Chart Sizes Compared: 30 × 40 vs 50 × 70 vs 70 × 100

Pick 50 × 70 cm if you are stocking one size only: it is large enough to read across a room, small enough to hang in the average flat, and it crosses into volumetric air pricing by less than a kilogram. Pick 70 × 100 cm for one anchor position and 30 × 40 cm for volume and add-on sales. The numbers behind those three sentences are below, and they are shipping numbers rather than taste numbers.

The three standard sizes, side by side

The crossover at 50 × 70 is the whole table

Air freight bills whichever is greater: actual weight, or volume converted at a divisor of 6,000. Compare the two columns above and the three sizes behave in two completely different ways.

• 30 × 40 cm bills on actual weight. 1.2 kg on the scale beats 0.95 kg of air space. You are paying for paper, board and a frame.
• 50 × 70 cm bills on volume. 3.2 kg of space against 2.6 kg of goods — a 23% premium over the number on the carton.
• 70 × 100 cm bills on volume, hard. 7.5 kg of space against 4.4 kg of goods. You are paying for 3.1 kg of air on every single piece.

The practical consequence is about framing, not size. A framed chart and a rolled chart of the same artwork differ by far more than one size step, because the frame is what fills the carton. If your margin is tight and your customer is not expecting a frame, buy the size up and leave it unframed — you will still come out ahead of the smaller size framed.

Filling a cubic metre

Almost every ocean LCL consolidation has a minimum of one cubic metre, and it is billed on whichever is greater between cubic metres and metric tonnes. On light printed goods, volume always wins.

Here is what a single-design minimum order fills:

At minimum order, none of them fills the space you are paying for. That is the argument for a first order that mixes sizes and designs rather than maxing out one SKU: four designs at 30 × 40 cm is 0.27 m³, and six cartons of the mid size brings it over 0.5 m³ without ever exceeding a single-carton-per-design risk.

“Small orders are cheap. Small shipments are not.”

The rule that decides most first-order economics in printed goods

Which size to stock first, by shop type

What the frame depth means for display

The frame depth rises with the size — 4 cm, 5 cm, 6 cm — and that matters more than it sounds.

• A 4 cm frame on a 30 × 40 cm chart hangs flat enough to stack in a column of three without the bottom piece standing off the wall.
• A 5 cm frame on a 50 × 70 cm chart is the depth that reads as "framed picture" rather than "poster in a frame".
• A 6 cm frame on a 70 × 100 cm chart needs a firm fixing and about 3 cm of clearance behind it; do not plan to hang one over a door frame or a radiator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular wall chart size?

50 × 70 cm is the most useful single size for retail, because it is the largest size that still fits a normal domestic wall while remaining legible from across a room. 30 × 40 cm sells in higher unit volume where the customer is buying an add-on or a gift, and 70 × 100 cm sells in lower volume as the piece that defines a wall.

Should I stock the same design in all three sizes?

For one or two designs, yes — customers who want a specific chart often want it in a specific size, and a missing size reads as an incomplete range. For a broader range, stock all three sizes on your best-selling design and only the mid size on the rest. Carrying three sizes of ten designs triples your minimum order for no extra shelf presence.

Is 70 × 100 cm too large for a gift purchase?

It is too large for an impulse purchase and correct for a planned one. The practical test is display: a 70 × 100 cm chart needs a wall position at eye level with two metres of viewing distance. If a shop cannot give it that, the mid size will outsell it whatever the artwork.

Does unframed really ship that much cheaper?

Yes, and the reason is the volumetric divisor, not the weight of the frame. Any reduction in carton depth divides straight into the volume, so a rolled chart that packs to a third of the depth cuts roughly two thirds off the billable air weight of the same size. Below 50 × 70 cm the effect is smaller, because actual weight was already winning.

How do I calculate volumetric weight myself?

Multiply packed length × width × height in centimetres, then divide by 6,000 for air freight or 5,000 for air express. The result is the weight the carrier will bill if it exceeds the actual weight. Round the carton up, never down — carriers measure, and an extra centimetre on a 100 cm side is 1% of the volume.

Next: the same arithmetic drives where and how to buy Chinese history charts wholesale, and The Chinese dynasties in order is the subject matter most of these prints carry.

Every design is stocked in all three sizes, so the choice above maps straight onto a SKU: 30 × 40 cm, 50 × 70 cm and 70 × 100 cm. Trade pricing — three tiers starting at 12 pieces — appears after you sign in.