Sea freight
3D container loading calculator
Which container your cargo fits in, how full it will be, and where every carton goes. Internal dimensions for the standard boxes, the pallet counts that follow from them, and a 3D plan for the shipment you actually have.
Complete basic estimates are free. Preview mixed loads in 3D; full custom plans unlock with a $9 pack.
Free carton fit calculator
One carton size, one empty rectangular space. Enter the inside dimensions and get a calculated carton count, layer drawing and volume use immediately.
Complete basic results. No account or card needed.
Estimated cartons in one space
51 cartons per layer × 5 layers = 255 cartons
Space estimate: payload has not been checked. Add your available cargo allowance to apply a weight limit.
- Cartons per complete layer
- 51
- Layers used
- 5
- Volume use
- 73.74%
- Carton volume
- 24.48 m³
- Cargo weight
- 2550 kg
- Loaded height
- 200 cm
The original carton height is vertical (40 cm). Amber cartons turn 90° on the floor. Higher layers repeat this orientation and pattern; a payload-limited final layer can be incomplete.
Loads for your order — feasible geometric estimate
1
Loading spaces needed for 100 cartons: 1. The drawing and cargo measurements above show one space at capacity, not the whole order.
Volume/payload lower bound: 1. This is only a necessary bound; it is not a demonstrated packing plan or a promise of the minimum number of loads.
20 ft dry container: ACL. Dimensions are a published equipment example, not a universal fleet specification. Confirm your actual interior and cargo allowance.
Compare the same cartons in another space
Each row uses the carton size, orientation, order and payload allowance entered above. Only internal dimensions change. Confirm the allowance separately for each equipment type.
| Loading space | Cartons per load | Volume use | Loads for order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft dry container | 255 | 73.74% | 1 |
| 40 ft dry container | 550 | 77.9% | 1 |
| 40 ft high cube | 660 | 82.98% | 1 |
How the carton estimate works
- Find a layer that fits. Compare both horizontal rotations and mixed layouts with a single dividing line. With all orientations allowed, repeat this check for each choice of vertical carton dimension.
- Repeat the layer within the height. Divide internal height by carton height in the selected orientation and round down. The method keeps one vertical orientation and repeats the same layer; it does not prove the best possible 3D packing.
- Apply payload and count the loads. If a payload is entered, divide it by carton weight and round down. Use the smaller of the space count and weight count. Divide the order by this capacity and round up for a repeatable geometric estimate.
What the estimate leaves to check
This is one rectangular carton size in an empty rectangular interior. It does not check door entry, wheel arches, packing gaps, pallets, carton crush strength, stacking stability, load restraint, unloading order or axle loads. Interior fit alone does not establish a practical loading plan. Check the actual shipment and equipment before loading.
Read the loading-order guideDifferent cartons or handling rules?
The separate 3D planner handles mixed loads and additional constraints. Explore examples and preview your own load free; full custom 3D results start with a $9 pack.
The short answer
11 euro pallets in a 20 ft. 25 in a 40 ft. 27 in a 45 ft high cube.
Single tier, no overhang, standard-width boxes.
Those are floor counts, and the floor is rarely what limits a container. A 20 ft box holds about 33 m³ and 28 tonnes; dense cargo reaches the weight long before the space, light cargo reaches the roof long before the weight, and mixed cartons leave voids that no table predicts. The table below gives the box; the planner underneath gives the answer for your load, with a fill percentage and a picture.
Container dimensions and capacities
Internal measurements for the boxes that carry most containerised freight, with the euro and industrial pallet count each takes on a single tier, the nominal payload and the internal volume.
| Container | Internal L × W × H | Pallets, one tier (euro · industrial) | Payload · volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft standard | 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 11 · 10 | ~28,200 kg · 33 m³ |
| 20 ft pallet-wide high cube | 5.90 × 2.44 × 2.69 m | 14 · 10 | ~28,000 kg · 39 m³ |
| 40 ft standard | 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 25 · 21 | ~26,700 kg · 68 m³ |
| 40 ft high cube | 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m | 25 · 21 | ~26,500 kg · 76 m³ |
| 40 ft pallet-wide high cube | 12.10 × 2.44 × 2.69 m | 30 · 24 | ~26,000 kg · 79 m³ |
| 45 ft high cube | 13.56 × 2.35 × 2.69 m | 27 · 24 | ~25,700 kg · 86 m³ |
| 20 ft reefer | 5.44 × 2.29 × 2.27 m | 10 · 9 | ~27,500 kg · 28 m³ |
| 40 ft high cube reefer | 11.56 × 2.29 × 2.55 m | 23 · 20 | ~29,000 kg · 67 m³ |
Nominal figures. Internal dimensions vary by manufacturer and by a few centimetres between boxes of the same size; payload is the ISO rating and the road leg usually allows less. Pallet counts assume no overhang. Measure the box you have been allocated before you plan to the centimetre.
Pack your own container
Enter the cargo — or describe it in a sentence — and the solver chooses the container, places every item and shows what did not fit. Stacking limits, weight caps and items that cannot be tipped are respected.
The full planner handles mixed sizes and additional handling rules. Explore complete examples and preview your cargo free; full custom 3D plans unlock with a $9 pack.
What changes the answer
Five things decide whether the floor count survives contact with the cargo. Each one is a reason a published figure and a real container disagree.
- The door, not the box
- A standard container door is about 2.34 m wide and 2.28 m high — narrower and lower than the 2.35 × 2.39 m inside. Anything that fits the box but not the opening does not go in, and a high cube's taller door is often its real advantage.
- Volume is not capacity
- 68 m³ of box holds far less than 68 m³ of cartons. Rows that do not divide the width evenly, the gap above the top tier and odd sizes at the end take 10–25% on a good day. The fill percentage the planner reports is the honest figure.
- Weight before space
- Dense cargo hits the payload limit long before it fills the floor. A 20 ft container holds about 28 tonnes and 33 m³ — anything above roughly 850 kg per cubic metre runs out of weight first, and the pallet count stops mattering.
- Road limits arrive before the rating
- A 40 ft may be rated for 26.7 tonnes, but the truck collecting it may not be: many European routes cap the loaded box plus chassis at 40–44 tonnes gross, and US roads at 80,000 lb. Plan to the tightest leg, not to the plate on the door.
- What may sit on what
- Double-stacking doubles a count only if the lower tier can carry the upper one and the total clears the roof. Fragile, non-tiltable and crush-limited items break that arithmetic, and they are the norm rather than the exception.
Questions
How many pallets fit in a 20 ft container?
11 euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) or 9–10 industrial pallets (1200 × 1000 mm) on a single tier. A pallet-wide 20 ft takes 14 euro pallets, because two fit side by side across its 2.44 m width.
How many pallets fit in a 40 ft container?
25 euro pallets or 21 industrial on one tier, in a standard or a high cube — the high cube adds height, not floor. A pallet-wide 40 ft high cube takes 30 euro pallets.
What is the difference between a 40 ft and a 40 ft high cube?
30 cm of height: 2.69 m inside against 2.39 m, which is 76 m³ against 68. Same floor, same door width, and the door is 30 cm taller too. If your cargo stacks two high and the second tier just misses in a standard box, the high cube is the answer.
Should I plan by volume (CBM) or by weight?
Both, and whichever runs out first wins. Above roughly 850 kg per cubic metre a 20 ft reaches its payload before it is full; below that it fills before it is heavy. The planner reports fill percentage and total weight together, so the binding one is obvious.
Plan the container
Your cargo, the right box, and a 3D plan you can share as a link.
Open the planner