Free freight calculator
Container load calculator
Plan a container or trailer load: how many cartons or pallets fit in a 20ft, 40ft, 40ft high cube or 45ft container or a 53ft trailer, limited by space and by payload, and how many containers a shipment needs.
Container and load
Inside: 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.7 m (76.4 m³) · typical max payload 58,422 lb.
Load plan
Enter the carton size to plan the load.
Delivering from the port?
Get live LTL and truckload rates for the inland leg, or work out the shipment's CBM first.
How to plan a container load
Choose the container
Pick a 20ft, 40ft, 40ft high cube or 45ft container, or a 53ft trailer for US domestic loads.Enter the carton or pallet
Use outside dimensions and the gross weight of one unit. For pallets, use the loaded height including the pallet.Check space and weight
The plan shows the count by space and whether the payload limits it, with a floor diagram.Book the inland leg
Once the container lands, get LTL or truckload rates for delivery.
Container terms
- TEU / FEU
- Twenty-foot and forty-foot equivalent units, the standard measures of container capacity.
- Payload
- The cargo weight a container can carry: its maximum gross weight minus its tare.
- High cube (HC)
- A container about 9 ft 6 in tall outside instead of 8 ft 6 in.
- FCL
- Full container load: you book the whole container.
Container load FAQ
- How many pallets fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?
- Single-stacked, a 20-foot container typically holds 9 to 10 standard pallets (11 EUR pallets) and a 40-foot about 20 to 21 (23 to 24 EUR pallets), depending on the pallet size and orientation. Double stacking doubles that if the height and weight allow. Enter your pallet size to see the count for your load.
- How many cartons fit in a container?
- Divide the container into layers: how many cartons fit on the floor, times how many layers fit under the ceiling and through the door. The calculator does this for each carton orientation it is allowed to use and caps the result at the payload.
- What is the difference between a 40ft and a 40ft high cube?
- A high cube is about one foot (30 cm) taller inside, giving roughly 76 CBM instead of 67 CBM. It helps with tall or light cargo; heavy cargo usually reaches the weight limit first.
- Why is my container full before the volume is used?
- Cartons leave gaps that no other carton fits into, and heavy cargo hits the payload limit before the space is full. Road weight limits in the destination can also be lower than the container’s rating.
- Are container dimensions the same everywhere?
- No. Inside dimensions, door openings and payloads vary by manufacturer and age. The calculator uses typical figures; confirm with your carrier for tight loads.
Need delivery from the port?
Get live LTL and truckload rates for the domestic leg.
Free tools
More free freight calculators
CBM Calculator
Total cubic meters, air chargeable weight and containers needed for a shipment.
Pallet Calculator
How many cartons fit on a pallet, layer by layer, within height and weight limits.
Cubic Feet Calculator
Get cubic feet, cubic meters and freight density for boxes, cylinders and shipments.
Landed Cost & Duty Calculator
Estimate import duties, taxes and fees so you can price DDP.
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Request a free auditResults are planning estimates using typical container dimensions and payloads. Actual capacity depends on the container, bracing, door clearance, carton strength and legal road weights.