How many roof tiles fit in a 40HQ container? Loading, weight and freight explained.
The single question that decides your landed cost is simple: how much roof fits in a container? Here is how stone-coated metal and resin tiles load, what they weigh, and the packing choices that move your cost per square metre up or down.
Stone-coated metal tiles in a 40HQ
Stone-coated tiles nest into stacks and ship on pallets or in bundles. Because the tiles are thin steel, weight — not volume — usually fills the container first. A typical 40HQ load works out roughly like this (exact figures depend on profile and packing):
| Item | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Tiles per pallet | ~1,000–1,300 pcs |
| Coverage per tile | ~0.42 ㎡ effective |
| Roof area per 40HQ | ~2,500–3,000 ㎡ |
| Gross weight | ~18–22 tonnes |
Ridge caps, valleys and accessories are added as a separate quantity and take a share of the volume, so a real order is quoted as a mixed load.
Synthetic resin tiles in a 40HQ
Resin tiles are supplied as long sheets or panels and stack flat. Volume tends to fill the container before weight does:
| Item | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Standard width coverage | ~0.9 m effective per sheet |
| Roof area per 40HQ | ~2,000–2,800 ㎡ (length-dependent) |
| Gross weight | ~10–14 tonnes |
How to estimate your own load
Landed cost per ㎡ = (FOB tile cost + freight ÷ ㎡ per container + duty + local handling). Because both products are light, freight per ㎡ is low — which is exactly why lightweight roofing exports so well over long distances.
Packing choices that change your cost
- Mixed vs single-colour pallets: mixed colours suit distributors serving many small jobs; single-colour pallets suit one big project.
- Accessories ratio: under-ordering ridge and valley pieces stalls installation on site — we calculate the correct ratio to roof area for you.
- Pallet vs bundle: palletised loads are faster to discharge and reduce site damage; bundled loads squeeze in slightly more area.
What we put on your proforma
Every quotation states pieces, effective coverage in ㎡, gross and net weight, number of pallets and the exact container type — so you can calculate landed cost before you commit. Send us your roof area and destination port and we will build the loading plan around it.
Talk to our export team
Product recommendations, samples and container-load pricing for your market.