Pallet Loading Calculator

Calculate exactly how many pallets fit in a shipping container — Standard, Euro, or custom pallet sizes. Uses industry-standard pinwheel loading patterns for accurate results.

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How Many Pallets Fit in Each Container?

Industry-standard counts using pinwheel/mixed-orientation loading method.

Container TypeStandard Pallet (120×100cm)Euro Pallet (120×80cm)110×110cm Pallet
20ft Standard (589×233cm)10 pallets11 pallets10 pallets
20ft Reefer (580×234cm)9 pallets10 pallets9 pallets
40ft Standard (1203×235cm)20 pallets24 pallets20 pallets
40ft High Cube (1203×235cm)20 pallets24 pallets20 pallets
40ft Reefer HC (1159×229cm)19 pallets23 pallets19 pallets
📦 Why Pinwheel Loading Gets More Pallets

Simple straight loading of 120×100cm pallets in a 20ft container gives only 8 pallets (4 columns × 2 rows). But industry-standard pinwheel (mixed-orientation) loading fits 10 pallets — 25% more — by splitting the container into two zones with pallets rotated 90° in each zone.

Zone A (front, 120cm deep): 5 pallets × 100cm wide = 500cm across
Zone B (rear, 113cm remaining): 4 pallets × 120cm + 1 pallet × 100cm = 5 pallets
Total: 10 pallets vs 8 with simple grid loading.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many standard pallets fit in a 20ft container?
Using pinwheel (mixed-orientation) loading, a 20ft standard container fits 10 standard pallets (120×100cm). Simple straight loading only gives 8. ContainerLoad uses the industry-standard pinwheel method automatically.
How many Euro pallets fit in a 40ft container?
A 40ft standard container fits 24 Euro pallets (120×80cm). The narrower width of Euro pallets allows an extra column compared to standard pallets (24 vs 20).
What is the difference between standard and Euro pallets?
A standard pallet measures 120×100cm while a Euro pallet (EPAL) measures 120×80cm. Euro pallets are 20cm narrower, allowing more to fit per container row. They are most common in Europe; standard pallets are used in North America and Asia.
How do I calculate how many boxes fit on a pallet?
Divide the pallet surface area by the carton footprint. For example: a 120×100cm pallet with 30×24cm cartons = floor(120/30)×floor(100/24) = 4×4 = 16 cartons per layer. ContainerLoad calculates this automatically with the best orientation.
What is pallet stacking height?
Maximum pallet stacking height is typically 180cm (total height including pallet base of ~10cm). This depends on container height — a standard 20ft container is 240cm high, leaving 240-10=230cm for cargo. ContainerLoad accounts for pallet base height automatically.

Calculate Your Exact Pallet Count

Enter your carton dimensions and get a full pallet-by-pallet breakdown with 3D diagram.

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