Start with weight, not area
A 20-ft container has a theoretical payload of around 28 tonnes, but road and port weight limits in most destinations mean the practical working figure is nearer 25 tonnes. Stone is dense enough that you will hit that ceiling with the container still visibly half empty. That is normal — plan by weight.
Weight per square metre by thickness
Marble and limestone weigh roughly 2.7 tonnes per cubic metre; granite is similar to slightly heavier. That gives you simple planning figures:
• 2 cm material ≈ 54 kg per m² • 3 cm material ≈ 81 kg per m² • 4 cm material ≈ 108 kg per m²
Realistic capacity for a 20-ft container
Working from about 25 tonnes and allowing for the weight of crates, bundles and packing timber, a 20-ft container typically carries approximately 350–400 m² of 2 cm tiles or slabs, or roughly 250–280 m² at 3 cm. Raw quarry blocks are quoted purely by weight rather than area.
Treat these as planning figures for budgeting and freight estimates, not as a fixed loading promise.
What changes the number
Packing method (crates are heavier than bundles), the thickness mix in one load, whether you combine tiles with strips or cut-to-size, and above all the road weight limit at the destination — some countries cap truck loads well below others. Tell us your destination port and we will calculate the load against the limits that actually apply to you.