Freight tool · carton cube to 40HQ
Dollhouse Packing, CBM and Container Loading
A dollhouse is a volume product: a 40HQ fills by cubic metre long before it reaches a weight limit, and the carton, not the house, decides whether an order lands economically. This page gives the carton ranges measured across the 130-model catalogue, the container arithmetic that follows from them, and the packing details that decide whether a house arrives with its corners intact. Where the catalogue does not hold a carton for a model, the page says so rather than estimating from the size band alone.
Single-item cartons in this catalogue run from about 0.01 m3 for a tabletop house to about 0.25 m3 for a 133 cm three-storey house, with a median of about 0.048 m3 across the models that record a carton. At 88 per cent fill of a 68 m3 40HQ, that is roughly 2,300 tabletop units, 790 standard units or 240-400 large units per container.
At a glance
| Carton cube, tabletop | 0.01-0.05 m3, median about 0.026 m3 |
|---|---|
| Carton cube, standard 40-80 cm | 0.03-0.12 m3, median about 0.076 m3 |
| Carton cube, large 80 cm+ | 0.10-0.25 m3, depending on storeys and working parts |
| Gross weight | typically 0.5-15 kg on tabletop and standard models, 10-25 kg on large models |
| 40HQ usable volume | 68 m3 gross, about 60 m3 after pallets, wheel arches and door clearance |
| Units per 40HQ at 88 per cent fill | about 2,300 tabletop, 790 standard, 240-400 large |
| Carton data coverage | 61 per cent of the catalogue at launch; the rest is confirmed per model |
How it runs
- Take the carton dimensions for each shortlisted model from its product page, or ask us for the list if the page says confirmed per model.
- Multiply length by width by height in metres to get the carton cube, and add 3-5 per cent for the pallet or the stacking gap in a mixed load.
- Divide the usable container volume by the carton cube: 68 m3 for a 40HQ before allowances, about 60 m3 as a working number.
- Check the weight total against the container limit; at these carton weights volume fills first, so weight is a check rather than the plan.
- Confirm the mix with us before booking. We load the plan carton by carton and tell you if it under-fills or leaves a gap a flat carton cannot fill.
Carton cube by size band
- Tabletop under 40 cm: cartons of 0.01-0.05 m3 with a median of 0.026 m3. These pack densely, stack on a pallet and are the band where a 40HQ reaches around 2,300 units.
- Standard 40-80 cm: cartons of 0.03-0.12 m3 with a median of 0.076 m3, giving roughly 790 units in a 40HQ. Long flat-pack panels dominate the cube here rather than the built volume.
- Large 80 cm and above: cartons of 0.10-0.25 m3, giving roughly 240-400 units in a 40HQ. Six models are in this band at launch, so the plan is about which structure, not how many.
- Two portable and suitcase formats pack smaller than their assembled size suggests because they fold; four models in the catalogue are built this way and their cartons do not follow the band average.
The container arithmetic
- A 40HQ holds 68 m3 of usable space on paper; after pallets, wheel arches and door clearance, plan on about 60 m3. A 20GP holds about 28 m3 on paper and about 24 m3 as a working number.
- Volume fills first: at 0.026 m3 and roughly 7 kg, a tabletop carton reaches about 2,300 units in a 40HQ and around 16 tonnes, which is inside the limit. Weight only becomes the constraint on the heaviest large houses.
- LCL and part-container shipments are priced by volume and attract a minimum charge, so a small order of tabletop houses can cost proportionally more in freight than in goods. Ask for the freight separately to see it.
- A mixed load rarely hits a clean number: large cartons leave gaps, flat cartons fill them. That is why the loading plan is produced for the actual model list rather than quoted as a generic container count.
Mixed containers, model by model
- The constraint is MOQ per model, not per container. A house at 500 pcs and a room set at 20 pcs can share a booking if each clears its own minimum.
- Order the plan by carton size, not by model: the largest cartons go in first and the flat tabletop cartons fill the gaps above and beside them.
- Keep one category family together on the pallet where the buyer distributes to shops, so a store receives its house and its doll family in the same carton sequence.
- Ask for photographs of the loaded container. It is the only record of how the plan was executed and the first thing needed if a carton arrives crushed.
Packing that survives the hub
- A house with a 0.08 m3 carton and 12 kg of panels needs a double-wall carton, corner protection and internal blocking so the panels cannot shift. A single-wall carton with foam corners is the common failure.
- Stickers, printed wall graphics and loose furniture belong in a bag taped to the inside of the carton, not loose in the box, or they migrate to one corner and mark the finish.
- Ask for a drop check on the packed carton before the run ships, and for the carton grade on the specification. A carton that passes at the workshop and fails at a hub is a carton problem, not a product problem.
- Returned or damaged cartons in a marketplace channel are the buyer's cost, so the carton grade and the fittings bag are worth more attention than a small unit cost difference.
FAQ
How many dollhouses fit in a 40HQ container?
It follows the size band. At a median carton of 0.026 m3, a 40HQ takes roughly 2,300 tabletop houses; at 0.076 m3, roughly 790 standard houses; at 0.10-0.25 m3, roughly 240-400 large houses. Those figures assume 88 per cent fill of a 68 m3 container, which is realistic for a single-model load and optimistic for a wide mix. For a mixed load we produce the loading plan from the actual carton list, and the number will sit below the pure-band figure because of the gaps between large cartons.
What is the CBM of one dollhouse carton?
Median carton cube across the models that record one is about 0.048 m3. By band: tabletop 0.01-0.05 m3 (median 0.026), standard 0.03-0.12 m3 (median 0.076), large 0.10-0.25 m3. Carton data exists for 61 per cent of the catalogue at launch; where a model has no carton on record the product page says confirmed per model, and we measure and confirm it on quotation rather than scaling up from the band.
Do you palletise dollhouse cartons?
It depends on the channel and the carton. Palletising costs 10-15 per cent of container volume to pallet footprints and stacking gaps but it protects the carton corners and cuts unloading time at the destination. A mixed load to a distributor usually ships palletised; a single-model load to a marketplace seller often ships floor-loaded and carton-counted. We confirm the pallet plan with the loading plan, including the pallet size, the stack height and whether the cartons are hand-unloadable.
Can the carton be sized for a marketplace or a shop shelf?
Within limits. We can adjust the carton grade, the internal blocking and the outer dimensions to a point, and we can print the carton to your artwork. What we cannot do is shrink the carton below the flat-pack panel size, so a 90 cm panel needs a carton over 90 cm on the long side whatever the outer design. If a marketplace or a retailer sets a carton ceiling, send it with the model list and we will say which models comply and which would need a different structure.
Send the carton list
Give us the shortlist and the container you are planning; we return the carton cube, the loading plan and the fill percentage.