Free tool
Towel container loading and weight calculator.
Work out how many cartons fit in a 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high-cube container, and what a towel and a full load weigh, from the towel size, the GSM and your carton.
Result
- One towel
- about 490 g
- One dozen
- about 12.96 lb5.88 kg
- One full carton
- about 12.3 kg
- One carton takes
- 0.108 m³
| Container | Cartons | Towels | Space used | Gross weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft standard33.1 m³ | 225 | 5,400 | 73% | 2,759 kg |
| 40ft standard67.6 m³ | 500 | 12,000 | 80% | 6,130 kg |
| 40ft high-cube76.0 m³ | 600 | 14,400 | 85% | 7,356 kg |
An estimate, not a quotation. Cartons are stacked in straight rows, columns and tiers in the best of six orientations, so a real load is usually at or below this. Check the gross weight against your carrier’s limit. Our export team confirms the loadable quantity against your specification before you order.
How it is worked out
The arithmetic, in full.
Weight of one towel
Length × width (in metres) × GSM. A 70 × 140 cm towel at 500 GSM is 0.7 × 1.4 × 500 = 490 g. Borders, hems and the weight tolerance in the specification move the finished figure a little.
Cartons in a container
For each of the six ways a carton can stand, the container’s length, width and height are divided by the carton’s, rounded down, and multiplied together. The best of the six is kept, then reduced by the unusable space you enter.
Container sizes
Typical internal sizes: 20ft 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m, 40ft 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m and 40ft high-cube 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m. Builders differ by a few centimetres.
Frequently asked
Before you rely on the number.
How many towels fit in a 40ft container?
There is no single figure. It depends on how the towels are folded and packed into cartons, the size of the carton and how the cartons are stacked. Enter your carton size and pieces per carton above for an estimate. Our export team confirms the loadable quantity against your specification before you commit to an order.
Is a towel shipment limited by space or by weight?
For terry towels it is usually space. Cotton terry is bulky for its weight, so a container tends to fill before it reaches its weight limit. The calculator shows both the space used and the gross weight, so you can compare the weight with the limit your carrier sets.
How is the weight of a towel worked out from its GSM?
GSM is grams per square metre of cloth. Multiply the towel’s area in square metres by its GSM: a 70 × 140 cm towel is 0.98 square metres, so at 500 GSM it is 490 g. A finished towel differs a little because of the borders, hems and weight tolerance, so treat the figure as an estimate and confirm it against the specification sheet.
How do I turn a weight in pounds per dozen into GSM?
Divide the dozen weight by 12 for one towel, convert it to grams (1 lb is 453.6 g), then divide by the towel’s area in square metres. As an example, a 22 × 44 inch towel sold at 5.75 lb per dozen weighs 5.75 ÷ 12 = 0.479 lb, about 217 g. Its area is 0.559 × 1.118 m = 0.625 square metres, so it is about 348 GSM. Real weights vary a little with borders and tolerance, so use the figure as a guide and confirm it against the specification.
Are the container sizes exact?
They are typical internal dimensions. Containers differ by a few centimetres between builders, and doors, pallets or loading gaps take up some space, which is why there is an unusable space box. Treat the result as the upper end of what a real load reaches and confirm it with your freight forwarder.
Container quote
Send us your specification.
Tell us the product, size, GSM, quantity and container size you need. Our export team confirms the carton specification and the loadable quantity, and replies within 24 hours with an FOB quotation.
Typical response within 24 hours