is worth having.
Labelling that makes receiving easy
Every carton should carry the order number, item code, carton number such as 12 of 40, dimensions and gross weight, plus handling symbols where they apply. Print labels on two adjacent faces so a carton can be read whichever way it is stacked.
Good labelling turns a delivery from a puzzle into a tick list and makes any question simple to document.
A short checklist before the doors close
Carton sizes confirmed and volume calculated. Packing specification agreed and followed. Desiccant in place if required. Load balanced and gaps filled. Loading sequence matched to your unloading plan. Labels correct and visible. Photographs taken at three stages. Document set drafted and checked.
Work through that and container loading becomes a routine step rather than a source of worry. If you would like help planning a load out of Foshan, our team does this every week.