Loading and ordering techniques are provided for one-sided and two-sided vectored line groups, as well as loading methodologies that also can be used on a single line, in communication systems such as DSL binders. For single-user lines, bits and energy are optimally allocated for a given set of parameters, which may include maximum rate, minimum rate, maximum margin, target margin, minimum marginand PSD mask of any shape. Iterations, bit-swapping during loading or adaptive margin update during loading can be used in single-user loading, which has low complexity and can be used for a variety of loading objectives and/or goals, such as rate-adaptive, margin-adaptive and fixed-margin objectives. For multi-user vectoring systems, ordering as well as loading is provided for a supplied rate-tuple within a rate region, determining acceptable user loadings and orderings so that the rate-tuple can be implemented. For one-sided vectored DSL, some loading and ordering determines acceptable allocations of bits, energy and decoding/precoding ordering(s) for each tone of each user for a specified set of rates on the vectored lines. PSD determination, ordering and bit allocation can be iteratively used in multi-user loading and ordering and can augment and alter the criteria used for bit swapping procedures used in single lines (or in bonded multiple lines for a single user) so that a favorable vector of rates is achieved for all users. Order swapping can adjust a bit vector and/or rate vector within a constant-rate-sum convex subset of a hyperplane towards the desired vector of user rates for each of the lines.