Pencil cases are light and bulky. Freight is priced on the space they take, not the weight they add, so the carton data is the most important number in the quote.
The four numbers behind a freight quote
- Pieces per carton
- Carton dimensions in centimetres
- CBM — cubic metres per carton
- Gross weight per carton
Ask for all four, per style. Anything less and the forwarder is estimating.
CBM is simple arithmetic
Multiply length, width and height in centimetres, then divide by 1,000,000. A 60 × 45 × 45 cm carton is 0.1215 m³. Twenty such cartons take 2.43 m³ — before any pallet or loading gap.
Filling a container
A 20′ GP holds about 28 m³ of usable space and a 40′ HQ about 68 m³. Divide the usable volume by the carton CBM and round down; the result is cartons, not pieces. Mixed styles can share a container, which is how a first order in several colours still ships as one lot.
Retail box packing reduces the quantity per carton by roughly 15% against polybag packing.
Pallets change the maths
Palletising protects cartons and speeds unloading, but the pallet footprint and height reduce usable volume. If your warehouse requires pallets, quote palletised and floor-loaded side by side and compare total landed cost, not the unit freight rate.
Where our figures come from
Each style is calculated from the packed carton, not the flat product. Empty fabric cases compress, so the carton quantity is higher than the product volume suggests. Final figures are confirmed on the proforma invoice, and a verification sheet is available for the factory to sign off before loading.
How to sanity-check a quote
LCL freight is charged on W/M — one cubic metre or one tonne, whichever is greater. Pencil cases are volume-driven: a carton at 0.1215 m³ and 11 kg is billed on space, every time. If a quote is much lower than the others, check the carton dimensions it was based on.
Checklist before you book
- Carton dimensions and gross weight per style
- Pieces per carton, after retail packing is confirmed
- Pallet requirement at destination
- Inspection date, booked at least three working days ahead