The clippers were designed to carry tea, and they had some 100 tons of iron kentledge (ballast) built between the floors of their holds. They would also use another 150 to 250 tons of shingle, of which three-quarters was spread in the bottom of the holds and the other quarter was stuffed into the spaces along both sides during loading.
飛翦原為運茶而設計，船艙板中已裝有一百噸的壓艙鐵，另外需要再加一百五到兩百五十噸的壓艙石，其中四分之三鋪在船底，留四分之一等裝箱時塞滿兩側隙縫。