What pallet sizes are standard?

The EUR/EPAL pallet is 120 by 80 cm and the US GMA pallet is 121.9 by 101.6 cm (48 by 40 inches). Both are about 14 to 15 cm tall at the deck, which the tool subtracts from your height limit before counting layers.

How is the stack height limit applied?

The tool subtracts the pallet deck height from your maximum total height, then divides the remaining clearance by the carton height to get the number of layers. This keeps the loaded pallet within trailer or rack constraints.

What limits the load — height or weight?

Both are checked. The number of layers is the smaller of the height-allowed layers and the weight-allowed layers. The tool reports which constraint binds so you know whether to use a taller limit or a stronger pallet.

Does this guarantee a stable stack?

No. It gives the geometric maximum for a single carton size in one orientation. Real loads may use column versus interlocked patterns, edge overhang rules, and strapping; treat the result as an upper bound to plan around.

Pallet Load / Stack Calculator

Q: How many cartons fit per layer?

The tool tries both orientations of the carton footprint on the pallet and takes whichever fits more. It floors the count in each direction, so partial cartons that would overhang are not counted.

A pallet load is a packing problem in two parts: how many cartons fit per layer, and how many layers you can stack before hitting a height or weight limit. This calculator solves both, picks the better carton orientation, and tells you which constraint is actually binding your load.

How it works

Cartons per layer come from testing both footprint orientations and flooring the fit in each direction:

fit A = floor(palletL / cartonL) × floor(palletW / cartonW)
fit B = floor(palletL / cartonW) × floor(palletW / cartonL)
per layer = max(fit A, fit B)

Layers are then the smaller of the height-allowed and weight-allowed counts:

layers by height = floor((maxHeight − deckHeight) / cartonHeight)
layers by weight = floor((maxWeight − palletTare) / cartonWeight / perLayer)
total cartons = perLayer × min(layers by height, layers by weight)

Example and tips

On a EUR pallet (120 by 80 cm, ~14 cm deck), cartons of 40 by 30 cm fit nine per layer. With a 25 cm carton height and a 180 cm total-height limit, the clearance of 166 cm allows six layers, for 54 cartons. If each carton weighs 10 kg, that is 540 kg of product plus pallet tare — well within a 1000 kg cap, so height is the binding constraint here. To pack more, either raise the height limit or use a denser footprint orientation. Always leave margin for strapping and for the overhang rules your carrier enforces.