About this calculator
Palletised cargo loads and unloads faster and suffers less damage, but pallets do not divide a container's width neatly. A dry container is about 2,352 mm wide inside, so two 1200 × 1000 pallets side by side leave a gap, and 1200 × 800 euro pallets only work well when some run lengthwise and some crosswise. That is why the pallet count per container often differs from a rough guess, and one or two pallets less means dozens of cartons moving to another box.
This calculator searches for the best floor pattern for your pallet size, including mixed lengthwise and crosswise layouts and the pinwheel pattern (four interlocking blocks around a small gap in the middle). If the pallets can be stacked, the number of tiers comes from the inside height divided by the loaded pallet height, and you can cap the tiers. When you enter the gross weight per pallet, the total is capped by the container payload. You can also add a gap per pallet as loading clearance.
Without a gap, the result is the geometric maximum. Some patterns leave only a few centimetres at the end or sides, while forklifts, imprecise pallets and overhanging goods need room. Use the gap per pallet for realistic planning, check the door height for tall pallets, and open the result in the 3D Planner to see where every pallet goes.
Worked example
Euro pallets 1200 × 800, loaded height 1,100 mm, gross weight 900 kg, stackable, in a 20' GP (5,898 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm):
- Floor: a 1,200 mm strip with pallets crosswise 5,898 ÷ 800 = 7, the remaining 1,152 mm with pallets lengthwise 5,898 ÷ 1,200 = 4 → 11 per floor
- Tiers: 2,393 ÷ 1,100 = 2 tiers
- Total: 11 × 2 = 22 pallets
- Weight: 22 × 900 = 19,800 kg, below the 28,250 kg payload
This 20' box is limited by space, not weight, with 8,450 kg of payload to spare.
How to use it
Choose container and pallet
Pick the container type, then a 1200 × 1000, euro 1200 × 800 or 1100 × 1100 pallet, or enter your own size.
Enter pallet height and weight
Enter the loaded pallet height (pallet + goods) and gross weight per pallet, and tick whether the pallets may be stacked.
Add clearance
Enter a gap per pallet, for example 50 mm, and a tier limit if the goods cannot carry weight on top.
Read the result and plan
See the floor pattern, pallets per floor, tiers, total pallets, total weight and the binding limit, then open it in the 3D Planner.