Ordering bar stools is mostly a matter of deciding three numbers and then refusing to let anyone change them quietly. Here is what those numbers are, and where the specification usually slips.
Volume is decided by packing, not by size
Two suppliers can quote the same bar stools and ship very different quantities per container. The difference is how the piece is packed: stacked in twos and fours with corner boards on the frame.
Container planning starts with the packed footprint, not with the product dimensions. Nesting saves more money than shaving 30 mm off a piece.
Where damage actually happens
Transit damage concentrates at the contact points: corners of a table top, the top rail of a chair back, the seat edge of a stool. Corner boards and a shaped carton deal with these; extra layers of bubble wrap mostly do not, because the failure is impact rather than abrasion.
The second cause is movement inside the carton. Strapping that stops a piece shifting is worth more than padding that stops it scratching.
Loading sequence and the last piece in
Load the heaviest and most awkward items first, against the front wall of the container, and finish with the light cartons that will be unloaded first at destination. This is not only about space: a load that has to be dug out on arrival arrives with handling damage.
Leave access to the rear doors clear. Packed to the door line with no plan for unloading, a container turns a two-hour delivery into a half-day.
Documentation and the numbers on the box
Every carton should carry model, finish code, quantity and the room it belongs to where the order is for a single site. On a fit-out with three floors, room-level marking saves a day of sorting on site and prevents the wrong finish ending up in the wrong room.
The packing list should match the carton marks exactly. Where it does not, the count on arrival becomes an argument rather than a check.
Working backwards from an opening date
Take the opening date, subtract installation, subtract transit, subtract the production window, and you have the date the drawing has to be approved. If that date has passed, the plan needs changing rather than the supplier being chased.
For bar furniture manufacturer, both the production sequence and the packing standard are fixed before the order is placed, which is the only point at which changing them is still free.
Where these figures can be checked
Packing is a specification, not a favour. The bar stools pages carry the dimensions, including custom heights, and the finish range is set out under materials and finishes.
Load and material reports sit alongside each other in quality and compliance rather than in separate documents, and the route from approved drawing to packed crate is described in how we work.
Where a room mixes heights, the bar chairs are usually the piece that gets specified last and fits worst, so settle them in the same drawing round.
Questions buyers ask
How many fit in a 40 ft container?
It depends on the packing footprint rather than the product size. Ask for the packed volume per unit and calculate from that, not from the catalogue dimensions.
What packing standard should I ask for?
Corner protection, shaped cartons and strapping that stops movement inside the carton. 'Standard export packing' is not a specification.
Can mixed items ship together?
Yes, and on a fit-out they usually should: one shipment, one set of documents, and fewer chances for a partial delivery to arrive after the installers have left.