20 x 20 x 20 in corrugated boxes

What fits in a 20 x 20 x 20 box

Folded textiles in bulk, packaging materials shipped to another site, molded foam parts, lightweight furniture components, and returns consolidation in a warehouse. It is a good size for anything bulky and light that would otherwise go loose on a pallet.

A box this size is large enough to be shipped by parcel carriers but will be billed on dimensional weight almost every time, so most 20 inch cubes we quote go on a pallet rather than as single parcels.

The board it needs

Light contents: 32 ECT single wall. Heavier or stacked: double wall. A 20 inch cube filled with paper products can pass 65 lb, beyond the published single wall rating, and should be quoted in 48 ECT double wall rated to 100 lb, or heavier.

Packing notes

A 20 inch cube holds large cushions, light furniture components, bulk paper products and sizeable soft goods. Its 4.6 cubic feet make it costly on freight if half empty. Carriers may class it as large; check their size thresholds. For warehouse storage, double wall stacks better; for a single parcel of light goods, single wall is enough. Trade-show exhibitors send banners, literature and stand parts; restaurants receive takeaway containers and napkins in them.

Sizes close to this one

A 19 inch cube palletizes four per layer instead of two; a 20 x 20 x 12 suits wide, flat goods such as cushions and rugs folded once. Moving companies often stock both 20 x 20 x 20 and an 18 x 18 x 24 wardrobe-style size; the taller one takes hanging garments folded once. Upholstery suppliers and duvet sellers prefer 22 x 18 x 12 for their bulky but light goods, and pillow brands use 20 x 20 x 8 for vacuum-packed products. Bedding wholesalers, curtain sellers and costume shops buy it by the bundle, mainly for soft, compressible goods. Vacuum-sealed packs shrink further, so measure after compression. Unsure which? Put both sizes on a single request and weigh the freight difference.

On a 48 x 40 pallet

At 20 1/4 in outside, two fit along the 48 in side and one along the 40 in side: two per layer. A 19 3/4 in outside would fit two by two, four per layer; that half inch is the difference between a layer of two and a layer of four, which is why this size is often specified as 19 x 19 x 19 by shippers who load full pallets.

Worked from an outside size of the inside dimension plus 0.25 in on length and width, a working allowance for single wall; double wall adds a little more. Ask us to confirm before you plan a load.