Nine hundred units per pallet is a comfortable figure for a charger carton, and the distance between nine hundred and seven hundred and fifty is a fifth of the freight on the same order. That figure is set by the carton dimensions, the pallet footprint and the container door, and all three are fixed before the packaging is printed.
Charger container loading: the numbers that decide it
Three numbers, and each is set at a different stage.
The carton dimensions are set at the packaging stage, the pallet pattern at the packing stage and the container at the shipping stage. By the time the container is chosen, the first two are already fixed, which is why utilisation is a packaging decision rather than a logistics one.
The figure that matters most: units per pallet
Everything downstream follows from it.
Units per pallet multiplied by pallets per container gives the load, and the freight per unit is the container cost divided by that load. A change of one carton layer alters the whole chain, and the change is free at the design stage and expensive afterwards.
Symptom: the container is full before the order is
The order fits the production plan and not the container.
A quantity that sits between two pallet counts leaves a part-filled container and a freight rate that is charged for the space rather than for the goods. The symptom appears at the booking, when the pallet count is converted into a load, rather than at the quotation.
Cause one: carton dimensions chosen before the pallet
The carton is designed around the product and the pallet is forgotten.
A carton sized to the unit alone can leave a strip of unused pallet along one edge, and that strip repeats on every layer. Sizing the carton to divide the pallet footprint exactly usually costs nothing in materials and recovers the lost space across the whole load.
Cause two: pallet height against the door opening
The door is shorter than the internal height.
A pallet built to the internal height of the container cannot be loaded through the door on a pallet truck, and the load has to be rebuilt or handled another way. The stacking height is therefore set from the door opening with a margin for the pallet base.
Cause three: mixed cartons in one load
Variety reduces the load, and the effect is larger than it looks.
Several models in one container rarely stack in a clean pattern, so the layers do not interlock and the usable height falls. Where a mixed load is unavoidable, fixing the carton footprint across the range keeps the pattern uniform even when the carton heights differ.
| Symptom | Cause | Cost | Fix at the design stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-filled container | Quantity between pallet counts | Freight on unused space | Quote in pallet multiples |
| Unused strip on each layer | Carton does not divide the pallet | Load reduced across all layers | Size the carton to the pallet |
| Pallets cannot be trucked in | Height measured inside, not at the door | Rebuild or rehandle | Set height from the door |
| Uniform pattern lost | Mixed cartons in one load | Lower stack height | Common footprint across models |
What to fix in the packing specification
Five lines, and they are the same five a reorder needs.
The carton dimensions, the gross weight, the units per carton, the carton per pallet and the pallet height with its pattern. Those five let a warehouse build the load without a drawing, and they let a quotation be built on a real container rather than on an assumption.
How to check the loading before the goods ship
Three checks, and the second is done with a tape measure.
Confirm the units per pallet against the packing specification; measure a built pallet rather than a drawing; and photograph the first loaded pallet for the file. The photograph settles most of the questions that arrive with the second shipment.
How the packing specification is written
The packing specification is the document the warehouse builds the load from, and it carries five lines: the carton dimensions, the gross weight, the units per carton, the cartons per pallet and the pallet height with its pattern.
Those five let a quotation be built on a real container rather than on an assumption, and they let a second warehouse reproduce the same load without asking the factory for a drawing.
The height is stated with the door opening in mind rather than the internal dimension, and the pattern is stated as a diagram rather than a description, because those are the points at which the load is most often built differently from the plan.
Where a platform is used for several products, the specification also records which carton sizes share a footprint, which is what keeps a mixed load stackable.
FAQ
Does a smaller carton always improve the load?
Not always. A carton that divides the pallet footprint well beats a carton that is merely small, because the unused strip on each layer costs more than a few millimetres of internal space. Compare the carton against the pallet footprint before comparing sizes, because the strip of unused pallet on each layer costs more than a few millimetres of internal space.
Should the order quantity be quoted in pallets?
Quoting a pallet multiple makes the freight visible before the booking. The unit price is unaffected, and the buyer sees what the container will actually hold. The quote also shows the pallet count, which is the number the booking is built from, and it makes a part-filled container visible before the freight is booked. Quote in pallets as well as units, so the two numbers are visible together.
Can the pallet height be increased to fit more units?
Only within the door opening and the handling equipment at both ends. A pallet taller than the door cannot be loaded with a truck, and one that is hard to handle at the destination usually costs more than the space it saves. Check the door opening and the handling equipment at both ends before raising the height, because a pallet that cannot be trucked in costs more than the space it saves.
Is a mixed load worth it?
It may be, where several models ship together. Keeping one carton footprint across the range preserves the stacking pattern and limits what the variety costs. Keeping one carton footprint across the range preserves the stacking pattern, and the specification records which sizes share it. The specification records which sizes share it, so a later mixed order is built without changing the cartons.
Next step
Send the carton drawing, the pallet pattern and the order quantity to Wecent Group through the contact page. The reply returns the units per pallet and the container that fits the order. Related reading: our charger factory, charger manufacturing services and wholesale chargers. External references: International Maritime Organization, FIATA freight forwarder standards, ICC Incoterms rules, European Commission taxation and customs, BSI standards and ITC Trade Map.
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Does a smaller carton always improve the load?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Not always. A carton that divides the pallet footprint well beats a carton that is merely small, because the unused strip on each layer costs more than a few millimetres of internal space.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Should the order quantity be quoted in pallets?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Quoting a pallet multiple makes the freight visible before the booking. The unit price is unaffected, and the buyer sees what the container will actually hold.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Can the pallet height be increased to fit more units?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Only within the door opening and the handling equipment at both ends. A pallet taller than the door cannot be loaded with a truck, and one that is hard to handle at the destination usually costs more than the space it saves.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Is a mixed load worth it?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”It may be, where several models ship together. Keeping one carton footprint across the range preserves the stacking pattern and limits what the variety costs.”}}]}