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How many bottles of wine in a 20ft container?

Summary

How many bottles of wine can fit in a 20-foot container depends on the size of the bottles and the packaging method.

Generally, with standard 750ml wine bottles, a standard 20-foot container(Internal dimensions: 19.4×7.7×7.9 ft) can accommodate approximately 13,200 bottles.

The 20-foot container is a good option for importers or wineries who only want to purchase glass bottles with a minimum order quantity. Next, I will analyze the factors that affect the loading capacity of a 20ft container and provide tips to optimize your transportation, reducing procurement costs.

Wine Bottle Dimensions

Before calculating how many wine bottles can fit in a 20ft container, let’s first understand the dimensions of a wine bottle.

There are various wine bottle sizes, but in this article, we will focus only on the standard size wine bottle.

For a comprehensive introduction to wine bottle size types, please read this article: [Wine Bottle Sizes: Detailed Analysis and Usage].

Specification	Details
Standard Wine Bottle Size	750 ml, 75 cl
Dimensions	Diameter: approx. 3 inches (7.6 cm)
	Height: 12 inches (30 cm)
Weight	Empty: 450g–500g
	Filled: 1.2–1.3 kg

A standard 750ml Bordeaux wine bottle

20ft Container Dimensions and Capacity

The standard dimensions of a 20ft container are as follows:

Specification	Details
Internal Length	19.4 ft (5.9 m)
Internal Width	7.7 ft (2.35 m)
Internal Height	7.9 ft (2.39 m)
Capacity	Approx. 33 cubic meters (1,172 cubic feet)
Maximum Payload	24,000 kg (52,910 lbs)

20ft container dimensions

Ways of Wine Bottles Packing

There are typically three packaging methods: cartons, pallets, and box palletization.

Cartons (Floor-Loaded)

Floor loading involves placing cartons directly in the container without using pallets. This method maximizes space utilization.

How many bottles in a case of wine?

A standard wine case in the US contains 12 bottles of wine, with each bottle holding 750 ml. Some cases may include 6 bottles as an alternative option for smaller formats or premium wines.

Carton Sizes

The most common carton sizes are 12-bottle and 6-bottle cartons. Also using the 750ml standard glass wine bottle as an example:

The dimensions of the 12-Bottle Carton (Double-wall) are:

12.28 × 9.25 × 12.20 inches (312 × 235 × 310 mm)

How many bottle cases in a 20ft container?

A 20ft container can hold approximately:

1,100 cartons of 12-bottle wine cases (750 ml each) when using Bordeaux bottles (300 mm height) packed in double-wall cardboard cartons.

For alternative configurations:

Loose packing can accommodate up to 13,200 bottles in a 20ft container.
Palletized loading typically allows for 9,600 bottles or 1,600 cartons with 6 bottles per carton.

Factors such as carton material, bottle shape, and pallet arrangement impact the exact capacity.

Calculation:

1,100 cartons × 12 bottles/carton = 13,200 bottles of wine

How many bottles of wine in a 20ft container?

Pallet Loading

In this method, bottles are placed directly on pallets without cartons.

How many bottles in a pallet?

Pallet packaging typically ranges from 1,575 to 1,800 bottles per pallet, depending on whether it is a 7-layer or 8-layer configuration. A 20-foot container can hold 10 pallets, totaling 15,750 or 18,000 bottles.

But this is only a theoretical value. In fact, the internal height of a 20-foot container is about 2.38 meters, and the door height of the container is 2.18 meters. A 7-layer pallet (15,750 bottles) exceeds this height.

Maybe you will say, let's lower the height of the pallet! A 6-layer pallet (1,350 bottles) will be OK. Unfortunately, this doesn't work.

For comprehensive considerations, the factory will beat the pallets to a height of about 2.3 meters to 2.6 meters and store them in the warehouse during production. This is a common practice. If you want to change the height of the pallet, you can only disassemble the packed pallet and repack it, which will significantly increase labor costs. For cost efficiency, palletized packaging typically opts for a 40HQ container rather than a 20FT container.

Box Palletization

This packaging method is also very common. Bottles are first placed into cartons, and then the cartons are stacked onto pallets.

Advantages:

Bottles are better protected.
Makes loading and unloading more efficient.

Disadvantages:

Fewer bottles can be loaded into the container.

When choosing this packaging option, you need to consider the cost per bottle for shipping, as well as the manual labor costs for loading and unloading. Carefully weigh the pros and cons to make the most cost-effective decision.

Weight Limit

Some luxury-style wine bottles weigh significantly more than standard bottles.

Pay close attention to the maximum payload limit of 26,000 kg for a 20ft container. Exceeding this weight is considered overloading.

You need to adjust the number of wine bottles you load based on the payload limit.

Sunfect Packaging offers a complete range of heavy wine bottle series to provide premium packaging solutions for your luxury wine brand.

Work with an experienced wine bottles supplier

A professional wine bottles exporter can help you maximize space utilization, reduce overall costs, and ensure safe transportation.

Why Proper Planning Matters?

Reducing Costs: More bottles per container mean lower shipping costs per bottle.
Minimizing Breakage: Proper packing and stacking prevent damage during transport.
Streamlining Logistics: Optimized loads simplify customs clearance and distribution.

Conclusion

So, how many bottles of wine fit in a 20ft container?
It can be seen that the Cartons (Floor-Loaded) method can maximize the use of container space and load the most bottles, with a quantity of 13,200 pieces. The Pallet Loading and Box Palletization methods can facilitate the loading and unloading process.

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