Buying Coca-Cola in Bulk: What a Container of Soft Drinks Really Weighs (2026)
Almost every guide to buying soft drinks in bulk repeats the same line: beverages are heavy, so you will run out of weight before you run out of space. We shipped a full container of Coca-Cola Company cans and checked the packing list against that claim.
It is wrong for a 20ft container — and right for a 40ft. Here are the real numbers from one of our loads, and what they mean when you place a bulk order.
Key Takeaways
- One carton of 320ml cans = 24 cans, 8.50 kg gross, 0.0129 CBM. That is a packed density of 662 kg per CBM.
- A 20ft runs out of SPACE first. Filled to its ~33 CBM it weighs about 21.8 tonnes — comfortably under the ~28 tonne payload.
- A 40ft runs out of WEIGHT first, hitting the payload ceiling at roughly 59% of its volume. Two 20ft boxes often move more product than one 40ft.
- A real load of ours: 2,450 cartons — 20,825 kg — 31.48 CBM. That is 95% of a 20ft’s volume at only 74% of its payload.
- Bulk here means one 20ft container minimum, mixed brands welcome. Settle labelling at quotation, and note that no preferential C/O is available on this line.
Import Coca-Cola wholesale from Vietnam
Asia Grocery Co., Ltd. exports Coca-Cola and 160+ other FMCG brands to 50+ countries since 2010. Mix brands and categories in one container.
What One Carton Actually Is
Every calculation below starts from a single carton, so it is worth being exact. Across Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite in the 320ml can format, our export cartons are identical:
- 24 cans per carton
- 8.50 kg gross weight (7.68 kg net)
- 0.0129 CBM per carton
- HS code 2202.10.30 on the shipping documents
Divide weight by volume and you get the number that decides everything: 662 kilograms per cubic metre. Keep it in mind — it is the reason the “drinks are a weight load” rule of thumb falls apart.
The Real Numbers From One Shipment
This is a genuine mixed load of Coca-Cola Company cans that left our Ho Chi Minh City warehouse. Commercial details are withheld; the packing figures are exactly as declared.
| Product (320ml can) | Cartons | Gross weight | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola | 1,000 | 8,500 kg | 12.96 CBM |
| Fanta Orange | 500 | 4,250 kg | 6.30 CBM |
| Sprite | 500 | 4,250 kg | 6.48 CBM |
| Fanta Grape | 250 | 2,125 kg | 3.15 CBM |
| Fanta Soda Cream | 200 | 1,700 kg | 2.59 CBM |
| Total | 2,450 | 20,825 kg | 31.48 CBM |
Read the total line again: 31.48 CBM against 20,825 kg. A 20ft container holds roughly 33 CBM and carries about 28 tonnes. This load used 95% of the available volume but only 74% of the available weight.
The box was full. The scale was not.
20ft or 40ft: Which Limit Bites First
At 662 kg/CBM the answer flips depending on the container, and that is the part most buyers are never told.
| 20ft | 40ft | |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. internal volume | 33 CBM | 67.7 CBM |
| Approx. payload | 28 t | 26.5 t |
| Weight if filled by volume | 21.8 t — fits | 44.8 t — impossible |
| Volume at full payload | beyond the box | 40 CBM = 59% full |
| What runs out first | Space | Weight |
The practical consequence: a 40ft container of canned drinks ships about 60% full and looks half empty when the doors open. You pay for volume you legally cannot use. For a pure drinks order, two 20ft boxes usually move more product for the money than one 40ft — ask your forwarder to price both before you commit.
One caveat that cuts the other way: the 28 tonne figure is what the container is rated for, not always what the road allows. Some corridors cap a 20ft’s legal cargo weight closer to 18–20 tonnes, which puts a full 20ft of cans (21.8 t) just over the line. Your forwarder knows the ceiling for your route; ask before you finalise quantities. The full method is in our 20ft container loading guide.
How Many Cans Are on a Pallet — and in a Container?
Working from the same carton figures:
- Per pallet: a standard export pallet of 320ml can cartons carries around 130 cartons — roughly 3,120 cans, about 1.1 tonnes.
- Per 20ft, floor-loaded: approximately 2,400–2,450 cartons, or 58,000–59,000 cans.
- Per 20ft, palletised: around 10 pallets, roughly 1,300 cartons. Pallets cost you close to 10% of usable volume, and with a volume-limited product that loss is real. Floor-loading is the default for cans unless your warehouse requires pallets.
If you would rather work from your own figures, the rule is simple: your carton count is the smaller of (usable CBM ÷ carton CBM) and (allowed cargo weight ÷ carton weight). For cans in a 20ft, the first number always wins.
Mixing: How to Use the Space You Cannot Fill With Weight
Because a drinks container fills up rather than weighs out, the empty budget is weight, not space — the opposite of what most first-time buyers assume. In a 20ft you have roughly six tonnes of unused payload sitting there.
That is why mixed loads make sense, and why our shipments usually carry more than one category. Denser goods — canned food, sauces, condensed milk, detergent — use the weight allowance that cans leave on the table, without demanding much extra space. The load above ran five SKUs across one brand house; most first orders run 15–25 SKUs across two or three categories.
If your first order is smaller than a full container, our LCL vs FCL guide shows where the cost lines cross.
Before You Order: Labels and Documents
Two things to settle at quotation rather than at the port.
Labelling. Vietnamese-market stock carries Vietnamese-language labels. We apply relabelling to your market’s language and information requirements in our warehouse before the container is sealed — but it has to be priced and scheduled into the order.
Certificate of Origin. No preferential C/O is available on this line. These are domestic-market goods and the producing plants do not issue the paperwork a C/O requires, so cost your landed price at your country’s standard duty rate rather than at a trade-agreement preference. Your shipment still travels with a full commercial set — invoice, packing list and bill of lading. Our export documents checklist explains what each one does.
The full range, formats and Vietnamese-market flavours are covered in our guide to wholesale Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes from Vietnam.
How to Place a Bulk Order
The minimum is one 20ft container, and mixed brands and categories are welcome. Payment is by T/T or L/C under Incoterms® 2020, most commonly FOB or CIF.
Send the product list — or simply the categories you sell — with your destination port, target quantities and your labelling requirement. You will get a wholesale quotation, a consolidation plan and a stated lead time within 24 hours on working days.
Ready to price a bulk load? Send us your list and destination port and we will come back with a loading plan and quotation. Or message us on WhatsApp at +84 906 647 640.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cans are in a pallet of soda?
A standard export pallet of 320ml can cartons holds around 130 cartons at 24 cans each — roughly 3,120 cans, weighing about 1.1 tonnes. Exact counts vary with pallet size and stacking height.
How many cases of soda fit in a 20ft container?
Floor-loaded, about 2,400–2,450 cartons of 320ml cans, or 58,000–59,000 cans. On pallets the figure drops to roughly 1,300 cartons, because pallets cost you close to 10% of usable volume.
Do soft drinks hit the weight limit or the space limit?
It depends on the container. At 662 kg per CBM, a 20ft fills its volume at about 21.8 tonnes and runs out of space first. A 40ft reaches its payload ceiling at roughly 59% of its volume and runs out of weight first.
Can you buy Coca-Cola wholesale in bulk from Vietnam?
Yes. The minimum order is one 20ft container, and Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes can be combined in a single load along with other categories.
Is a 40ft container better value for soft drinks?
Usually not. Because canned drinks reach the payload ceiling at around 60% of a 40ft’s volume, you pay for space you cannot legally fill. For pure drinks orders, compare two 20ft boxes against one 40ft before deciding.
What does one carton of 320ml cans weigh?
8.50 kg gross and 7.68 kg net, in 0.0129 CBM, with 24 cans per carton. Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite share the same carton in this format.
Can I get a Certificate of Origin?
Not a preferential one. These are domestic-market goods and the plants do not issue the documentation a C/O requires, so plan duty at your country’s standard MFN rate.
