Beijing Youshare Food Co., Ltd|ice cream|3D ice cream|fruit ice cream

Should ice cream minimum order quantity be quoted in cartons, pieces or tons?

2026-11-04

Cartons. Container loading, customs declaration and cold storage are all counted in cartons, so a minimum in pieces or tons cannot be turned into a loading plan. Also ask whether the figure is per item or per container — the two readings give very different orders.

Key facts

• Container loading: A standard 40-foot high-cube reefer container holds approximately 5,000 cartons, varying by specific package specifications.
• Customs and storage: Shipping documentation and warehouse inventory management are structured around cartons and pallets rather than individual pieces or metric tons.
• Minimum order quantity: Quotations calculated in cartons allow buyers to accurately configure mixed containers (FCL) across multiple SKUs.
• Package specs: Standard cartons typically contain 12 units (such as 75g or 65g items), making carton-based MOQ directly translatable to pallet space.

What changes these units

Quoting in metric tons can create ambiguity due to varying overrun and water content across different frozen dessert categories, while pieces make full-container calculations overly cumbersome. Using cartons bridges production packing units with international logistics standards, ensuring accurate freight forwarding and customs clearance without conversion errors.

— Hicey

This guide was prepared by the Hicey technical and export desk. Beijing Youshare Food Co., Ltd. produces 3D novelty frozen desserts, offering 45 distinct product varieties available in both dairy and plant-based formulas for international buyers.