Pallet Loading Calculator
How many cartons fit on a pallet — per layer and in total — from the carton and pallet sizes, the height limit and the weight limit, with the utilisation of the pallet’s footprint and cube.
Cartons tile a pallet in rows and columns; try them both ways round and take the better, then stack layers up to the height limit.
How the pallet loading calculator works
Cartons tile a pallet in rows and columns; try them both ways round and take the better, then stack layers up to the height limit. The footprint utilisation is the cartons’ area over the pallet’s; cube utilisation compares carton volume with the loaded pallet’s volume. A weight limit can cut the layers before the height does. Interlocking layers (rotating alternate layers) improve stability but rarely the count.
Formula: per layer = max(floor(L÷l) × floor(W÷w), floor(L÷w) × floor(W÷l)); layers = min(floor((H − pallet) ÷ h), floor(weight limit ÷ (per layer × carton weight)))
Worked examples
| Inputs | Cartons per pallet | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 400 × 300 × 250 mm on a Euro pallet, 1,800 mm limit | 48 | 8 per layer × 6 layers = 48 |
| Same carton on an Australian pallet | 36 | 6 per layer × 6 = 36 |
| Heavy cartons: 25 kg each, 1,000 kg limit | 20 | 4 per layer × 5 layers by height — 20 |
FAQFrequently asked questions
Why do cartons not always fill the pallet?
Because their dimensions rarely divide the pallet’s exactly: a 400 × 300 carton on a 1200 × 800 Euro pallet fits 8 per layer with no waste, but on a 1165 mm Australian pallet it leaves a strip. The footprint row shows the waste; pinwheel patterns can recover some of it.
Should cartons overhang?
No — overhang crushes corners, blocks racking and breaks the load-per-pallet rules of most carriers. Underhang of up to 25 mm a side is normal.
What height limit applies?
Racking and trucks set it: 1,600–1,800 mm is common for mixed freight, 2,000 mm or more for full loads in high-cube trailers. Airfreight and some retailers set lower limits.
How do I make the load stable?
Rotate alternate layers so the cartons interlock (a column stack is strongest for crush but least stable), keep heavy cartons low, and wrap or strap. Interlocking usually keeps the same count per layer.
Where these figures come from
- Corporate Finance Institute — EBITDA — why EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure with no single definition
- US SEC — Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations — the disclosure rules that exist precisely because EBITDA is not standardised
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission — the Australian corporate regulator
Last checked: September 2026. These are standard management-accounting definitions; where a term has no single agreed definition, the page says so.