How to plan a container mix of used engines
The container is the unit of this trade. The difference between a profitable box and a slow one is decided before anything is loaded — in the mix.
Wholesale onlyRegular orders are one full container — 90 engines in a 20-ft or 130 in a 40-ft, or with gearboxes 45 + 45 / 65 + 65. New customers can make their first purchase from 10 engines (10, 20, 30 or 40), with gearboxes and consolidated shipping, at list price, with no first-order surcharge (LCL freight quoted separately): first-order offer. A second order can start from 45 engines, also at list price. We do not sell single units.
More modelsBeyond the models on this page we hold many more — 488 engine and gearbox families in our warehouse list, always subject to inventory changes. Tell us how many units you need so we can give you the best price: full stock list.
The configurations that frame everything
We sell in four configurations: a 20-ft of 90 engines or 45 engines + 45 gearboxes, and a 40-ft of 130 engines or 65 engines + 65 gearboxes. In a mixed load 90 and 130 are the total units, not engines plus extra gearboxes. These are our commercial configurations, not the physical limit of a container; the weight, dimensions and distribution of each load are checked when it is prepared. Other ratios or gearbox-only loads are a commercial enquiry for our sales team, not a standard offer.
Sea freight is charged per container, not per unit, so the 40-ft spreads the same kind of freight bill over 130 units instead of 90. That single fact drives most of the arithmetic in this business — and most of its mistakes.
| Container | Engines only | Engines + gearboxes |
|---|---|---|
| 20-ft | 90 engines | 45 engines + 45 gearboxes |
| 40-ft | 130 engines | 65 engines + 65 gearboxes |
Cheaper per unit is not the same as more profitable
The 40-ft looks better on paper every time: same handling, more units, so the freight per unit falls. The number the paper leaves out is sell-through. A 40-ft that takes six months to clear at your counter has your capital sitting still in a warehouse, and the cost of that money quietly eats the freight saving.
The buyers who scale successfully almost all started with a 20-ft, learned which models moved, and built the second container from evidence instead of hope.
The mix follows your customers, not our stock
Who buys from you decides the load. Counters and fleet workshops installing engines need complete units they can sell on with confidence — which is why everything ENGICOR supplies is Grade A. Rebuild shops chasing lower-grade and core lots are a different trade, and not ours. A container built for the wrong customer does not become the right container at the destination port.
The engine models follow the same logic: your market's taxi and fleet parc defines the volume families, and the pickup and SUV trade defines the higher-value units on top.
Engines only, or engines and gearboxes
If your counter also sells transmissions, the mixed configurations let you bring them in the same box: 45 + 45 in a 20-ft, 65 + 65 in a 40-ft. You choose which of the 17 engine models fill the engine slots and which published gearbox models fill the gearbox slots. Gearbox prices are published separately and differ from engine prices.
Used gearboxes are sold untested and as-is (in their current condition): they do not carry the Grade A selection or the engine check. The 2TR-FE, 1ZZ-FE, 1AZ-FE, QR25DE, MR20DE and HR16DE gearboxes are 2WD only. Plan the gearbox half of a mixed load around what your customers can install and resell on those terms.
What a sensible first container looks like
The pattern that works, structurally: the bulk of the box in the one or two volume families your market runs every day — all Grade A; a middle tranche in a second family you believe in; and a small count of higher-value units — larger engines, V6 petrol — to test what your counter will bear. No single unit should be one you would struggle to sell alone, because a first container is as much a market test as a shipment.
Then the second container stops being a guess. Reorder what moved, drop what sat, and only then consider the 40-ft.
What to send us for a quotation
Five things: destination port, container configuration, the engine models your market asks for by name, whether your customers install or rebuild, and — for a mixed load — the gearbox models you want. With that we return a written quotation naming the models and quantities, with availability per model confirmed, within one business day.
The mix is agreed before payment. After the 30% deposit each engine is checked and photographed, and the photo file (Engine 1, Engine 2…) uses the same references as the packing list — so what arrives can be compared with what was photographed.
Price a container yourself
Build the mix you want in the online quoter — 90 engines in a 20-ft or 130 in a 40-ft, or 45 + 45 / 65 + 65 with gearboxes — and the FOB total reaches your inbox the same minute, at our published per-unit prices, every engine Grade A. Prefer to ask? Tell us the destination country and the models you need and we reply within one business day, usually within hours.
New customer? Your first order can start with 10, 20, 30 or 40 engines, with gearboxes and consolidated shipping available — first purchase only, at list price, with no first-order surcharge. See the first-order offer →
Frequently asked
Can petrol and diesel go in the same container?
Yes, and mixed loads are common. They are declared under their own HS headings — 8407 for petrol, 8408 for diesel — which is routine export paperwork.
Can I add gearboxes on top of 90 or 130 engines?
No. Gearboxes only come in the mixed configurations, where 90 and 130 are the total: 45 engines + 45 gearboxes in a 20-ft, 65 engines + 65 gearboxes in a 40-ft. Used gearboxes are sold untested and as-is (in their current condition).
Can I fill the remaining space with Core to lower the average cost?
No. ENGICOR supplies Grade A engines only — core and lower-grade fill are not part of our offer, whatever the average cost arithmetic says.
Can you just decide the mix for me?
We will recommend one based on your market and destination, and we will tell you when we think your request is wrong. But you confirm it: it is your counter, your customers and your capital.