Choose the pallet, enter the size and weight of one box, then the maximum height your carrier or warehouse accepts. The calculator finds the best way to lay the boxes out on one layer and counts the layers that fit under that height. It then gives the height, weight and volume of the loaded pallet. Add the number of boxes you are shipping to see how many pallets you need.
Choose the pallet
According to the European Pallet Association’s (EPAL) product sheets, the EPAL 1 Euro pallet measures 1200 × 800 mm, weighs about 25 kg and has a safe working load of 1,500 kg. The EPAL 2 measures 1200 × 1000 mm (about 35 kg, 1,250 kg) and the EPAL 6 half pallet 800 × 600 mm (about 9.5 kg, 750 kg). If your pallet is not an EPAL one, choose Other pallet and measure it: pallets with the same footprint can differ in height and weight.
Measure the box
Take its outside measurements, in centimetres. They are used as typed, not rounded to the millimetre: a Euro pallet takes 8 boxes of 40 × 30 cm a layer, but only 6 of 40.1 × 30 cm. Boxes always stay upright: the calculator never lays them on their side, but it can turn them a quarter turn on the layer if you allow it.
Set the limits
The maximum height, pallet included, is your carrier’s, your vehicle’s or your racking’s: ask if you do not know it. The maximum weight is optional; on an EPAL pallet, its safe working load applies anyway once you give the weight of one box. The lowest limit wins, and a weight limit can leave the top layer part-filled.
Use the result
The workings show every step. Copy them, export the result as a CSV file or save it to Priostack. Tick ‘The wooden pallet crosses a border’ to see the rule on treating the wood.
Boxes per layer = the best layout of: every box one way, every box turned a quarter turn, or two blocks side by side, one each way.
Layers = whole part of (maximum height − pallet height) ÷ box height.
Boxes per pallet = boxes per layer × layers, brought down if needed to the whole part of (maximum weight − pallet weight) ÷ box weight, and of safe working load ÷ box weight.
Height = pallet height + layers × box height; weight = pallet weight + boxes × box weight.
Volume of the loaded pallet = length × width × height.
Example: 40 × 30 × 30 cm boxes on a 1200 × 1000 mm pallet
The boxes weigh 12 kg each and the loaded EPAL 2 must stay under 1.80 m and 1,000 kg, pallet included. Two rows of 3 boxes, 40 cm along the pallet, take up 60 cm of its width; a row of 4 boxes turned a quarter turn fills the last 40 cm. That is 10 boxes a layer, covering the whole pallet. Above the 16.2 cm pallet there is 163.8 cm, room for 5 layers of 30 cm: 50 boxes. Weight does not limit them: 35 + 50 × 12 = 635 kg. The loaded pallet stands 166.2 cm high and takes up 1.2 × 1.0 × 1.662 = 1.994 m³. For 250 boxes you need exactly 5 pallets.
