# Pallet Load Calculator: Cases per Pallet

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/pallet-load-calculator
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

Work out how many cartons fit on a pallet by layer pattern, height limit and weight limit, and see how much of the pallet footprint you use.

## Category

supply-chain

## Industry

Warehousing

## Audience

- Warehouse manager
- Shipping supervisor
- Packaging engineer

## Tool

**Kind:** calculator

**Inputs:**

#### Pallet length

**Key:** pl

**Type:** number

**Default:** 48

**Min:** 1

**Step:** 1

**Unit:** in

**Help:** 48 x 40 in is the common GMA pallet.

#### Pallet width

**Key:** pw

**Type:** number

**Default:** 40

**Min:** 1

**Step:** 1

**Unit:** in

#### Carton length

**Key:** cl

**Type:** number

**Default:** 16

**Min:** 0.1

**Step:** 0.25

**Unit:** in

#### Carton width

**Key:** cw

**Type:** number

**Default:** 12

**Min:** 0.1

**Step:** 0.25

**Unit:** in

#### Carton height

**Key:** ch

**Type:** number

**Default:** 10

**Min:** 0.1

**Step:** 0.25

**Unit:** in

#### Pallet deck height

**Key:** pallet_h

**Type:** number

**Default:** 5.5

**Min:** 0

**Step:** 0.25

**Unit:** in

#### Maximum loaded height (incl. pallet)

**Key:** max_h

**Type:** number

**Default:** 60

**Min:** 1

**Step:** 1

**Unit:** in

**Help:** Set by truck, rack beam level or customer rule.

#### Carton weight

**Key:** case_wt

**Type:** number

**Default:** 18

**Min:** 0.1

**Step:** 0.5

**Unit:** lb

#### Maximum product weight per pallet

**Key:** max_wt

**Type:** number

**Default:** 2000

**Min:** 1

**Step:** 50

**Unit:** lb

**Help:** Excluding the pallet itself.

**Outputs:**

#### Cartons per layer, pattern A (length along length)

**Key:** pat_a

**Expr:** floor(pl / cl) * floor(pw / cw)

**Format:** integer

#### Cartons per layer, pattern B (rotated 90 degrees)

**Key:** pat_b

**Expr:** floor(pl / cw) * floor(pw / cl)

**Format:** integer

#### Best cartons per layer

**Key:** per_layer

**Expr:** max(pat_a, pat_b)

**Format:** integer

**Description:** Simple block patterns only; pinwheel patterns can sometimes add a carton.

#### Layers that fit under height limit

**Key:** layers

**Expr:** floor((max_h - pallet_h) / ch)

**Format:** integer

#### Cartons limited by height

**Key:** by_height

**Expr:** per_layer * layers

**Format:** integer

#### Cartons limited by weight

**Key:** by_weight

**Expr:** floor(max_wt / case_wt)

**Format:** integer

#### Cartons per pallet

**Key:** cases

**Expr:** min(by_height, by_weight)

**Format:** integer

**Primary:** true

**Description:** The lower of the height limit and the weight limit.

#### Product weight per pallet

**Key:** load_wt

**Expr:** cases * case_wt

**Format:** number

**Primary:** true

#### Pallet footprint used

**Key:** footprint

**Expr:** per_layer * cl * cw / (pl * pw) * 100

**Format:** percent

**Description:** Low values mean wasted deck area or an overhang opportunity.

**Chart:**

#### Cartons per pallet vs carton height

**Type:** bar

**X:** ch

**From:** 4

**To:** 20

**Steps:** 17

**Series:**

- cases

**Disclaimer:** Geometry check only. Confirm crush strength, overhang rules, stretch wrap and carrier limits before changing a pallet pattern.

## Content

**Intro:** This pallet load calculator tells you how many cartons fit on one pallet once you apply the real limits: the footprint, the height cap and the weight cap. Use it to set standard pack quantities, quote freight, or check a supplier's stated cases per pallet.

**Sections:**

#### How to use it

**Body:** Enter the pallet and carton dimensions in the same unit, then the maximum loaded height and the maximum product weight. The calculator tests the two basic orientations for a layer, picks the better one, stacks as many layers as the height allows and then caps the total at the weight limit. Set the maximum height from the tightest constraint in your chain, such as a rack beam opening or a customer receiving rule, not just the truck.

**Bullets:**

- Measure outside carton dimensions, including bulge
- Subtract the pallet deck height from the height limit
- Use product weight excluding the pallet
- Round carton sizes up, never down

#### The method

**Body:** Cartons per layer is the product of how many cartons fit along the pallet length and how many fit across the width, using whole numbers only. Rotating the carton 90 degrees gives a second pattern, and the larger wins. Layers equal the available height divided by carton height, rounded down. The load is the lower of the height-limited count and the weight-limited count. Footprint use shows how much of the deck the pattern covers; below roughly 90 percent there may be room to change carton size.

#### Worked example

**Body:** A 48 by 40 in pallet with a 16 by 12 by 10 in carton gives 3 by 3 in pattern A and 4 by 2 in pattern B, so 9 and 8 cartons per layer. With a 60 in cap and a 5.5 in deck, 5 layers fit, giving 45 cartons. At 18 lb each that is 810 lb, well under a 2,000 lb limit, so height is the constraint. If a design change raised the carton height to 11 in, only 4 layers would fit, and the pallet would drop to 36 cartons. That kind of cliff is exactly what the chart shows.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** Teams often forget that a pallet quantity entered in the ERP must match the real pallet build, otherwise ASN, picking and freight data drift apart. Others ignore crush strength: stacking five layers can fail on a lower layer even when geometry works. Mixed-SKU pallets, overhang, and column-stack versus interlock patterns are not modelled here. In SAP, Oracle, Infor or Epicor, store the result as the unit of measure conversion for the pallet, and record the pattern in the packaging instruction.

**Cta:** If your pallet quantities in the ERP no longer match what is built on the floor, Netray can help check unit-of-measure and packaging data across your items.

**Faq:**

#### How many boxes fit on a standard pallet?

**Answer:** It depends on box size, height limit and weight. A 48 by 40 inch pallet commonly takes 8 to 12 cartons per layer for mid-sized boxes, and total height is usually capped near 48 to 72 inches depending on the carrier or rack.

#### What pallet size should I enter for Europe?

**Answer:** The EUR pallet is 1200 by 800 mm, or about 47.2 by 31.5 inches. Enter both in the same unit as your carton dimensions, for example all in millimetres, and set the height limit accordingly.

#### Does this include the weight of the pallet?

**Answer:** No. Enter the maximum product weight, which is the pallet capacity minus the pallet itself and any wrap or dunnage. Add pallet weight afterwards when calculating gross shipping weight.

#### Can a pinwheel pattern fit more cartons?

**Answer:** Sometimes. Pinwheel and mixed patterns can add a carton or two when the footprint has leftover space. This calculator tests the two block orientations only, so treat the result as a safe minimum.

## Search terms

pallet load calculator, cases per pallet calculator, how many boxes fit on a pallet, pallet pattern calculator, pallet stacking calculator, pallet cube optimization, cartons per layer calculator, pallet configuration calculator

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