Sourcing & compliance · Container loading
How many boneless sofas fit in a 20GP or 40HQ container?
Carton CBM decides how many compressed sofas fit in a container — but the loading plan decides how much of that you actually get. Here is how to size a first order and how to read a supplier's loading plan.
Published 2026-09-22 · 4 min read
Divide container CBM by carton CBM and you get a theoretical maximum. That number is useful for a first estimate and misleading for a purchase order. What you actually buy is decided by the loading plan, which is a carton-level packing arrangement — and it is the one document worth insisting on before you pay a deposit.
What are the reference volumes for a 20GP and a 40HQ?
Use these as planning figures, then confirm against the container your forwarder actually books:
| Container | Usable volume (planning) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20GP | 28 CBM | Single door width limits how you rotate large cartons |
| 40GP | 58 CBM | Rarely worth booking over a 40HQ for furniture |
| 40HQ | 68 CBM | The default choice for furniture; extra height absorbs oversize cartons |
| 45HQ | 76 CBM | Not accepted in every trade lane — check your port pair first |
Everything on this site is calculated on those usable figures, not on the nominal container capacity of 33.2 / 67.7 / 76.4 CBM. A loading figure built on nominal capacity looks better on a quotation and fails at the loading dock.
How do I calculate the carton count for a mixed order?
Multiply, then check the plan.
- For each model, take carton CBM from the specification sheet.
- Multiply by the quantity you want of that model → model CBM.
- Sum all models → total order CBM.
- Compare the total against the container's usable volume.
Worked example for a first order that tests three seat sizes:
| Model | Carton CBM | Qty | Model CBM |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUR-1001 3-seater | 0.272 | 80 | 21.76 |
| AUR-1002 2-seater | 0.249 | 60 | 14.94 |
| AUR-1003 armchair | 0.180 | 120 | 21.60 |
| Total | 260 pcs | 58.30 CBM |
58.30 CBM is a 40GP filled to its planning volume, or a 40HQ with room left for a fourth model. That is the more useful way to read the number: the same order is a tight fit in one container and a comfortable one in the next size up, and the freight quote for each tells you which is cheaper per unit rather than per container.
Why is a carton-level loading plan worth insisting on?
Because mixed orders lose space, and the loss is invisible until you open the doors.
When carton sizes differ — a 0.686 CBM sectional carton next to 0.064 CBM pouf cartons — the last metre of the container fills with gaps. A supplier who simply sums CBM will quote you a full container and load a partial one, and the difference comes out of your margin, not theirs.
A proper loading plan shows:
- Every carton placed, with count per stack
- Total CBM achieved and the void space left over
- Which cartons go in the door and which go deep (order of unloading matters if you have multiple destination warehouses)
- Total gross weight, checked against the road weight limit at the destination
Ask for it before the deposit, not after production. If it arrives as a spreadsheet with carton-level rows, the supplier is planning. If it arrives as a single number, they are guessing.
What is the sensible size for a first order?
Small enough to test the product, large enough to make the freight per unit sensible.
For a new importer, a first order usually looks like three or four models across one container, weighted toward the model you expect to sell most. That does two things: it puts real stock in front of customers, and it generates your own cost data — actual freight per unit, actual damage rate, actual sell-through — which is a better basis for the second order than anything a supplier tells you.
Mixed-SKU loading is accepted on our orders, with MOQ applied per model rather than per order. For the reference models that means 30 pcs on a three-seater, 50 pcs on an armchair, 100 pcs on a pouf or lounger.
How much does compression actually matter inside the container?
It changes the unit economics, not just the packing.
Take the 40HQ as the comparison. At shipped volume a 40HQ takes 240 pcs of AUR-1001. The same sofa, had it shipped assembled at its expanded 1.463 CBM, would have allowed roughly 44 pcs in the same container.
Four times the stock, one container, the same freight invoice. The rest of the difference — warehousing, last-mile, returns — follows from the same construction choice.