Start with usable volume, not nominal volume
Containers are quoted by nominal capacity, but panels are flat and rectangular, so what matters is how much of the floor area you can stack. Practical usable volumes:
- 20ft standard: about 28 m³ usable, 5.9m long, 2.35m wide, 2.39m high.
- 40ft standard: about 58 m³ usable.
- 40ft high cube: about 68 m³ usable - the extra 300mm of height is worth real money on flat goods.
Standard formats and thicknesses
- Wood slat panels: 2400 x 600mm, typically 21 to 22mm total thickness including felt backing.
- PET felt sheets: 1220 x 2440mm, 9mm or 12mm.
- Ceiling tiles: 600 x 600mm or 600 x 1200mm, packed in cartons.
- PVC wall panels: 1220 x 2440mm or 600 x 2900mm, 5 to 8mm.
Worked examples
Using the full floor area and stacking to the door height, with a realistic allowance for pallets and packing:
- 9mm PET felt, 1220 x 2440mm, loose stacked in a 20ft: roughly 1,500 to 1,800 m².
- 12mm PET felt, same format, 20ft: roughly 1,150 to 1,350 m².
- Wood slat, 2400 x 600 x 21mm, 40ft high cube: roughly 1,400 to 1,700 m².
- 600 x 600 PET ceiling tiles, cartoned, 40ft: roughly 1,200 to 1,500 m².
These are planning figures. The final number depends on pallet height, carton thickness and how much of the load is different SKUs. We confirm an exact loading plan against your actual item list before production.
Six ways to cut freight per square meter
- Buy the thinner panel where the acoustic spec allows it. 9mm instead of 12mm is a 25 percent volume saving per square meter - see 9mm vs 12mm PET felt.
- Shrink the format. A 600 x 1200mm felt panel packs denser than 1220 x 2440mm because offcuts and voids disappear.
- Skip individual cartons. Cartons protect but they also consume volume. On container-load quantities, edge protection and stretch film are often enough.
- Standardise pallet height at 1.1m and stack two high where the goods allow, so no air is shipped.
- Consolidate SKUs. Mixed loads rarely reach maximum density, which is why a single-SKU container is cheaper per square meter.
- Load loose rather than palleted when you can unload without a forklift at destination.
Documents and the shipping plan
Wood-based panels need a fumigation certificate or heat-treatment stamp depending on the destination, plus FSC documentation if your customer requires legal timber chain. Packing lists must separate SKUs, because customs valuations on mixed containers go faster with clear line items. For the full export checklist, read how to ship acoustic panels from China.
Send your item list with quantities and target destination and we will return a loading plan and a landed-cost estimate. Request a quote, or compare against factory cost per square meter.