Guide · 5 min read

Loading wooden train sets into a container

How to plan a mixed container of train sets, track packs, tables and accessories: carton maths, load order and the data to collect before production.

Wooden trains are a mixed-carton product: sets are boxed, track is bulky, tables are flat-packed and accessories are small. A loading plan built from the carton list is the difference between a full container and a container with a gap.

Start from the carton list, not the product list

For every model collect: carton quantity (pcs per carton), carton dimensions, gross weight and carton count for the order quantity. Then build the loading plan by carton, not by unit. A model with 20 pcs per carton and a 300 pcs order contributes 15 cartons, whatever its unit price.

The two constraints

Volume decides whether the order fits. Weight decides whether the container is legal and whether the floor load is safe. For tables and large sets, volume fills first; for dense small items, weight fills first. A mixed container normally wants a balance, and the supplier should state which constraint binds.

Load order

Tables and flat-packs first: they are the largest, heaviest and hardest to handle.
Large set cartons next, stacked to the container height.
Track and accessory cartons fill the top and the door end.
Leave the door area for the last cartons loaded and the first unloaded.

What to agree before production

Carton dimensions and gross weight per model, confirmed.
Cartons per pallet, and whether the container is palletised or floor-loaded.
Loading photos before the doors close.
Container type and internal dimensions, because a 40HQ and a 20GP produce different plans.

Common mistakes

Quoting from carton data of a different model in the same range.
Forgetting the display carton or the pallet footprint.
Treating a table like a normal carton: its packed size is the whole freight decision.
Not leaving the door end for small cartons, which then have to be removed to close the doors.

The loading plan is part of the quotation: if the supplier cannot produce one, the container is being planned for the first time at the port.