Palletising and Load Planning: Maximising Container Space and Reducing Damage

How you load a container directly affects two things: how much you can fit (and therefore your per-unit shipping cost) and how much arrives undamaged. Poor load planning means paying to ship air, while careless stacking leads to crushed products and insurance claims.

Why Load Planning Matters

A standard 40ft container has approximately 67.5 cubic metres of internal space. But real-world usable capacity is typically 55-62 CBM due to:

• Carton sizes that don't perfectly tessellate
• Pallets taking up floor space between products
• Weight limits being reached before volume limits
• Stacking limitations of the products themselves

The difference between a well-planned and poorly planned container can be 15-25% of capacity — meaning you could need five containers where four would have sufficed.

Container Dimensions and Capacity

Use a container size visualiser to see exactly how your products fit within these dimensions and determine the most cost-effective container size for your shipment.

Palletisation Basics

Standard Pallet Sizes

• EUR pallet (EPAL): 1200mm x 800mm — most common in Europe
• ISO pallet: 1200mm x 1000mm — wider, used globally
• US pallet: 48" x 40" (1219mm x 1016mm)

How Many Pallets Fit?

Maximising Pallet Loading

1. Carton dimensions matter — Design carton sizes to fit pallet footprints with minimal gaps
2. Overhang — Slight carton overhang (up to 25mm) is acceptable; more risks damage
3. Stacking height — Stack to a height that maximises container space without exceeding weight limits or crushing bottom layers
4. Pallet weight — Keep individual pallets under 1,000-1,200 kg for safe handling

Floor-Loading vs Palletised Loading

Floor-Loading (Loose Cartons)

Pros: Maximum use of container volume; no space lost to pallet bases Cons: Much slower to load and unload; higher labour costs; more handling damage; difficult to count

Palletised Loading

Pros: Faster loading/unloading; less handling damage; easier inventory count; can be stored immediately Cons: 10-15% volume loss from pallet bases and gaps; pallet costs; heavier total weight

When to Floor-Load:

• Uniform, strong cartons that stack well
• Lower-value goods where handling damage is acceptable
• When you need to maximise unit count in every container
• If unloading labour is cheap at destination

When to Palletise:

• Fragile or high-value goods
• Products going directly into racked warehouse storage
• When unloading speed matters (reducing demurrage risk)
• When your 3PL or warehouse requires palletised delivery

Load Planning Best Practices

1. Create a Loading Plan

Before loading, create a diagram showing exactly where each product goes. Include:

• Pallet positions and stacking heights
• Heavy items at the bottom, lighter on top
• Loading sequence (last loaded = first unloaded)

2. Distribute Weight Evenly

Container weight must be distributed relatively evenly. A container loaded heavily at one end is dangerous to transport and can be rejected by carriers. The centre of gravity should be in the middle of the container.

3. Secure the Load

• Use strapping or stretch wrap on pallets
• Fill gaps with airbags, blocking, or bracing
• Prevent load shift with dunnage bars
• Secure the last row near the doors to prevent cargo falling out when opened

4. Consider Stacking Strength

Every carton has a stacking limit. Humidity during ocean transit reduces cardboard strength by up to 40%. If your cartons are rated for 5 layers in a dry warehouse, limit to 3 layers in a container.

5. Account for Climate

Containers on ocean vessels experience temperature swings that cause condensation ("container rain"). Use moisture-absorbing products and consider moisture barriers for sensitive goods.

Calculating Per-Unit Shipping Cost

Once you know how many units fit in a container, you can calculate the per-unit shipping cost:

Per-unit freight = Total container cost / Units per container

Optimising your load plan to fit more units directly reduces your per-unit cost, which flows through to a lower landed cost and better margins.

This is where container utilisation tracking becomes valuable — monitoring how efficiently you use container space across shipments helps identify opportunities to improve packing efficiency and reduce costs.