Yes, you can usually buy mixed sizes and designs in one container from Morbi. Most factories accept several designs in a single 20 ft container, as long as each design meets the factory's own minimum and the total stays within the container's weight limit.
The details decide whether a mixed load works well or causes trouble at unloading. The minimum per design, the weight of each size, the way the load is planned and the way boxes are marked all matter.
What factories usually allow
One 20 ft container per order is the common minimum in Morbi. Within it, many factories set a minimum per design, often one pallet or a few hundred square metres. The exact number varies by factory, and it depends on whether the design is in stock or made to order. Our guide to tile MOQ in Morbi covers those minimums in detail.
Ready stock designs are the easiest to mix. The factory already holds the boxes, so it can pick a pallet of one design and a pallet of another. Made-to-order designs need a production run, and a factory will not set up a press and printer for a very small quantity.
Weight, not space, sets the limit
Tiles fill a container by weight long before they fill it by volume. The payload limit is often around 26 to 28 tonnes, depending on the shipping line and the route. A container of tiles is never full to the roof.
This matters for a mixed load because sizes and thicknesses weigh differently per square metre. A thick outdoor tile or a large porcelain slab weighs much more per square metre than a thin wall tile. If you change the mix, the total square metres that fit in the container changes too. Ask the factory for a load plan that lists each design, the number of boxes and pallets, and the gross weight. Check that total against the limit your forwarder gives you.
Mixing factories in one container
Sometimes the designs you want come from two or three different plants. Consolidating them into one container is possible, but it adds work and risk. Someone has to collect goods from each plant, check them, and load them in the right order. The documents must also show who the exporter is for each part of the load.
If a supplier offers to combine many factories' products without saying so, you may be dealing with a trader. Our article on how to tell a tile trader from a factory explains the signs.
How to keep a mixed load under control
- Agree the minimum per design in writing before you finalise the list of designs.
- Ask for one batch, one shade and one calibre per design, and ask for those codes on every box.
- Ask for a packing list that shows design, size, grade, shade, calibre, boxes, pallets and weight for every line.
- Have lots checked and the loading supervised, so each design is counted and photographed as it goes in.
- Load each design together, not scattered through the container, so your warehouse can unload by design.
Things that go wrong
The most common problem is shade. If a factory fills one design from two production batches, the tiles may not match on the wall or floor. The second is substitution: a design runs short and the factory sends something similar without asking. The third is a short count on one line hidden inside the total. Inspection before loading catches all three. Our note on why quality drops after the first container explains why these problems often appear on repeat orders.
How we help
We check each factory's minimums, build the load plan with you, check samples and lots for every design, and supervise loading. We are paid only by you, and the fee is agreed in writing before work starts. To plan a mixed container, book a free sourcing review.