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How many granite slabs a shipping container can keep?
Granite is one of the most widely exported natural stones from India. Being a natural stone, granite is found in various parts of the region particularly South India. India is known to be a hotbed of natural stones in the world and granite is one of them. There are several granite quarries located in the Southern part of the country that produce finest quality granite rough blocks that are further processed into granite slabs such as gangsaw slabs, cutter slabs, countertops, tiles etc.
Transportation of Granite Slabs
In most cases, granite importers import granite slabs for their projects as they are somewhat easy to ship as compared to granite rough blocks. For example, they come in usually 2 or 3 cm thicknesses that make them easy to load, unload and transport from one place to another. In addition, it is easier to process granite slabs and requires lesser manpower and resources. So, whether you are importing granite slabs in the US, UK, or any other part of the world, the shipment is highly likely to take place in the form of granite slabs due to their easier and safer transport.
| Granite Slab Thickness (CM) | No. of Slabs in Each Container |
| 2 | 75 |
| 3 | 50-52 |
If you want to know the number of granite slabs that can be put in a container, continue reading this post.
How big a shipping container is?
The sizes of shipping containers tend to vary. Despite this, 20- and 40-foot containers are known to be the most commonly used container sizes. The normal width for both widths is eight feet. A container is typically eight feet six inches tall, whereas a high cube has an additional foot to make it nine feet six inches tall.
Almost always, shipping containers come with corrugated inner panels. One inch (25 mm) is the standard depth of corrugation, meaning that two inches (50 mm) are missing from the outside width measurement. Additionally corrugated is the rear panel, and the doors measure over 2 inches (50 mm) thick, meaning that around 3 inches (75 mm) are removed from the length.
Below is general information about the storage capacity of a 20 feet container.
| Thickness (mm) | Sq.Metre | Sq. Ft. |
| 10 mm (3/8″) thick tiles | 780 sqm | 8400 sft |
| 12 mm tiles | 620 sqm | 6675 sft |
| 15 mm tiles | 520 sqm | 5600 sft |
| 20 mm (3/4″) tiles | 432 sqm | 4650 sft |
| 20 mm (3/4″) slabs | 310 sqm | 3336 sft |
| 25 mm slabs | 225 sqm | 2420 sft |
| 30 mm slabs | 210 sqm | 2260 sft |
| Blocks | 9 cbm |
How many granite slabs a shipping container can keep?
| Size | Holding capacity per 20 feet container |
| 40 x 40 x 1 cm | 736 Sqm |
| 60 x 60 x 1.5 cm | 550 Sqm |
| 40 x 40 x 2 cm | 420 Sqm |
| 60 x 60 x 2 cm | 420 Sqm |
| 40 x 40 x 3 cm | 280 Sqm |
| 60 x 60 x 3 cm | 280 Sqm |
| 120up x 60up x 2 cm | 380 Sqm |
| 120up x 60up x 3 cm | 250 Sqm |
| 230up x 120up x 2 cm | 350 Sqm |
| 230up x 120up x 3 cm | 233 Sqm |
| 250up x 150up x 2 cm | 300 Sqm |
Given the precise weight constraint, one would have to select between 6 and 8 bundles to create a full container load (FCL). Granite slabs are often found in two common thicknesses: 2 cm and 3 cm. Let’s use an example to better grasp this. A container filled with 2 cm granite gangsaw slabs would yield 75 slabs altogether, along with 7 bundles. On the other hand, a container would hold 50–52 granite slabs if each slab had a thickness of 3 cm.
Note that each bundle of granite slabs with a thickness of 3 cm is often composed of 5 to 7 slabs, or 8 to 11 slabs for a 2 cm slab, considering the total weight of the granite slabs.
You can refer to the following table to know the exact no. of granite slabs that can fit in a 20 feet container.
A 20-foot container’s internal dimensions can be:
In feet: 19’ 4” long x 7’ 9” wide x 7’ 10” high
In meters: 5.898m long x 2.352m wide x 2.393m high
Usable Storage: 33.2m3
Depending on your weight restriction, you must choose between 6 and 8 bundles to produce a full container load (FCL). Please take note that, depending on the material, each bundle of 3 cm (1 1/4″) is often made up of 5 to 7 slabs.
When operating a tri-axle vehicle, the standard weight restriction on US roadways is 19,900 kg (44,000 lb). For customers who reside further from the shore (ports) or who want the shipping firm to bring the container all the way to their doors, this is the typical weight allowance.
To receive a greater weight limit, some clients, who are often situated close to a port or rail/ramp, typically ask the shipping firm to deliver their containers only as far as that port or rail/ramp. Typically, ports have a weight restriction of 27,000 kg, while rail/ramps are limited to 21,500 kg. To make the last delivery, they typically use their own truck firms from those locations. These trucking businesses, who are often independent of the shipping industry, agree to transport such heavier loads.
The Conclusion
Selecting from various granite manufacturers & exporters with years of experience exporting granite slabs to different nations is essential if you’re wanting to import granite slabs from India. Given their weight, the granite slabs ought to be packaged more securely and robustly to prevent any damage from occurring while in transportation.
Furthermore, there should be a speedier and more dependable delivery of the requested granite slabs. Because of this, the function of a supplier of granite slabs is crucial. Therefore, consider all of your possibilities before choosing one.