About this calculator
Warehouse capacity is easiest to compare in pallet positions: the number of places a pallet can be stored in the racking. It is the figure you need when looking for a warehouse to lease, planning a new building in an industrial estate or checking whether seasonal stock will still fit. Floor area alone is not enough: two warehouses of the same size can differ widely in capacity because of clear height, aisle width and rack layout.
This calculator lays out selective pallet racking, the most common system, in which every pallet is directly accessible. Across the width, racks are arranged as a single row, an aisle, two back-to-back rows separated by a flue gap, an aisle, and so on. Along the length, it counts the bays that fit after subtracting cross aisles and the dock zone, with the bay width taken from pallets per bay, clearances and upright thickness. The number of levels comes from the clear height minus the space kept free under the roof or sprinklers, using the load height, lift-off clearance and beam depth.
Aisle width depends on the forklift. As typical figures, a counterbalance truck usually needs about 3.5–4.5 m, a reach truck about 2.7–3.2 m and a very narrow aisle (VNA) truck under 2 m; always check your equipment specification. The result is a first estimate: floor load capacity, sprinkler clearances, escape routes and local safety rules can reduce it, so confirm the design with your racking supplier and a safety consultant.
Worked example
A 50 × 30 m warehouse, 10 m clear height (0.5 m top clearance), 3 m aisles, 4 m of cross aisles in total, 1.1 m deep racks with a 0.2 m flue, 3 pallets of 1,000 mm per bay, 1.5 m loaded pallet height.
- Width: module 3,000 + 2 × 1,100 + 200 = 5,400 mm → 5 aisles and 10 rack rows
- Length: 50,000 − 4,000 = 46,000 mm; bay 3 × 1,000 + 4 × 100 = 3,400 mm + upright → 13 bays per row
- Height: (9,500 + 150) ÷ (1,500 + 150 + 150) → 5 levels
- Total: 10 × 13 × 3 × 5 = 1,950 pallet positions; racking covers 501.6 m² of the 1,500 m² floor
This building holds about 1,950 pallets with reach trucks; the wider aisles of counterbalance trucks would cut the number of rows.
How to use it
Enter the building size
Enter the clear floor length and width, the clear height under beams or sprinklers and the top clearance to keep free.
Set aisles and racks
Enter the aisle width for your forklift, total cross aisles and dock zone, rack depth, flue gap and upright thickness.
Enter the pallet data
Enter the pallet face width in the rack, pallets per bay, clearances, loaded pallet height, beam depth and lift-off clearance.
Read the capacity
See aisles, rows, bays per row, levels, total pallet positions and the floor share taken by racking; copy the link to share.