Mixed containers: why inflatable toys fill a box unusually well
How to plan a mixed load around carton dimensions and container volume, and why deflated PVC toys let you put many SKUs in one 40ft container without hitting the weight limit first.
Most first orders are not one item. They are a spread of SKUs, bought to test a market, and the question is always the same: how much of each can I put in one container without paying for air?
Start with volume, not weight
For PVC toys the practical constraint is almost always volume rather than weight. The goods ship deflated, so a carton of bath toys or hoppers is bulky relative to how much it weighs. In practice a container of inflatable toys tends to cube out before it weighs out, which means the number that matters is cubic metres per carton, not kilos.
The container figures worth knowing:
- A 40ft standard holds roughly 67.6 m3 of internal volume; a 40ft high cube roughly 76.0 m3.
- Usable space is lower than internal volume — plan on roughly 55 to 60 m3 for a 40ft standard and 65 to 70 m3 for a high cube, because pallets, carton shapes and door openings all cost you space.
The payload limit is set by the container and, just as importantly, by road weight rules in the destination country. For light PVC goods you will rarely be the one that catches you, but your forwarder confirms the figure for the lane.
The three numbers to ask for on every SKU
A mixed-load plan is arithmetic once you have these, and guesswork without them:
- Carton dimensions in centimetres, outer measure.
- Pieces per carton.
- Carton gross weight, so the total can be checked against the payload limit.
Multiply the carton dimensions to get cubic metres per carton, divide the usable container volume by it, and you have cartons per container. Split that across your SKUs and you have a draft loading plan. We can give you all three for every item in the catalogue.
Keep the mix at carton level, not inside the carton
The mix should normally happen between cartons, not inside them. One SKU per carton keeps the receiving end simple: carton markings and barcodes stay unambiguous, picking at your warehouse is faster, and a single carton can be checked against one packing list line. Mixed cartons inside a single box are possible if you genuinely need them, but they slow everything down downstream and are worth avoiding on a first order.
Two things that make arrival smoother
- A loading plan before booking. Agree the split in cartons per SKU before the container is ordered, not after production.
- Carton numbering and shipping marks. Sequential numbering such as 1/40, 2/40 through to 40/40 lets the receiving side reconcile the shipment against the packing list in minutes rather than hours. Ask for container loading photos too; they resolve most queries about carton condition before they become claims.
If you send us the SKU list and the quantities you are considering, we will come back with the carton arithmetic and a suggested split. Start an enquiry.