Pallets · 20 ft · 40 ft · 53 ft

Pallet calculator

Build pallets that pass the door and fill the floor.

Enter the pallet and box sizes to get boxes per layer, boxes per pallet, and pallets per 20 ft, 40 ft, 40 ft high cube and 53 ft trailer.

Last updated 2026-09-27. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

Start with the pallet you actually use and the tallest stack your warehouse or customer accepts. The box size is the outside size of a packed box, and nothing overhangs the deck edge in this calculation.

Units

Pallet

Measure the empty pallet from floor to top deck, because every layer stacks on top of it.

Use the lowest limit that applies, whether that is your racking, the customer's dock rule, or the container door the tool checks below.

Weigh one empty pallet or take the figure from the pallet supplier, since wood pallets vary with timber and moisture.

Enter the pallet's rated load or your forklift limit, and the tool drops layers until the loaded pallet is under it.

Box

Measure a packed box rather than the carton spec sheet, because a bulging side of a quarter inch costs a whole box per row on some footprints.

Tick double stacking only when the boxes can carry a full pallet on top, since crushed bottom layers are a claim nobody pays.

Before the booking, screen the name on the invoice. Shipment pre-check is on the paid plans, from USD 59 a month.

General guidance only. Verify against the cited primary sources before you commit to a shipment, declaration, or contract.

How the pallet and container counts work

Each layer is filled with whole boxes inside the pallet edge. The tool tries straight rows both ways and every split where one block of boxes runs lengthwise and the rest turn crosswise, then keeps the pattern with the most boxes. Layers are stacked from the deck up while the next full layer still fits under your height limit and your weight limit.

The same pattern search places pallets on the floor. ONE lists its 20 ft dry box at 5,898 by 2,350 by 2,390 mm inside with a door 2,280 mm high, the 40 ft at 12,032 by 2,350 by 2,390 mm with the same door, and the 40 ft high cube at 12,032 by 2,350 by 2,695 mm with a door 2,585 mm high. A pallet taller than the door is flagged even when it fits under the roof.

For the 53 ft trailer the tool uses the Hyundai Translead HY-Cube interior of 52 ft 6 in long, 101 in wide lining to lining and 110 in high. That maker does not list the rear door height on the page, so the trailer check uses the inside height only.

Double stacking doubles the floor count only when two loaded pallets fit under the inside height. It does not check the weight of the container or trailer, so run the total through the CBM calculator for the payload check before you book.

Worked example. Tall pallets and a standard door

The booking. A supplier builds 48 by 40 inch pallets with a 6 inch deck and boxes of 16 by 12 by 11 inches at 30 lb, stacked to a 94 inch limit. The deck takes 10 boxes a layer and eight layers reach 94 inches, so each pallet carries 80 boxes. Twenty pallets fit the floor of a 40 ft box, 1,600 boxes in all, which looks fine on paper.

The failure. The ONE door on a standard 40 ft box is 2,280 mm high, about 89.8 inches. A 94 inch pallet, 2,388 mm, sits under the 2,390 mm roof but it does not pass the door opening, so the forklift driver stops at the first pallet. The choice is the usual one: change the cargo, or change the equipment.

The fix. The buyer switches the booking to a 40 ft high cube, whose door is 2,585 mm, about 101.8 inches. The same 20 pallets of 94 inches pass the door and fit under the 2,695 mm roof, and all 1,600 boxes load. Had the high cube not been available, dropping to seven layers would bring the pallets down to 83 inches and 70 boxes each.

Shipping drums or IBC totes instead of boxes? The drum and tote weight calculator works out the gross weight of each unit from the product's specific gravity before you plan the pallet.

Frequently asked

How many boxes fit on a pallet?

Boxes per layer times the number of layers that fit under your height limit. The tool fills the pallet deck with whole boxes in straight rows or in two blocks turned against each other, with no overhang, then stacks full layers from the top of the deck up to the height you set.

How many pallets fit in a 20 ft and a 40 ft container?

It depends on the pallet footprint. On the ONE inside floor of 5,898 by 2,350 mm, a 48 by 40 inch pallet fits 9 times in a 20 ft box and 20 times on the 12,032 by 2,350 mm floor of a 40 ft box, single stacked. Enter your own pallet size, since a 1,200 by 1,000 mm pallet gives a different count.

How many pallets fit in a 53 ft trailer?

On the Hyundai Translead HY-Cube interior of 52 ft 6 in by 101 in, a 48 by 40 inch pallet fits 26 times with the 40 inch side across and 30 times turned so the 48 inch side runs across. Trailer interiors vary by maker and lining, so check the trailer spec from your carrier before you promise the higher count.

Why does the tool check the door height?

A loaded pallet has to pass through the door before it sits under the roof. ONE lists a door opening height of 2,280 mm for its 20 ft and 40 ft dry boxes, lower than the 2,390 mm inside height, and 2,585 mm for the 40 ft high cube. A pallet built to the inside height will not go through the door.

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