A 20-ft container holds roughly 22,000–26,000 300 ml tumblers, 20,000–24,000 rocks glasses, 80,000–100,000 60 ml shot glasses, or 9,000–11,000 one-litre jars, floor-loaded in standard export cartons. A 40-ft high-cube carries about 2.1–2.3× the 20-ft figure.
The reference table
Counts assume standard partitioned inner cartons in printed masters, floor-loaded into a 20-ft GP (33 m³ usable, ~28 m³ practical). Your exact count depends on carton spec — which is why every Glastic quote states the loading for your configuration.
| Article | Typical pack | 20-ft GP | 40-ft HC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 ml tumbler | 12/48 | 22,000–26,000 | ~50,000 |
| 300 ml rocks / DOF | 6/48 OR 12/48 | 20,000–24,000 | ~46,000 |
| 60 ml shot glass | 12/144 | 80,000–100,000 | ~190,000 |
| 500 ml beer mug | 6/24 | 12,000–15,000 | ~28,000 |
| 410 ml stem wine | 6/24 | 14,000–17,000 | ~33,000 |
| 1 L storage jar | 6/12 | 9,000–11,000 | ~21,000 |
The carton math behind the numbers
Container count is just three multiplications: pieces per master carton × cartons per layer × layers per container, minus a reality factor (door clearance, lashing, carton tolerance) of about 4–6%. Master carton dimensions are the lever — which is why we engineer cartons to your case structure rather than defaulting to "whatever fits".
Worked example: 300 ml rocks glass
Master carton of 48 pcs at 405 × 305 × 320 mm = 0.0395 m³. Practical cube of a 20-ft GP ≈ 28 m³ → 28 ÷ 0.0395 ≈ 709 masters → 709 × 48 = 34,032 theoretical pieces. Apply the 4–6% reality factor and weight limits for heavy-base glass, and the bookable figure lands at ~22,000–24,000 pieces — the number that should be in your costing sheet, and the number we print on the quote.
Floor-load vs palletise, single vs mixed SKU
Floor-loading maximises count; palletising surrenders 8–12% of cube but cuts destuffing time from a day to two hours and is mandatory for most US retail routing guides. Mixed-SKU containers cost 3–7% of cube versus single-SKU; a stuffing plan that floor-loads heavy cartons and maps carton ranges to SKUs on the manifest keeps destuffing painless.
We re-engineered one spirits program from a loose 48-piece master to 12-piece inner cartons matched to its case distribution — breakage and handling time both fell, with no per-piece cost increase. Carton structure is product design.
Loading-math FAQ
How many 300 ml tumblers fit in a 20-ft container?
Approximately 22,000–26,000 pieces depending on carton structure — typically 6 or 12-piece inners in 48-piece masters, floor-loaded. A 40-ft high-cube carries roughly 2.1–2.3 times the 20-ft count.
Should I floor-load or palletise glassware containers?
Floor-loading maximises piece count and suits buyers with cheap destuffing labour; palletising costs 8–12% of cube but speeds warehouse handling and reduces damage claims. US big-box routing guides usually mandate pallets.
Does mixed-SKU loading reduce how much fits?
Slightly — mixing carton sizes costs 3–7% of cube versus a single-SKU load. A good stuffing plan (heavy cartons floor-loaded, manifest mapping carton ranges to SKUs) keeps the loss at the low end.