If you have seen piece counts of 3,500 tires in a 40ft container and wondered how that is physically possible, the answer is that used tires are not loaded loose. They are pushed inside each other. The trade calls it doubling, tripling and 4-in-1.
What the terms mean
- 2-in-1 (doubling): one tire pushed inside another
- 3-in-1 (tripling): three nested together
- 4-in-1: a fourth added where the size mix allows it
We usually load tripling, or a fourth, depending on the sizes in the order. It is standard practice in used tire export, and it is how the piece counts we quote are achieved.
Why it matters to your cost
Sea freight is charged per container. Every additional tire that goes into the same box lowers the freight component of your landed cost per piece. The difference between a flat-loaded container and a properly nested one is not marginal — it is the difference between a container that competes in your market and one that does not.
What decides how deeply we can nest
Rim diameter spread
Nesting needs a size difference. A container of one single size has nowhere for the inner tire to go. A spread of diameters — which is exactly what a mixed PCR and light truck load gives you — nests far more deeply.
Tire type
Passenger car tires nest readily, which is why a 40ft of 12–17 inch PCR reaches around 3,500 pieces. Truck and bus tires are stiff and large: an 11R22.5-only 40ft stops at roughly 288 pieces.
Weight
Nesting more deeply eventually runs into the road weight limit at your destination rather than the walls of the container. Those limits differ by country. Tell us the gross or axle limit that applies on your side and we will plan the load to it instead of filling to the roof and leaving you with a problem at the port.
Does nesting damage the tires?
Loading is done by people who do it every month, and the whole point of the exercise is to deliver saleable product — a damaged tire earns nothing for either of us. If you want to see it for yourself, yard visits are welcome once your purchase is confirmed, and watching a container being loaded is the fastest way to understand what you are buying.
FAQ
What does 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 loading mean?
Smaller tires are pushed inside larger ones so the container carries more pieces. It is standard practice in used tire export.
How deeply do you nest?
We usually load tripling, or a fourth, depending on the size mix.
How many tires does that put in a 40ft?
Around 3,500 pieces of 12–17 inch PCR. Around 288 pieces for 11R22.5 truck tires, which do not nest the same way.
Does nesting lower my cost?
Yes, because freight is charged per container, so more pieces in the same box means less freight per tire.
Can I watch the loading?
Yes. Yard visits are welcome after the purchase is confirmed.
Ask for a loading plan
Send us your sizes, container size and destination port — including any weight limit you have to meet — and we will come back with a plan and a CIF offer.
See also our category pages for used passenger car tires, used light truck tires, used truck & bus tires and used tire casings, or read how to import used tires from Japan for the full buying process.
