Case Sample: Container Selection (1)
An importer orders 1,500 cartons of product DX. The gross weight of each carton is 10.5 kilograms and its length-width-height is 1.5' x 1' x 1' (1.5 cu. ft. or 0.04248 CBM). The nature of product DX demands the stowage of cartons in upright position. The cargo gross weight of 15,750 kilograms suits a 20' or a 40' container. The total cube is 2,250 cu. ft. (63.713 CBM).
The capacity of a 20' container is about 1,170 cu. ft. (33.131 CBM) and a 40' is about 2,385 cu. ft. (67.535 CBM). It seems that all 1,500 cartons will fit into two 20' containers or one 40' standard container, but the figure is misleading. It is important to consider the excess, but unusable, space generated from the stowage of odd sized cartons.
Analysis on some possible methods of stowing product DX and the total number of cartons that will fit into a container, based on the internal dimension of the general purpose container and the Diagram: Package Orientation, is as follows:
Method of Stowing |
(A) |
Stowing the front (length) of all cartons parallel to the side (length/deep) of container. |
(B) |
Stowing the front (length) of all cartons parallel to the end (width/wide) of container. |
(C) |
Crosswise stowing---alternate each row in the wide (shown below) using the methods (A) and (B), that is, a row of CA alternate with a row of CB presented below. |
Container |
Method (A) |
Method (B) |
|
20' x 8.5'
Standard Container |
deep |
12 |
rows |
19 |
rows |
wide |
7 |
rows |
5 |
rows |
high |
7 |
layers |
7 |
layers |
Total: |
588 |
cartons |
665 |
cartons |
Cube: |
882 |
cu. ft. |
997.5 |
cu. ft. |
|
Container |
CA |
CB |
Method (C) (C) = CA + CB |
20' x 8.5'
Standard Container |
deep |
12 |
rows |
19 |
rows |
|
wide |
3 |
rows |
3 |
rows |
high |
7 |
layers |
7 |
layers |
Total: |
252 |
cartons |
399 |
cartons |
651 |
cartons |
Cube: |
|
976.5 |
cu. ft. |
|
Container |
Method (A) |
Method (B) |
|
40' x 8.5'
Standard Container |
deep |
26 |
rows |
39 |
rows |
wide |
7 |
rows |
5 |
rows |
high |
7 |
layers |
7 |
layers |
Total: |
1,274 |
cartons |
1,365 |
cartons |
Cube: |
1,911 |
cu. ft. |
2,047.5 |
cu. ft. |
|
Container |
CA |
CB |
Method (C) (C) = CA + CB |
40' x 8.5'
Standard Container |
deep |
26 |
rows |
39 |
rows |
|
wide |
3 |
rows |
3 |
rows |
high |
7 |
layers |
7 |
layers |
Total: |
546 |
cartons |
819 |
cartons |
1,365 |
cartons |
Cube: |
|
2,047.5 |
cu. ft. |
|
Container |
Method (A) |
Method (B) |
|
40' x 9.5'
High Cube Container |
deep |
26 |
rows |
39 |
rows |
wide |
7 |
rows |
5 |
rows |
high |
8 |
layers |
8 |
layers |
Total: |
1,456 |
cartons |
1,560 |
cartons |
Cube: |
2,184 |
cu. ft. |
2,340 |
cu. ft. |
|
Container |
CA |
CB |
Method (C) (C) = CA + CB |
40' x 9.5'
High Cube Container |
deep |
26 |
rows |
39 |
rows |
|
wide |
3 |
rows |
3 |
rows |
high |
8 |
layers |
8 |
layers |
Total: |
624 |
cartons |
936 |
cartons |
1,560 |
cartons |
Cube: |
|
2,340 |
cu. ft. |
|