Pallets per Truckload Calculator
Find how many pallets fit on a trailer, box truck or shipping container, loaded straight, turned or mixed, with stacking and weight limits.
- Loading pattern
- Pallets per layer
- Layers
- Length used
- Load weight
- Limited by
- Loads needed
- Cost per Pallet
- Add a freight rate to estimate
| Pattern | Per Layer |
|---|
Load Comparison
Loads you add are saved in this browser, so you can compare equipment and pallet sizes.
| Equipment | Pallet | Pattern | Per Load | Limited By | Rate | $/Pallet | Loads | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No loads yet. Set one up above and choose Add to comparison. | ||||||||
How to Figure Pallets per Truckload
Start with the floor. Divide the inside length of the trailer by the pallet side that runs along it, and the inside width by the side that runs across it. Drop any fractions, since a partial pallet can't ride. Multiply the two to get pallets per layer, then multiply by the number of layers if the load can be stacked.
The ⌊ ⌋ brackets mean round down to a whole number.
Straight, Turned and Mixed Loading
A 53′ dry van is about 630″ long and 99″ wide inside. Loaded straight, with the 48″ side along the trailer, 48×40 pallets fit 13 rows of 2 across: 26 pallets. Turned sideways, with the 40″ side along the trailer, they fit 15 rows of 2 across (the two 48″ sides need 96″): 30 pallets. Turning pallets fits more whenever the width allows two pallets side by side on their long sides.
Mixed rows combine straight and turned rows to use up leftover length. In a 20′ container, about 232″ long and 92½″ wide, 4 straight rows of 2 use 192″, and the leftover 40″ takes one more pallet turned: 9 pallets. Side-by-side lanes (sometimes called pinwheeling) run one lane straight and one lane turned, which is how 48×40 pallets are usually loaded in a shipping container, where two turned pallets are too wide for the 92½″ floor.
Pallets per Load for Common Equipment
Single layer, floor space only, using the inside dimensions in this calculator.
| Equipment | Inside L × W × H | 48×40 | 48×48 | 42×42 | 1200×800 Euro | 1200×1000 |
|---|
Tips for Loading
Inside dimensions vary between trailers and containers, especially width and height, so measure your equipment or ask your carrier when a load is close. Wheel wells, liners, logistics posts and door openings can all take away space. If a pattern leaves less than about 2″ of spare length, expect to lose a row.
Weight often runs out before floor space. A loaded truck and trailer on U.S. interstates is usually limited to 80,000 lb gross, which leaves roughly 42,000 to 45,000 lb of cargo in a 53′ van. Containers are rated for more than that, but road limits still apply when they travel on a chassis. Double stacking only works when the bottom pallets can carry the load above them and the stack clears the door opening.