Container loading calculator

A 20 ft container measures 5,898 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm inside and a 40 ft container 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm. The high cube versions add 305 mm of height.

These are the built-in Equipment Types the calculator plans with. Real containers vary by a few millimetres between manufacturers, so confirm the exact figures with your carrier.

In one layer, 11 Euro pallets fit in a 20 ft container and 25 fit in a 40 ft container or a 40 ft high cube. A 45 ft high cube takes 27.

Each pallet is 1,200 × 800 mm, 1,400 mm high with the goods and 400 kg. Pallets may turn on the floor but are never tipped or stacked.

Double stacking, ISO pallets and US pallets are covered in how many pallets fit in a 20 ft, 40 ft and 40 ft high cube container.

Because cargo does not fill a container like water does. A 20 ft container holds 33.2 m³ and a loaded Euro pallet takes 1.34 m³, which suggests 24 pallets, but only 11 fit.

The width is the usual reason. A container is 2,352 mm wide inside, and a Euro pallet is 800 or 1,200 mm on a side. Across that width the pallets can fill at most 2,000 mm, so at least 352 mm of every cross-section stays empty.

Door size, payload and pieces that cannot be stacked or turned lower the real number further. Real shipments mix sizes, which wastes more space than identical pallets do.

The result shows how many Units your list needs and in which sizes, then draws a side view of each Unit with every piece in its place.

Units

The containers the engine opens, mixed from the equipment you select. A Unit is one container or trailer.

Volume used

Cargo volume as a share of the inside volume of the Units opened. Treat it as a guide, not as proof that one more piece fits.

Loaded

Pieces loaded out of the pieces on your list.

Weight

Total weight against the payload of the Units. It appears when your list includes weights.

Cargo not loaded

Pieces that did not go in, each with a reason such as too large, too heavy or no equipment left. Select more equipment, or check the unit if a value looks far too large.

It plans every piece as a stackable box that may turn on the floor but never tip, and it takes up to 50 rows and 2,000 pieces.

The app adds what a real shipment needs: loading rules per Cargo Line, locked items, groups that stay together, a 3D review and a link to send to the dock. Securing, dunnage and driver checks stay with you.

How many pallets fit in a 40 ft container?

25 Euro pallets fit in a 40 ft container in one layer, and 25 in a 40 ft high cube. Stacking two high needs each loaded pallet to be lower than 1,196 mm in a 40 ft container.

Is the container loading calculator free?

Yes. It needs no account and no email address. The free trial of the app is optional.

Is my packing list uploaded anywhere?

No. The calculation runs in your browser, so your list stays on this page. We count how many rows and Units a calculation had, never what is in them.

Can I use it as a pallet loading calculator?

Yes. Enter each pallet type as one row with its loaded height, including the goods, then pick the containers or the EU curtain trailer. A Euro pallet is 1200 × 800 mm.

What is the difference between a 40 ft container and a 40 ft high cube?

Height. Both are 12,032 mm long and 2,352 mm wide inside, but the high cube is 2,698 mm high against 2,393 mm.

How accurate is the result?

It uses the same engine as Calculate in Cargo Marshal, so a plan here matches the plan in the app for the same list and equipment. Securing and dunnage are not part of it.