You can go over that many characters, just don't expect it to be shown in the results pages.
Many people say it's good to get their brand / company name into the title, and they're right to a certain degree, but it's not the most important thing there! Put it at the end of the title. You can also try to cram in category names, depending on the site:
Quote:
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Big Red Cardboard Box | Cardboard Boxes | Bob's Boxes
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If the site is ever to become a recognised brand, you'd probably want it in there
That said, if it's long an unwieldy, it might not be so good, and every case is unique.
Have you got any examples you might be interested in optimising?