Mandarins are the citrus category that is still growing. Easy-peel varieties have replaced oranges on the retail shelf in North America and Europe, the counter-season supply from Peru, Chile and South Africa now runs from April to October, and the United States imports almost as much as California grows. For the packer, three things follow: the 10 kg carton is still the base unit, the 25 lb master with 3 lb and 5 lb mesh bags grows with U.S. and Mexican supermarkets, and every container to North America spends two weeks at 1 °C before it is opened.
| Fact | Figure | What it means for the packaging | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. imports 2025/26 | 555,000 t of fresh tangerines and mandarins, +4 %, an all-time high and the second record year in a row; nearly half of U.S. consumption; U.S. production 997,000 t (−10 %), total supply 1.6 million t (−5 %); Chile and Peru supply mainly May to October, Morocco November to April | The counter-season window is the carton order: U.S. receivers want the 15 kg bulk box and the 25 lb master with mesh bags, both built for the cold-treatment lane | USDA FAS, Citrus: World Markets and Trade, January 2026, via Fresh Fruit Portal, February 3, 2026 |
| World 2025/26 | Production 38.4 million t (+ under 1 %); fresh exports 4.8 million t (+10 %); China 27.1 million t; EU 2.8 million t (−6 %); Türkiye exports 1 million t (+392,000 t); Morocco and South Africa larger crops; Chile exports up slightly, Peru stable | More fruit chasing the same reefer slots: 10 kg carton volumes in the southern hemisphere are flat to slightly up, Morocco's winter window is where the 10 kg box grows fastest | USDA FAS via Citrus Industry, March 4, 2026 |
| Peru 2025 | 264,957 t of mandarins exported January to November 2025, US$326.5 million, average US$1.23/kg; June to August over 60 % of the value; U.S. 47.5 % of value (59.4 % in 2024), Mexico 16.1 %; USDA projects 570,000 t production and 260,000 t of exports on 23,000 ha for 2025/26, 46 % to the U.S., 13 % to Mexico, 12 % to the Netherlands | At 10 kg per carton that is on the order of 26 million cartons a season from Peru alone; the U.S. share is the cold-treated share | FreshFruit Perú (customs data, December 2025); USDA FAS Peru citrus annual via Citrus Industry, January 2026; as compiled on our Spanish page |
| Storage recommendation | 5 to 8 °C, 90 to 95 % RH, 2 to 6 weeks depending on variety, maturity and decay control; chilling injury (pitting, brown staining) below 5 °C; respiration 2 to 4 mL CO₂/kg·h at 5 °C and 10 to 15 at 20 °C; degreening at 20 to 25 °C with 1 to 10 ppm ethylene for 1 to 3 days | The fruit respires little, so the carton works on ventilation and humid compression, not on gas tightness; no MAP liner is needed | UC Davis Postharvest, Mandarins and Tangerines Produce Facts |
| U.S. cold treatment | Citrus from Peru (limes excepted) and other fruit-fly areas: pulp at 1.11 °C or below for 14 days, 1.67 °C for 16 days or 2.22 °C for 18 days, three calibrated probes in the fruit, pre-cooled 48 hours before loading; one probe out of range restarts the clock | Two weeks at almost 0 °C inside a reefer, then a summer dock: the board must hold its compression wet, and the vents must let the air and the probes reach the centre of the pallet | 7 CFR 319.56 (citrus from Peru); treatment schedules as published by reefer logistics operators (TIBA) |
Carton counts are simple arithmetic on the tonnage and ignore processing and domestic fruit; read them as orders of magnitude. This page is packaging guidance, not customs, phytosanitary or market advice: your receiver's specification and the destination plant-health authority govern.
The carton is set by the receiver, not the grower. Europe, the UK, Central America and Asia buy the 10 kg telescopic or self-locking box, often with five 2 kg mesh bags inside; the U.S. and Canada buy the 15 kg bulk box for repacking and the 25 lb master pre-bagged in 5 lb mesh for the shelf. The dimensions below are the usual ones on the two standard footprints; every receiver fixes its own height and pallet pattern, so confirm before cutting a die.
| Format | Net weight | Usual outer dimensions | Style and board | Market and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kg telescopic or self-locking carton | 10 kg (22 lb); sizes 1X, 1, 2, 3 loose | 400 × 300 × 150 to 170 mm | Top-and-bottom (telescopic) or self-locking tray, vented; single-wall C flute 32 to 44 ECT; for cold-treatment lanes 44 ECT or double-wall 48 ECT | The reference box for Europe, the UK, Central America and Asia; 10 per layer on both a 48 × 40 in and a 1200 × 1000 mm pallet |
| 15 kg / 33 lb carton | 15 kg (33 lb) | 600 × 400 × 120 to 140 mm | Telescopic double-wall 48 ECT, or single-wall 44 ECT with reinforced corners | Bulk format for the U.S. and Canada; 5 per layer; fewer boxes to erect, more weight per column |
| 25 lb master with 5 × 5 lb mesh bags | 25 lb (11.3 kg) | About 410 × 340 × 180 mm (16 × 13.5 × 7 in) | Top-and-bottom or open tray with corner posts, C flute 44 ECT | The supermarket format in the U.S. and Mexico; the bag carries variety, PLU and country-of-origin label |
| 24 lb master with 8 × 3 lb mesh bags | 24 lb (10.9 kg) | About 410 × 340 × 180 mm | As above | Small sizes (Satsuma, Clementine, Primosole) and club stores |
| 2 kg or 1 kg mesh bag with label | 1 to 2 kg | Tubular raschel mesh 30 × 40 cm, 7 to 10 g per bag | Woven HDPE, waist label or header card, orange or red | Europe and the UK inside the 10 kg carton (5 × 2 kg); the colour lifts the fruit and hides small peel marks |
| Stand-up zipper pouch with handle | 1 to 1.5 kg | Per brand; micro-perforated | Printed film up to 8 colours, clear window | Retail private-label programmes; filled at the packhouse or at destination |
| PP corrugated plastic harvest crate | 18 to 22 kg | 600 × 400 × 200 mm or 500 × 350 × 250 mm | 4 to 5 mm polypropylene sheet, washable, foldable or rigid | Tree to packhouse: mandarins are clipped, not pulled, and must not rub on splintered wood or wet board; the PP box absorbs neither fungicide nor wash water |
10 kg and 10 to 15 kg presentations: offers published by Peruvian exporters on trade platforms; the 15 kg telescopic: Egyptian and Spanish citrus exporters to the same channel; 25 lb and 24 lb masters: mandarin presentations in U.S. retail. Mesh-bag weights and capacities: our mesh produce bags guide. Carton styles, flutes and ECT grades: our corrugated cartons page.
Planning base: 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) and 1200 × 1000 mm pallets, 2.0 to 2.1 m load height, 20 pallets in a 40 ft high-cube reefer. Mandarins fill the box by volume up to about 24 t; above that, the carrier's and the destination road weight limit decide the layer count, not the pallet height.
| Format | Per layer | Layers | Cartons per pallet | Fruit per pallet | 40 ft HC reefer (20 pallets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kg carton · 400 × 300 × 160 mm | 10 | 12 to 13 | 120 to 130 | 1,200 to 1,300 kg | 2,400 to 2,600 cartons · 24 to 26 t |
| 15 kg carton · 600 × 400 × 130 mm | 5 | 15 to 16 | 75 to 80 | 1,125 to 1,200 kg | 1,500 to 1,600 cartons · 22.5 to 24 t |
| 25 lb master · 410 × 340 × 180 mm | 6 to 7 | 11 | 66 to 77 | 750 to 870 kg | 1,320 to 1,540 cartons · 6,600 to 7,700 bags of 5 lb · 15 to 17.5 t |
| 24 lb master · 410 × 340 × 180 mm | 6 to 7 | 11 | 66 to 77 | 720 to 840 kg | 1,320 to 1,540 cartons · 10,560 to 12,320 bags of 3 lb · 14.4 to 16.8 t |
Arithmetic: on the 400 × 300 footprint, six cartons straight (3 × 2, 1200 × 600 mm) plus four turned (4 × 300 = 1200 mm wide by 400 mm deep) cover 1200 × 1000 mm on the 1219 × 1016 pallet, 10 per layer, the same pattern as the 8.2 kg grape box in our grape bags per box guide; on 600 × 400, three turned (1200 × 600) plus two straight (1200 × 400) give 5 per layer; 13 layers of 160 mm = 2.08 m. 2,600 cartons of 10 kg are 26 t of fruit plus about 2.6 t of cartons and pallets, at the limit many carriers accept on the Callao to Philadelphia and Los Angeles lanes, which is why many shipments leave with 12 layers or 18 pallets. The 25 lb master fits 6 per layer straight and 7 in a mixed pattern if the receiver accepts a 1 cm overhang; 11 layers of 18 cm = 1.98 m. Counts are Fuxing planning estimates; confirm against the final die line, the receiver's maximum height and the carrier's weight limit. Stacking rules for PP corrugated plastic crates are in the PP box palletization and assembly guide.
Mandarins are not a cold-loving fruit: below 5 °C the peel pits and browns. Yet to enter the United States from Peru, Chile and other fruit-fly areas the fruit must be held at 1.11 °C or below for 14 days in transit, so the whole U.S.-bound crop spends two weeks below its own chilling threshold. The variety, the wax and the maturity control the peel; the carton has a different job, which is to carry 1,100 to 1,300 kg per column through two weeks at near 0 °C and then through the condensation of a summer dock.
| Situation | Temperature | RH | Duration | Chilling risk | What it asks of the carton |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage and normal transit (Europe, Asia, Central America, Mexico) | 5 to 8 °C | 90 to 95 % | 2 to 6 weeks by variety, maturity and decay control | Pitting and brown staining below 5 °C, worse the longer the exposure | 5 to 7 % vent area aligned through the pallet; board that keeps more than half its compression after 3 to 4 weeks at 95 % RH |
| In-transit cold treatment to the U.S. (Anastrepha and Ceratitis fruit flies) | Pulp at 1.11 °C or below · 1.67 °C or below · 2.22 °C or below, three probes | Saturated; condensation at opening | 14 days · 16 days · 18 days; interrupted means restarted | The fruit is below 5 °C for the whole treatment: variety, wax and maturity decide pitting, not the box | Pre-cool the fruit 48 hours before loading; box compression (BCT) measured at 5 °C and 90 % RH; moisture-resistant kraft liner; water-resistant glue; vents that let the probes and the air pass between columns |
| Degreening before packing | 20 to 25 °C with 1 to 10 ppm ethylene | 90 to 95 % | 1 to 3 days | Not applicable | Ethylene must be purged from rooms and trucks afterwards; never share a container with ethylene producers (avocado, banana, apple) |
Mandarins respire little, 2 to 4 mL CO₂/kg·h at 5 °C and 10 to 15 at 20 °C, so they need neither modified atmosphere nor a liner bag: the carton works on ventilation and on compression in a humid room, not on gas tightness. What punishes the board is the combination of two weeks at 1 °C and the condensation of unloading on a summer dock in Philadelphia or Los Angeles. An ordinary carton saturated with moisture can lose between a third and a half of its compression strength, and the bottom layer of the pallet is carrying 1,100 to 1,300 kg. That is the reason to ask for the compression value measured cold and humid rather than the dry catalogue figure; the test method is in our wet-lock box testing guide. Limes (Tahiti and Key) are exempt from cold treatment, so their carton can be lighter; see the Spanish Persian lime export packaging guide.
| Point | What to specify | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Compression strength | Single-wall C flute 44 ECT or double-wall 48 ECT for 10 and 15 kg cartons on cold-treatment lanes; C flute 32 to 44 ECT for 24 to 25 lb masters; BCT measured at 5 °C and 90 % RH | The bottom layer carries 1,100 to 1,300 kg for 14 to 18 days of cold treatment and 2 to 3 more weeks of distribution |
| Papers and glue | Moisture-resistant treated kraft liner, water-resistant adhesive, no paraffin wax | Saturated board loses up to half its compression; wax blocks the recycling that U.S. and European chains require |
| Vents and handles | 5 to 7 % of the face in vertical slots aligned with the pallet and away from the corners; die-cut handles that do not weaken the column | Without airflow between columns the centre of the pallet does not reach 1.11 °C within 48 hours and the treatment is prolonged or invalidated |
| Print and traceability | Flexo up to 8 colours; PLU, lot, GS1 barcode or QR checked before plates; space for country of origin, variety and size; mesh-bag brand to match | Receivers log unreadable labels and mixed brands on one pallet as defects; the bag and the box must tell the same story |
| Erecting and palletising | Self-locking or machine-formed to suit your line; corner posts and 4 vertical straps; an erecting trial with your crew before the season | In the June to August peak, labour is short and erecting time is a direct cost |
Board and vent rules are Fuxing engineering practice for citrus on cold-treatment lanes; test methods are in the produce export packaging guide. Artwork and barcode checks: our artwork and barcode preflight checklist.
They do not compete; they are three stages of one chain. From the tree to the packhouse the PP corrugated plastic harvest crate earns its place: mandarins are clipped flush at the calyx, and any rub against splintered wood or wet board marks the peel and opens the door to Penicillium; a 4 to 5 mm PP box absorbs neither fungicide nor wash water, can be disinfected and lasts hundreds of cycles. Across the sea the printed corrugated carton rules: one way, light, carrying the brand and traceability the receiver demands, recyclable at destination. Inside the carton, the raschel mesh bag of 1 to 2 kg or 3 to 5 lb turns a 10 kg lot into five or more retail units with variety, PLU and country-of-origin labels, and the orange or red mesh lifts the fruit. One container from our plants can combine 10 and 15 kg cartons, 25 lb masters, printed mesh bags, stand-up zipper pouches and PP harvest crates, which lowers the freight per unit and simplifies clearance in Callao, San Antonio or Durban. Sheet grades, weights and load ratings are on our PP corrugated plastic boxes page; bag constructions on the fruit and vegetable bags page.
Lead time for packaging shipped by sea from South China: 1 to 2 weeks for quantities, final artwork and sample approval, 3 to 4 weeks at the factory, 30 to 40 days by sea to Callao (Peru), San Antonio (Chile), Durban (South Africa) or Casablanca (Morocco), 5 to 7 days of dispatch, and one week of incoming inspection. Approve artwork 10 to 12 weeks before the first packing week and ask for the production and sailing schedule in writing with the quotation. Mesh bags, labels and pouches can fly if the season comes early; cartons cannot.
| Window | Packing | Confirm the order by | What to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru, early varieties (Satsuma, Primosole, Clementine) | March to May | November to December | 10 kg cartons, 2 kg and 3 lb mesh bags; artwork approved December to January |
| Peru, peak (W. Murcott, Tango, Orri, Nova, Minneola) | June to August, over 60 % of the year's value | February to March | Second lot of 10 and 15 kg cartons and 25 lb masters; 5 lb mesh replenishment |
| Peru, season close | September to October | June | Last 15 kg cartons for the U.S. and Canada; mesh inventory for next season |
| Chile (Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O'Higgins), over 90 % to the U.S. | May to October, Clementines first, W. Murcott and Tango from July | January to March | 15 kg cartons and 25 lb masters for the cold-treatment lane; 5 lb mesh bags |
| South Africa (Western and Eastern Cape, Limpopo) | April to October | December to February | 10 kg and 15 kg cartons for Europe, the UK, the Middle East and Asia; 2 kg mesh and 1 kg bags |
| Morocco (Berkane, Souss), the U.S. winter supplier | November to April | July to September | 10 kg cartons and 25 lb masters; 3 lb and 5 lb mesh for U.S. and Canadian retail |
Windows are trade practice; Peruvian peak months from FreshFruit Perú customs data; Chile's U.S. share and the Chile, Peru and Morocco supply months from USDA FAS via Fresh Fruit Portal. If the order is late: unprinted cartons and standard mesh bags in 2 to 3 weeks at the factory; a new die adds 1 to 2 weeks and should be cut in the off-season.
| # | Tell the supplier | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Format (10 kg, 15 kg, 25 lb or 24 lb master) and main destination (U.S., Mexico, Europe, Asia) | Fixes the die, the board grade and the pallet pattern |
| 2 | Varieties and sizes packed (Satsuma, Clementine, W. Murcott, Tango, Orri, Minneola) and whether loose or in mesh | Sets the inner fitment and the bag count per carton |
| 3 | Real net weight your line packs, not the nominal, and the maximum height your receiver accepts | A 10 mm height change moves the layer count and the reefer total |
| 4 | Outer dimensions in mm, or a physical sample of the carton you use today | We match the receiver's footprint exactly |
| 5 | Carton style: telescopic, top-and-bottom, self-locking, tray with corner posts, or handle box | Erecting method, line speed and board usage |
| 6 | Whether the container runs cold treatment (14, 16 or 18 days) and the target BCT measured at 5 °C and 90 % RH | We size the board to the cold, humid value, not the dry one |
| 7 | Flute (C or double wall) or, if you prefer, the target ECT | Compression, print surface and cost |
| 8 | Number of colours, inside print, finishes (varnish, laminate); mesh-bag and label artwork to match | Plate and artwork lead time |
| 9 | Vent and handle drawing required by your customer at destination | Airflow for the treatment and the receiver's audit |
| 10 | Total quantity per season and split by shipment (March, June, August) | Schedules the factory and the sailings |
| 11 | Packing date and delivery point: Ica, Chincha, Huaral, Lima, Piura or Callao; Coquimbo or San Antonio; Durban; Casablanca | Cartons, mesh bags, pouches and PP crates can share one container |
| 12 | Certifications required (FSC, food-contact declaration, SGS report), Incoterm (FOB loading port or CIF destination) and currency | Lets your customer's QA sign off before samples ship |
Fuxing Group manufactures corrugated cartons printed in up to 8 colours in single and double wall, raschel mesh bags, stand-up zipper pouches and fruit films, and PP corrugated plastic harvest boxes in 2 to 10 mm sheet, from Dongguan (China), Hai Phong (Vietnam) and Davao and Calamba (Philippines), with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, FSC and SGS verification. Send the 12-point checklist, or simply a photo of the carton and bag you use today; we reply in English or Spanish within 12 hours with two board alternatives, a matching printed mesh bag and, if you need it, the PP harvest crate, and we send physical samples for your own cold-room compression test before you confirm the season.
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