Donated apparel is sorted into approximately two dozen categories of Men’s, Women’s, Children’s, and Infant & Toddler Clothing. Apparel of a given category is packaged into a shipping unit called a bale, wrapped in plastic and banded for secure and efficient transport. On average, bales weigh 100 pounds or 45 kilograms. Pieces per bale vary by category from 50 pieces to 450 pieces depending on size and bulk of the material.
As orders are received (typically expressed in pieces), an equivalent number of bales are loaded into 40’ ocean containers. Containers hold approximately 400 bales. To make best use of limited transportation resources, the minimum order quantity per container is 40,000 pieces. Vessels depart approximately twice per month; end-to-end transit time is typically 4-6 weeks at minimum.
