Christmas Wreath & Garland Carton Sizes and Container Planning

Short answer

Artificial Christmas wreaths and garlands are light but bulky, so freight is driven by carton volume, not weight. In a recent Heron shipment, 30-32 inch wreaths packed 4 per 56 × 56 × 50 cm carton (0.157 CBM, about 7 kg gross) and 72-inch garlands packed 2-4 per carton at about 0.05 CBM. Multiply cartons by CBM to estimate volume, then compare it with container capacity or LCL rates.

Reference cartons from a recent shipment

These figures come from a Heron pre-shipment packing list for existing Christmas styles. Gross weight is per carton. Packing is confirmed per order, because custom packing, inner protection or labels can change pieces per carton.

• Magnolia Pinecone Christmas Wreath (30 in): 4 pieces per carton; 56 × 56 × 50 cm (22.0 × 22.0 × 19.7 in); 0.157 CBM; about 7.45 kg gross.
• Champagne Berry Pine Christmas Wreath (32 in): 4 pieces per carton; 56 × 56 × 50 cm (22.0 × 22.0 × 19.7 in); 0.157 CBM; about 6.90 kg gross.
• Magnolia Pinecone Christmas Door Garland (72 in): 2 pieces per carton; 100 × 28 × 20 cm (39.4 × 11.0 × 7.9 in); 0.056 CBM; about 3.45 kg gross.
• Champagne Berry Pine Christmas Garland (72 in): 4 pieces per carton; 96 × 20 × 25 cm (37.8 × 7.9 × 9.8 in); 0.048 CBM; about 3.45 kg gross.
• Magnolia Pinecone Christmas Candle Centerpiece (39 in): 3 pieces per carton; 68 × 66 × 22 cm (26.8 × 26.0 × 8.7 in); 0.099 CBM; about 5.10 kg gross.
• Magnolia Bell Christmas Teardrop Swag (36 in): 4 pieces per carton; 90 × 62 × 18 cm (35.4 × 24.4 × 7.1 in); 0.100 CBM; about 4.55 kg gross.
• Champagne Berry Pine Bow Christmas Swag (28 in): 2 pieces per carton; 55 × 55 × 15 cm (21.7 × 21.7 × 5.9 in); 0.045 CBM; about 2.35 kg gross.

Estimate cartons, CBM and weight for an order

Work style by style, then add the styles together. Round cartons up, because a part-filled carton still ships as a full carton.

• Cartons = order quantity ÷ pieces per carton, rounded up
• Volume (CBM) = cartons × CBM per carton
• Gross weight = cartons × gross weight per carton
• Example: 144 pieces of a 4-per-carton wreath = 36 cartons × 0.157 CBM = about 5.7 CBM and 268 kg

Worked example: a coordinated magnolia assortment

A buyer planning a matched door and tabletop story might take 144 pieces each of the Magnolia Pinecone wreath, door garland, candle centerpiece and the Magnolia Bell teardrop swag. Using the reference cartons above, that is 36 + 72 + 48 + 36 = 192 cartons, about 18 CBM and roughly 925 kg gross. The quantities are an illustration, not a minimum order: MOQ is confirmed per style and order mix.

• Wreaths: 36 cartons, about 5.7 CBM
• Door garlands: 72 cartons, about 4.0 CBM
• Candle centerpieces: 48 cartons, about 4.8 CBM
• Teardrop swags: 36 cartons, about 3.6 CBM

Container planning estimates

Forwarders usually plan on less than the nominal container volume because cartons rarely fill every gap. Common planning figures are roughly 25-28 CBM for a 20-foot container, 55-58 CBM for a 40-foot standard and 65-68 CBM for a 40-foot high cube. These are estimates for budgeting; your forwarder confirms the actual loading plan.

• At about 0.157 CBM per carton of four, a 40-foot high cube at around 65 CBM holds roughly 410 wreath cartons, or about 1,640 wreaths of one style.
• The 18 CBM assortment above fits within a 20-foot container with room for more styles; a smaller order can also move as LCL (shared container) and be charged by CBM.
• Because these cartons weigh only 2-8 kg each, container weight limits are rarely the constraint; volume is.

Sample shipping: why courier quotes look high

Express couriers commonly charge by volumetric weight: length × width × height in cm ÷ 5,000. A full wreath export carton of 56 × 56 × 50 cm is charged as about 31 kg even though it weighs about 7 kg. Ask for the sample carton size before comparing courier quotes, and combine samples into one carton where the shapes allow.

What changes the carton

Pieces per carton follow the product's depth and how much shaping protection it needs. Inner bags, shape supports, retail hangtags, barcode labels or display boxes can change the carton size or count. Confirm the final packing in the quotation so the CBM used for freight matches what will be loaded.