MOQ, Packing and Container Loading for Dining Chairs

Real MOQ, carton specification, 20GP/40GP/40HC loading figures and how to mix several models in one container - from the factory in Foshan, not a freight broker.

MOQ is a tooling question, not a policy

Our MOQ for dining chairs is 6 pcs per model. That number exists because each model needs a fixture set on the machining line and a finishing jig; below it, the setup cost per piece stops making sense for either of us.

It is negotiable in two specific situations: you take a stock model in a stock finish (the fixture already exists), or you accept a longer lead time so the run can be batched with a similar order. What is not negotiable is a bespoke frame in a quantity of two.

How the cartons are built

dining chairs ship knock-down (seat and back separate from the frame). Five-ply export carton, EPE sheet between components, corner board on the frame ends, and a drop test on the first carton of every new model. Volume is 0.09-0.13 m³ per carton (2 pcs).

Drop-tested cartons cost about a dollar more per unit. It is the cheapest insurance in the whole order: damage claims on seating are almost always corner damage, and corner damage is almost always a carton that was specified too thin.

Container loading

Container maths

A 40HC holds roughly 68 m³ of usable volume. At 0.09-0.13 m³ per carton (2 pcs) per carton, a full container of dining chairs lands in the range below. Numbers shift with carton dimensions and how tightly the stack nests, so treat these as planning figures and confirm against the actual packing data before you book.

Mixing models in one container

Most first orders contain two to four models. Tell us the ratio and we will give you a loading plan: which cartons go on the floor, which stack, and where the weight sits. The constraint is usually volume, not weight — seating is light for its size, so a container fills before it gets heavy.

Below roughly 15 m³, LCL is cheaper on paper and worse in practice: more handling, more damage, and a per-cubic rate that erases the saving. Above it, book the FCL. Pick the models and we will run the numbers.

Wood packaging and ISPM 15

Any solid wood in the packaging — pallets, crates, dunnage — has to be heat-treated or fumigated and stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. Manufactured board and corrugated cartons are exempt. Get this wrong and the container is held at destination, which costs more than the pallets did.

Carton marking and labelling

Shipping marks carry the model code, colour code, quantity per carton and carton number so a partial delivery can be reconciled at the warehouse. If you sell under your own brand we print your carton artwork and your barcode instead of ours — send the file before production, because cartons are ordered with the run.

Photographic evidence and claims

We photograph the loading sequence — carton condition, stacking, container number, seal — and send the set with the shipping documents. If there is damage to claim, those photographs are what turn a dispute into an insurance recovery. Ask for them; any factory loading containers already takes them.

Seasonality, and when to book

Chinese New Year shuts production for two to three weeks and the month before it is the busiest of the year. A dining chair order confirmed in December will not ship before March. The rest of the year runs to the 25 to 40 days quoted above, with autumn the tightest window because European and North American buyers are all restocking for the season.

If your project has a fixed opening date, work backwards from it and add two weeks. The two weeks costs nothing; missing the opening costs the order.

What goes on the paperwork

Commercial invoice, packing list with the moisture-content reading and carton count, certificate of origin, and the test report for the model. FOB Shenzhen is standard; we also quote EXW and CIF. Lead time from deposit is 25 to 40 days depending on finish and season.

Models in this range

kt-4165GDC American-style Modern Living Room Fabric Sofa Chair LightA008GDC Modern Artistic Solid Oak Wood Dining Chair FabricA001348GDC Natural Wood Donut Round Back Dining Chair CreamA003GDC Modern Minimalist Wabi-sabi Wooden Dining Chair Unique DesignA00137Woven Rope Back Dining Chair Camel Leather Seat CushionA004GDC Nordic Modern Design Dining Chair Solid Wood Leather