Also in: Disaster Response and Recovery
Pallet Cube and Trailer Loadout
Pallets per trailer by floor area and weight, cube fill, cube-out vs weigh-out.
Example
You enter
- Case length (in) 12
- Case width (in) 10
- Case height (in) 8
- Case weight (lb) 25
- Cases per pallet 48
You get
- By floor 26
- By weight 37
- Pallets total 26
- Cube fill 34.3 %
- Total weight 31,200 lb
- Status cube-out
Checked against published worked examples from: GMA pallet (48 x 40 in) + 53 ft dry-van trailer cube practice.
Details, formula, and sources
Formula or tablePallets per trailer = min(floor area / pallet footprint, weight rating / pallet weight). Cube-out vs. weigh-out flag = whichever bound binds first. Trailer specs: 53 ft / 48 ft / 28 ft pup / 40 ft reefer / 20 ft / 40 ft ocean container.
Source and editionCarrier published trailer specs (Wabash National, Great Dane, Utility Trailer Manufacturing) by name; ISO 668 ocean-container specs by name.
Free accessTrailer specs free at each manufacturer site. ISO 668 licensed; principles free in carrier rate guides.
What governsMath aid for personal verification. The ELD on the truck and the carrier tariff are the legal record. State limits may be lower than federal.
API field namescase_length_in, case_width_in, case_height_in, case_weight_lb, cases_per_pallet, pallets_by_floor, pallets_by_weight, pallets_total, cube_fill_percent, total_weight_lb, flag
- Standard pallet footprint 48 in × 40 in (GMA) unless user suppliesGMA pallet specification
- Trailer dimensions 53 ft = 630 in × 100 in × 110 in interior typicaltrailer-manufacturer spec