Planning your container of electric rickshaws? The number of units you fit directly impacts your shipping cost per unit. Miscalculating this can be an expensive mistake for your business.
A standard 40-foot High Cube (40HQ) container typically holds 25-30 electric rickshaw taxis packed as SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) kits. For more disassembled CKD (Completely-Knocked Down) kits, you can fit around 35 units. The final quantity always depends on the model's size.
This is one of the first questions I get from every new B2B partner, from distributors in the Philippines to project managers in Nigeria. They need to know the numbers to calculate their приземленная стоимость and retail pricing. The answer isn't just about cramming as many units as possible into a steel box. It's about a balance of smart packing, vehicle design, and safety. As a factory that ships containers of these vehicles every month, we've perfected this process. Let me walk you through how we calculate loading capacity and what you need to know to make your import business more profitable.
How Many Electric Rickshaw Taxis Can Be Loaded in a 40HQ?
You need a hard number for your business plan, but different factories give you different quotes. This makes it hard to compare suppliers and calculate your true cost per vehicle.
For a standard 1-driver + 3-passenger rickshaw, a 40HQ container fits 25-30 units with SKD packing or up to 35 units with CKD. Larger 1+6 passenger models will fit around 15-20 units packed as SKD.
The most important factor is the packing method. We almost never ship these vehicles fully assembled, not even for a single sample. The two main methods are SKD and CKD.
- SKD (полуразборный): This is the most common method. We remove the wheels, front fork, cabin, and canopy, but the main chassis and rear axle stay mostly intact. It requires simple bolt-on assembly by the client. It offers a great balance between loading quantity and ease of assembly.
- CKD (Completely-Knocked Down): This method involves much more disassembly. The vehicle is broken down into its core components. It allows for the highest loading quantity but requires more skilled labor and time for assembly at your end.
Here’s a quick reference based on our factory's experience:
| Vehicle Model (Passenger) | Метод упаковки | Units in 40HQ Container |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Driver + 3 Passengers | Рентгенограмма | 25-30 Units |
| 1 Driver + 3 Passengers | CKD | ~35 Units |
| 1 Driver + 6 Passengers | Рентгенограмма | 15-20 Units |
A note on 20FT containers: they hold less than half the quantity of a 40HQ. For FCL (Full Container Load) shipments, a 40HQ is almost always more cost-effective per unit.
What Are the Standard Packing and Stacking Methods to Maximize Container Space Safely?
You worry that your investment will be damaged during the long sea journey. Poorly packed rickshaws can shift, get scratched, or break, destroying your profit margin before they even arrive.
The industry standard is to use individual steel or wooden frames for each rickshaw kit. These frames are designed to be stacked, usually two high, inside the container. This prevents movement and protects parts, ensuring everything arrives safely and is organized for easy assembly.
Safety is our top priority. A few extra units aren't worth anything if they arrive broken. That's why we build custom metal frames for every single rickshaw in an export order. This process is methodical. We disassemble the rickshaw, and then every part for that one vehicle is placed and secured within its own frame. The main chassis is strapped down, the cabin is placed securely, and smaller parts like wheels and bolts are boxed and tied down inside the same frame.
This method does two things. First, it creates a protective cage around your rickshaw. Second, these frames are engineered to be stackable. We can safely load one frame on top of another, maximizing the vertical space in a High Cube container without putting any weight on the vehicle parts themselves. When your team unloads the container, they just take out one frame at a time, and each frame has all the components needed to build one complete rickshaw. It's organized, efficient, and, most importantly, safe.
How Do Rickshaw Size, Canopy Design, and Wheelbase Affect Loading Quantity and Arrangement?
You're comparing different rickshaw models, but you don't know how small design choices will impact your shipping costs. A slightly bigger canopy or longer frame could drastically reduce your loading quantity.
Vehicle dimensions are critical. A longer wheelbase or a rigid, welded canopy takes up significantly more volume than a compact model with a foldable canvas top. These design choices can reduce the number of units per container by 20-30%, directly affecting your cost per unit.
This is a conversation I have with clients all the time. The final loading quantity isn't just about SKD vs. CKD; it's about the physical volume of the parts. A larger vehicle, like a 1+6 passenger model, has a longer chassis and wheelbase, which naturally requires a larger packing frame. This is why you can only fit 15-20 of them compared to 25-30 of the standard 1+3 models.
But a less obvious factor is the canopy. This choice has a huge impact on volume.
| Canopy Type | Описание | Impact on Loading Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Welded Iron Canopy | A fixed, rigid roof welded to a frame. | Very bulky. The packing frame must be tall enough to accommodate it, wasting space. |
| Canvas/Tarpaulin Canopy | A fabric roof on a simple, often foldable frame. | Very space-efficient. The frame can be folded and packed flat, allowing for a much shorter packing cage. |
Choosing a canvas canopy over a welded one can easily be the difference between fitting 25 units and 30 units in a 40HQ container. We always discuss these trade-offs during the order process to help our clients find the best balance between features and shipping cost.
What Should Exporters Prepare—Such as Wooden Frames, Tie-Downs, or Protective Covers—for Safe Long-Distance Shipment?
You are trusting your supplier in China to pack your expensive order correctly. But what does "correctly" even mean? You need to know what to ask for to ensure your investment is protected.
A professional factory prepares everything. This includes custom-built steel or wooden packing frames, bubble wrap or foam for painted parts, and heavy-duty tie-downs to secure the frames inside the container. All parts for a single trike should be consolidated within one frame.
As an exporter, the packing and loading process is our final handshake with the client before the product leaves our hands. It must be perfect. This is not an area for shortcuts. Our standard procedure is a multi-step process. First, the custom steel frames are built. As the rickshaw is disassembled, each painted part, like the cabin body, is wrapped in protective foam or bubble wrap.
Once all the parts are secured within a frame, it's ready for loading. Using a forklift, we carefully place and stack the frames inside the container. The final, critical step is securing the load. We use heavy-duty ratchet straps (tie-downs) to lash the entire block of frames to the container's internal anchor points. This ensures that nothing can shift, slide, or tumble, even during a rough sea voyage. When you are vetting a supplier, ask to see photos of their packing process. This is a non-negotiable step for any serious exporter.
Заключение
Maximizing your container load is a mix of SKD/CKD packing, smart model choices, and secure framing. Proper planning with your factory directly lowers your per-unit cost and ensures safe arrival.
