Choosing a Container: 20ft, 40ft or 40ft High Cube
The direct answer: garment stocklots are almost always freighted by volume, not by weight, so you choose the smallest container your lot will actually fill. A 20ft holds roughly half the cubic capacity of a 40ft and a 40ft High Cube adds about 30cm of internal height, which on soft, compressible clothing is often the cheapest capacity you can buy.
Part of the buyer journey: Pay, Ship and Clear Customs Without Surprises — stage 3 of 8, with the other guides for this stage.
What each size actually holds
A 20ft dry container gives you around 33 cubic metres of usable space, a 40ft around 67, and a 40ft High Cube around 76 because of the extra height. Clothing compresses well and stacks high, so the High Cube is unusually efficient for apparel: the same floor area with meaningfully more volume above it.
Weight is rarely the binding constraint. Dense categories such as denim and heavy knitwear can hit the payload limit before the cube limit, which is the opposite problem, so check both figures against the actual lot rather than assuming volume decides everything.
Why you pay for air you do not use
Stocklots arrive mixed and loosely packed, and compression varies enormously by category. Knitwear and t-shirts compress well and can leave headroom; boxed footwear and denim do not. If you book a 40ft for a lot that would comfortably fill a 20ft, roughly half your money is spent moving air.
The fix is to ask the supplier for carton dimensions and counts before booking, then check the cube against the container rather than trusting a description like "one container worth". A supplier who can give you a packing list with carton sizes is a supplier whose loading will be predictable.
Matching container size to how you sell
Think about the reorder cycle, not just the first lot. A smaller container that arrives more often ties up less capital but costs more per unit in freight, while one big container that fills your warehouse for six months is cheaper per carton but slower to correct if the mix is wrong.
For most first-season stocklot buyers a 20ft is the lower-risk choice, precisely because it limits the downside if the size run or category is not what you expected. You learn the lot, the quality and the real demand, and the next container is sized on evidence rather than optimism.
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Buyer questions, answered
Is a 40ft high cube worth the extra cost for clothing?
Usually yes for soft, compressible categories such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and knitwear, because the extra height adds roughly 9 cubic metres of usable space for a modest freight difference. It is less useful for boxed footwear and heavy denim, where the floor area and payload matter more than height.
How many cartons fit in a 20ft container?
It depends entirely on the carton dimensions and how compressible the goods are, which is why the number should come from the packing list rather than a rule of thumb. Ask the supplier for carton count, per-carton dimensions and total gross weight, then check both the cubic volume and the payload before booking.
Should a first stocklot buyer start with a full container?
Usually not. A 20ft limits the downside if the size run or category is not what you expected, and it costs more per unit in freight but far less capital to get wrong. Once you know your sell-through rate you can size the next booking on evidence.