Get Egyptian mango packing right and fruit arrives looking like it was picked yesterday; get it wrong and mangoes reach the shelf bruised, sweated, and discounted. This guide covers the full packing specification an importer should demand — carton formats, counts and sizing, wrapping, palletization, container loading, and labeling per market. It expands the packing section of the complete Egyptian mango export guide.
Last updated: 23 August 2026 · By the Nile Prime export team
Table of Contents
Export carton formats
| Format | Net weight | Gross weight | Layout | Cartons per standard pallet | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg telescopic carton | 5 kg | 5.5 kg | Single layer, 6–16 fruit | 200 | The standard export unit — retail and wholesale |
| 5 kg box | 5 kg | 5.5 kg | Single layer, 6–16 fruit | 180 | Same fruit, lower packaging cost, fewer cartons per pallet |
| 4.5 kg carton | 4.5 kg | 5 kg | Single layer, 6–14 fruit | 200 | On request — buyers running an existing 4.5 kg specification |
All formats are ventilated corrugated board with moisture-resistant coating — reefer humidity runs at 90%, and an uncoated carton loses stacking strength mid-voyage. Single-layer packing is not negotiable for export fruit: mangoes stacked on mangoes bruise under their own weight over a two-week transit. Branded and shelf-ready display cartons are printed on the 5 kg format.
Counts and size grading
| Count (per 5 kg) | Fruit weight | Typical varieties | Demand profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 775–900 g | Keitt, Fagri Kelan, Zebda | Gulf wholesale and food service |
| 7–8 | 590–775 g | Keitt, Kent, Fagri Kelan, Zebda | Gulf premium — the widest price spread |
| 9–10 | 460–590 g | Kent, Shelly, Naomi, Tommy Atkins | Core retail and foodservice counts |
| 12 | 385–460 g | Naomi, Kent, Timour, Owaisi, Sedeeka | EU and UK retail, multi-fruit packs |
| 14–16 | 295–385 g | Owaisi, Sedeeka, Timour (14 only) | Indigenous premiums — Gulf and specialty |
Counts 11, 18 and 20 are not packed. Count 16 is the smallest unit — fruit under about 295 grams goes to the domestic market or to processing. State the count and the carton format together: the same fruit that is a count 7 in a 5 kg carton is a count 6 in a 4.5 kg carton.
Size uniformity inside the carton matters as much as the count itself — a professional packhouse grades to ±25 g within a carton, and the standard tolerance is 5 to 10 per cent of the adjacent count by piece, written into the contract. Ask for a count distribution per lot, not just “mixed sizes”: which counts you receive decides which shelf the fruit can go on. Variety-by-variety size ranges are in the varieties guide.
Wrapping, liners and fruit protection
- Individual paper wrap or foam sleeve — standard on export programs; eliminates rub marks and spreads pressure. Every Nile Prime carton ships wrapped.
- Paper shred or moulded trays — immobilizes fruit inside the carton; loose fruit in a half-empty carton arrives bruised.
- Perforated carton liners — buffer humidity swings without trapping condensation.
- No plastic bags — sealed plastic sweats fruit inside a reefer and accelerates rot; if a supplier proposes it, keep looking.
Palletization and container loading
| Parameter | 5 kg carton | 5 kg box |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet type | Wooden ISPM-15 treated, 1.2 × 1.0 m, corner boards + strapping + net | |
| Cartons per standard pallet | 200 (1,000 kg net) | 180 (900 kg net) |
| Cartons per euro pallet | 160 | 144 |
| Pallets per 40 ft reefer | 21 — 20 standard plus 1 euro | |
| Cartons per 40 ft reefer | 4,160 | 3,744 |
| Payload per 40 ft reefer | 20,800 kg net | 18,720 kg net |
| 20 ft reefer | 10 pallets · 2,000 cartons · 10,000 kg | 10 pallets · 1,800 cartons · 9,000 kg |
| Maximum payload | 25 tonnes on every unit | |
| Reefer settings | 10–12 °C, 90% RH, vents 25–35 CBM/h | |
| Pre-cooling | Fruit at pulp 10–12 °C before loading — never field-hot into the box | |
Airflow is the silent quality factor: pallets stacked to block the reefer’s air channels create warm pockets that ripen fruit mid-ocean. Ask your exporter for the load plan photo before the doors close — a disciplined packhouse photographs every loading as standard.
Labeling requirements by market
| Market | Carton label must show | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf (SFDA / UAE) | Product, variety, origin, net weight, count, packer, production and packing date | Arabic labeling, importer details |
| EU / UK | Class, variety, origin, count and size, lot code, packer ID | GGN where retail requires |
| Russia / EAEU | Product, origin, net weight, count, packer, date | EAEU conformity marks per importer |
Lot codes on every carton are your traceability thread — one code should connect carton to packing day to orchard block. It is also what makes a quality claim resolvable, as covered in the traceability section of the main guide.
Egyptian mango packing — FAQ
What is the standard export carton for Egyptian mangoes?
A single-layer ventilated telescopic carton of 5 kg net and 5.5 kg gross, holding 6 to 16 fruit by size, moisture-coated for reefer humidity, palletized at 200 cartons per standard pallet. A 5 kg box is offered at the same net weight and a lower packaging cost at 180 cartons per pallet, and a 4.5 kg carton is available on request.
How many mangoes fit in a 40 ft reefer container?
A 40 ft reefer is built as 20 standard pallets plus one euro pallet, 21 in total. In the 5 kg carton at 200 per standard pallet that is 4,160 cartons and 20,800 kg net. In the 5 kg box at 180 per pallet it is 3,744 cartons and 18,720 kg net. A 20 ft reefer takes 10 standard pallets: 2,000 cartons or 1,800 boxes. Maximum payload is 25 tonnes.
What temperature are Egyptian mangoes shipped at?
10 to 12 °C pulp temperature at 90 per cent relative humidity, with fruit pre-cooled before loading. Below 8 °C causes chilling injury; field-hot loading shortens shelf life by days.
Which carton counts sell best at retail?
European and UK retail buys fruit of 385 to 530 grams, counts 10 to 12 in the 5 kg carton, because that is the shelf unit price a shopper recognises. Gulf wholesale takes fruit of 530 to 775 grams, counts 7 to 9, where large fruit carries a visible premium. Counts 14 and 16 serve the indigenous premium varieties only.
Get the full packing spec sheet
Nile Prime ships branded display cartons, wrapped 5 kg telescopics and 5 kg boxes — with load plans and QC photos on every shipment. Request the full spec sheet with carton drawings: WhatsApp +20 109 911 1918 · Egyptian mangoes — product page. Time your order against the season calendar.
Sources: Carton, pallet and container-load figures — PEI Trade / Nile Prime costing system, packaging and transport-unit tables, revision 23 August 2026. Market context — PEI Trade Egyptian Mango Export Report 2026 and Tridge Egypt mango intelligence.