A 20-foot container takes roughly 1,750-1,800 ten-kilogram cartons of coconut charcoal briquettes — about 17.5-18 metric tons net — when floor-loaded. Palletize and the count drops to roughly 1,600-1,700 cartons. Shisha-grade cartons reach the box’s weight ceiling and its 33 cubic metres of space almost simultaneously, which is why 18 MT is the practical maximum as of 2026.
Those numbers are not one supplier’s habit. Indonesia moves the dominant global origin for coconut-shell charcoal, so the load pattern below is the category default from Tanjung Priok to Jebel Ali. Here is the arithmetic behind it, scenario by scenario, so you can sanity-check any load plan a supplier sends you.
What Does the Load Math Look Like Inside a 20-Foot Container?
Start with the fixed constraints of a standard 20-foot dry container:
- Internal dimensions: about 5.90 m long, 2.35 m wide, 2.39 m high — roughly 33 cubic metres of nominal space. Hand-stacked floor loads typically use 90-95% of it; palletized loads use noticeably less.
- Structural weight limit: most 20-foot boxes are rated around 32,500 kg max gross with a tare of 2,200-2,400 kg, and carriers commonly rate payload near 28 metric tons.
- The real-world limit: destination road rules — particularly in the United States — often cap the practical payload below the container’s structural rating. Confirm the legal road weight with your forwarder before you fix a carton count.
Now the cargo side. A 10 kg shisha master carton (ten 1 kg inner boxes of cubes) stows at roughly 0.017-0.019 cubic metres depending on cube size and inner packing. Multiply by 1,800 cartons and you need 31-34 cubic metres — flush against everything a 20-foot box can give. That tight fit is why the standard MOQ across the trade, and on this site, is one 20-foot container at roughly 17.5-18 MT.
It is also why the money question is priced per metric ton, not per carton. As of 2026, premium shisha-grade briquettes (ash at or under 2.5%) run USD 1,250-1,500 per metric ton FOB Indonesian port, so a full 18 MT box carries USD 22,500-27,000 in product value before freight — subject to change, and only a written quotation binds. The full arithmetic for premium, standard and BBQ grades is broken down in our cost per container guide, which also hosts the interactive container load calculator if you want to test your own carton spec.
How Many Cartons Fit at Each Carton Weight?
Carton count is simply net tonnage divided by carton weight — provided your carton dimensions do not cube you out first. Here are the counts at the two tonnage marks that matter, the MOQ floor and the practical ceiling:
| Master carton | Cartons at 17.5 MT | Cartons at 18 MT | Typical buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kg (10 x 1 kg inners) | 1,750 | 1,800 | Shisha distributors, private label |
| 12 kg (12 x 1 kg inners) | ~1,458 | 1,500 | EU shisha wholesalers |
| 15 kg (15 x 1 kg inners) | ~1,166 | 1,200 | Mixed retail programs |
| 20 kg (bulk pack) | 875 | 900 | BBQ blends, HoReCa supply |
Two practical notes on that table:
- Spec cartons by net weight, not piece count. Cube counts per kilogram shift with cube size — 25 mm, 26 mm, or stick formats all pack differently — so a “carton of 72 cubes” is ambiguous where “10 kg net” is not.
- Carton dimensions are as important as price. A bulky carton design with generous inner padding can cube out the container at 16.5-17 MT, leaving you paying ocean freight on air. Ask for the outer carton dimensions and check the stow factor before you sign.
Packaging itself is standardized on the Indonesian side: export packaging that meets buyer and destination requirementsgoverns coconut charcoal export packaging, so a serious supplier can state carton board grade and dimensions from the spec sheet rather than guessing.
Should You Palletize or Floor-Load Your Cartons?
Both are common, and the right answer depends on who unloads the box. The trade-off in numbers:
| Factor | Floor-loaded | Palletized |
|---|---|---|
| Cartons per 20 ft (10 kg) | 1,750-1,800 | ~1,600-1,700 |
| Net weight | 17.5-18 MT | ~16-17 MT |
| Space lost to pallets | none | 8-10% of volume |
| Loading at origin | slower, hand-stacked | faster by forklift |
| Devanning at destination | labor-heavy, slow | forklift-ready |
| Crush risk on bottom rows | higher | lower |
| Extra compliance | none | ISPM-15 heat-treated pallets |
Floor loading wins on pure economics: every cubic metre carries product, and your freight cost per delivered kilogram is lowest. The price is handling. Bottom-row cartons carry the full column weight for the whole voyage, so premium shisha cartons should be double-wall board at minimum, and destination warehouses need labor lined up for a slow devan.
Palletizing surrenders roughly 100-160 ten-kilogram cartons — about 1-1.5 MT of product — but EU and US distribution centres increasingly refuse anything else, because a palletized box empties in under an hour with a forklift. Gulf buyers, by contrast, still routinely accept floor-loaded containers. If you palletize, the pallets must be ISPM-15 heat-treated, and that paperwork should travel with the fumigation certificate in your document pack.
Do You Hit the Weight Limit or Run Out of Space First?
For shisha-grade cartons, the honest answer is both at once. Eighteen metric tons of 10 kg cartons occupies close to the full 33 cubic metres, which is what makes this cargo unusually efficient: you are not paying to ship empty space, and you are not leaving legal payload unused.
Denser packing changes the balance. BBQ coconut-hardwood blends in 20 kg bulk cartons stow tighter, so those loads weigh out first and can leave a few cubic metres spare — useful headroom if you want to top up with sample cartons or point-of-sale material. Lightweight retail packaging shifts the balance the other way: generous display boxes and heavy inner padding can cube the container out below 17 MT, which quietly raises your landed cost per kilogram even though the FOB price per ton never moved.
One more constraint sits on top of the geometry. Carriers will ask for a Self-Heating Test report before accepting a full container of charcoal — the document proves the cargo is not self-flammable — and insurers ask for the same. Build that testing window into your loading schedule rather than discovering it at the port gate.
How Should You Plan Your First Container Load?
A workable sequence, in order:
- Fix the carton spec first — net weight, outer dimensions, board grade. Every downstream number depends on it.
- Decide pallets early, based on who devans the container, not on origin-side convenience.
- Run your spec through the container load calculator on this site to see carton count, net tonnage and cube utilisation side by side.
- Ask for the load plan inside the written quotation. Quote requests sent through the site form are answered within 24 business hours, and only the written quotation binds — treat any verbal carton count as an estimate.
- Schedule fumigation and the Self-Heating Test against your vessel booking so certificates are dated before the container gates in.
Get the carton math right once and every later container is a repeat order. Get it wrong and you either ship air or fail a weighbridge — both expensive lessons the calculator exists to prevent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 10 kg cartons of coconut charcoal briquettes fit in a 20 ft container?
Floor-loaded, plan on 1,750 to 1,800 ten-kilogram master cartons — 17.5 to 18 metric tons net, which is also the standard MOQ of one 20-foot container. Palletized loads carry roughly 1,600 to 1,700 cartons because pallets and clearance gaps absorb space. Compact carton dimensions matter: a bulky design can cube the box out below 1,750.
Does a 20 ft container of charcoal briquettes hit the weight limit or run out of space first?
Shisha-grade cartons hit both almost together: 1,800 ten-kilogram cartons weigh 18 metric tons and occupy close to the container’s 33 cubic metres. Denser BBQ-blend cartons weigh out first, leaving unused space. Destination road rules can cap practical payload below the container’s structural limit, so confirm the legal weight with your freight forwarder before fixing the carton count.
How many cartons do I lose by palletizing a 20-foot coconut charcoal shipment?
Expect to give up roughly 100 to 160 ten-kilogram cartons — about 1 to 1.5 metric tons — because pallet decks and forklift clearance consume 8 to 10 percent of the internal volume. In exchange you get faster devanning, lower crush damage, and warehouse-ready handling, which EU and US receivers increasingly require. Pallets must be ISPM-15 heat-treated for export.