A loading meter (LDM) is one metre of trailer floor measured across the full width of the truck, conventionally 2.4 m. You calculate it as length × width ÷ 2.4, so one Euro pallet (1.2 × 0.8 m) takes 0.4 LDM. Road carriers use loading meters to price part loads and groupage.
This page covers the formula, the stacking factor, the weight conversion carriers apply, and what the formula cannot tell you. Last updated 6 October 2026.
What is a loading meter (LDM)?
One loading meter is a strip of trailer floor 1 m long and 2.4 m wide, which is 2.4 m² of floor. The 2.4 m is a convention for the usable width of a European semi-trailer, not a measured value for every trailer. The unit exists because a truck's capacity for part loads is its floor length. On a part-load truck, the cargo beside your pallets belongs to another shipper, so the floor length you block is what the carrier sells.
Loading meter is the English term. In German the word is Lademeter, and the abbreviation LDM is used in both languages.
How do you calculate loading meters?
Divide the floor area of the cargo by 2.4 m.
LDM = length (m) × width (m) ÷ 2.4For several identical pieces, multiply by the quantity. A shipment of 6 Euro pallets and 4 pallets of 1.2 × 1.0 m works out like this:
- 6 × (1.2 × 0.8 ÷ 2.4) = 6 × 0.4 = 2.4 LDM
- 4 × (1.2 × 1.0 ÷ 2.4) = 4 × 0.5 = 2.0 LDM
- Total: 4.4 LDM
Height does not change the figure. A pallet loaded 0.8 m high and one loaded 1.8 m high use the same loading meters, unless one of them can be stacked.
How many loading meters is a pallet?
A Euro pallet is 0.4 LDM, an industrial pallet of 1.2 × 1.0 m is 0.5 LDM, and a half pallet of 0.6 × 0.8 m is 0.2 LDM.
| Load unit | Footprint | LDM per piece |
|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet (EPAL) | 1.20 × 0.80 m | 0.40 |
| Industrial pallet | 1.20 × 1.00 m | 0.50 |
| US pallet (48 × 40 in) | 1.219 × 1.016 m | 0.52 |
| Half pallet | 0.80 × 0.60 m | 0.20 |
| Wire mesh box pallet | 1.24 × 0.835 m | 0.43 |
The values come from the formula above. One German guide lists the mesh box pallet at 0.43 to 0.50, so check the tariff you quote against.
How do stackable and non-stackable pallets change the loading meters?
A stackable pallet can share floor space with another one, so you divide the loading meters by the number of layers. This number is the stacking factor.
LDM = quantity × length × width ÷ 2.4 ÷ stacking factorTen Euro pallets that cannot be stacked take 4.0 LDM. If they can be stacked two high, they take 2.0 LDM.
| Cargo | Stacking factor | LDM for 10 Euro pallets |
|---|---|---|
| Not stackable | 1 | 4.0 |
| Stackable two high | 2 | 2.0 |
| Stackable three high | 3 | 1.33 |
A stacking factor only holds if the stack physically fits in the trailer. The German encyclopedia entry on the Lademeter states the condition as: interior height minus (unit height × stacking factor) must be at least 0.05 m. With a 2.7 m interior, two Euro pallets of 1.2 m loaded height fit (2.4 m plus the margin), but two of 1.35 m do not.
How many loading meters does a truck have?
A standard semi-trailer has a load floor of about 13.6 m, so it offers 13.6 LDM and holds 34 Euro pallets in a single layer. That sits inside the EU maximum of 16.50 m for the whole articulated vehicle, and the width limit is 2.55 m on the outside.
We checked the pallet count with the load planning engine behind Cargo Marshal, using a 13,620 × 2,480 × 2,700 mm box trailer:
| Pallet | Pallets that fit in one layer | Floor length used |
|---|---|---|
| Euro 1,200 × 800 mm | 34 | 13.6 LDM |
| Industrial 1,200 × 1,000 mm | 26 | 13.0 LDM |
| US 1,219 × 1,016 mm | 26 | 13.4 LDM |
The Euro pallet result needs the pallets turned so that two 1.2 m sides sit across the 2.48 m width. That gives 17 rows of 0.8 m, or 34 pallets. Loading them three across with the 0.8 m sides gives 11 rows of 1.2 m, or 33 pallets. A planner who only counts the second pattern loses one position.
How do carriers convert loading meters to weight?
Many carriers charge the higher of the actual weight and the weight their tariff assigns to the loading meters. The common factor is 1,750 kg per LDM. Some carriers use 1,850 kg, and values between 1,500 and 2,000 kg appear in practice.
Take the 4.4 LDM example from above. At 1,750 kg per LDM the chargeable weight is 4.4 × 1,750 = 7,700 kg. If the pallets weigh 3,000 kg, you pay for 7,700 kg. Light, bulky cargo is therefore priced by floor space, and heavy cargo by weight. The factor belongs to the carrier, so read it from the tariff or ask.
What does the loading meter formula leave out?
The formula assumes that your cargo fills the width and that nothing else needs space beside it. Three things break that in practice.
- Trailers are about 2.48 m wide inside, not 2.4 m. Three Euro pallets side by side (3 × 0.8 m = 2.4 m) fit, which is why the 2.4 m convention works well for Euro pallets.
- Pallets that are not the same size leave gaps. A 1.0 m pallet beside a 0.8 m pallet wastes 0.2 m of width, and the formula does not charge for that waste.
- Height and weight limits come on top. Two pallets that fit by area can still exceed the payload or the axle loads of the trailer.
For a quick quote, use the loading meter calculator. The inner dimensions of the usual trailers are on the pages for the 13.6 m curtainsider, the mega trailer and the BDF swap body. When pallets differ in size, height or weight, a load plan shows whether they fit and how. Open the sample load plan to see what the result looks like, or check plans and prices.
FAQ
What does LDM stand for?
LDM stands for loading metre (or loading meter). In German it is Lademeter. It measures the length of trailer floor a shipment occupies across the full trailer width.
How many loading meters is one Euro pallet?
0.4 LDM, from 1.2 × 0.8 ÷ 2.4. Two Euro pallets turned lengthwise and placed side by side across the trailer use 0.8 m of floor, which is 0.8 LDM.
How many Euro pallets fit in 1 LDM?
By area, 1 LDM equals 2.5 Euro pallets. In practice pallets sit in whole rows. Three pallets side by side use 1.2 m of floor, which is 1.2 LDM, and a full 13.6 m trailer holds 34 pallets for 13.6 LDM.
How many loading meters are in a 13.6 m trailer?
13.6 LDM. That is the load floor length. The tractor and the fifth-wheel area come on top of this inside the legal total length of 16.50 m.
How many kilograms is one loading meter?
There is no single value. Carriers commonly use 1,750 kg or 1,850 kg per LDM to convert floor space into chargeable weight. Read the conversion from your carrier's tariff.
Does height matter for loading meters?
Only if the cargo can be stacked. Height alone does not change the LDM of a pallet. A stackable pallet that is low enough for two to fit in the trailer counts half.
Is LDM the same as a pallet space?
No. A pallet space is a position for one pallet. A loading meter is a length of floor. By the formula, one Euro pallet space is 0.4 LDM.
Sources
- Lademeter, Wikipedia (German), read 6 October 2026, for the formula, the stacking factor and its height condition.
- Council Directive 96/53/EC, consolidated version of 26 May 2015, for the 16.50 m and 2.55 m limits.
- What is a loading meter, E van Wijk, read 6 October 2026, for pallet examples.
- Lademeter berechnen, Reinwald Expresslogistik, read 6 October 2026, for the 1,750 kg conversion and its 1,500 to 2,000 kg range.
- Lademeterrechner, Cargolo, read 6 October 2026, for the 1,750 to 1,850 kg range.