Tool 03 · Volume

CBM, pallet & container fit

The number you need before you can talk about storage, freight or racking. Carton in, CBM and container count out — plus how it palletises, which is where most quotes go wrong.

Carton

Length cm

Width cm

Height cm

Quantity cartons

Weight per carton kg

Max load height on pallet metres, cargo only, excluding the pallet itself

Standards used

Pallet footprint 1200 × 1000 mm; the calculator tries both carton orientations and keeps the better one
Container internal volumes: 20ft GP 33.2 m³, 40ft GP 67.7 m³, 40ft HC 76.4 m³
82% practical loadability applied to volume — real stuffing never reaches nominal
Pallet slots per container: 10 for 20ft, 20 for 40ft — single tier, because 1.45 m of cargo plus the pallet will not double-stack inside 2.69 m
Floor-loading fits more but costs handling time at both ends — both figures are shown so you can price the trade-off
No overhang, no mixed-SKU layering, no weight limit applied — tell us if either binds

Result

Total volume—

Per carton—

Total weight—

Cartons per pallet—

Pallets required—

Weight per loaded pallet—

Containers needed

Useful if you want the storage and handling cost for exactly this volume.

A pallet that weighs more than about 1,000 kg starts to constrain racking beam selection and MHE choice, and a carton that leaves a lot of air on a 1200 × 1000 pallet quietly raises your storage cost by the same percentage every month. Both are worth fixing before a lease, not after.