How many boxes fit on a pallet?
Standard pallet dimensions, how to work out boxes per layer, and a ready-made capacity table for common carton sizes.
A Euro pallet has a 120×80 cm footprint and is the de facto standard for palletised freight across Europe. How many boxes fit on one is not a single number: it depends on the box size, on which way round you turn the boxes, and on the stack height you are allowed.
This guide covers the standard pallet dimensions first, then how the boxes-per-layer sum works, and finally a ready-made capacity table for common carton sizes.
Standard pallet dimensions
Three pallet types are common, depending on region and industry. The differences look like a few centimetres, but they change how many pallets fit across a vehicle floor.
| Pallet type | Footprint | Base height | Empty weight | Load capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUR / EPAL | 120 × 80 cm | 14.4 cm | ~25 kg | ~1,500 kg |
| Industrial | 120 × 100 cm | ~15 cm | ~30 kg | ~1,500 kg |
| US (48×40 in) | 122 × 102 cm | ~14 cm | ~30 kg | ~1,250 kg |
How many boxes fit on a pallet: capacity table
Boxes per layer is simply how many times the box footprint fits onto the pallet footprint. The crucial part is that turning the boxes changes the answer. A 40×30 cm box laid straight on a 120×80 pallet gives 6 per layer; turn every box 90° and you get 8, tiling the pallet with no waste at all.
The table below assumes a maximum stack height of 180 cm excluding the pallet base, and uses the best layout found for each box size.
| Box size | EUR: per layer | EUR: layers | EUR: total | Industrial: per layer | Industrial: total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60×40×40 cm | 4 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 20 |
| 60×40×30 cm | 4 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 30 |
| 50×40×40 cm | 4 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 24 |
| 50×30×30 cm | 6 | 6 | 36 | 8 | 48 |
| 40×30×30 cm | 8 | 6 | 48 | 9 | 54 |
| 40×40×40 cm | 6 | 4 | 24 | 6 | 24 |
| 30×20×20 cm | 16 | 9 | 144 | 20 | 180 |
These figures are for one box size at a time. Mixing different sizes on the same pallet changes the layout — enter your own list in the pallet calculator for an exact answer.
Box sizes that fill a pallet with no waste
If you get to choose the box size, pick one that tiles the pallet floor with no gaps. Floor waste repeats on every layer: a box that leaves 18% of the layer empty wastes 18% of a 180 cm pallet too.
The safest choice is the ISO modular size of 60×40 cm and its divisions (40×30, 30×20): they fill a Euro pallet completely, and 60×40 and 30×20 fill an industrial pallet too. A 45×35 box looks like a tidy size, but only 5 fit per layer on a Euro pallet, leaving 18% of the floor empty.
Choose the height with the stack height in mind as well: for 180 cm, boxes of 30, 36, 45 or 60 cm give whole layers; a 40 cm box wastes 20 cm after four layers.
| Box footprint (cm) | Euro: per layer | Euro: floor use | Industrial: per layer | Industrial: floor use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60×40 | 4 | 100% | 5 | 100% |
| 40×30 | 8 | 100% | 9 | 90% |
| 30×20 | 16 | 100% | 20 | 100% |
| 40×20 | 12 | 100% | 15 | 100% |
| 40×40 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 80% |
| 50×30 | 6 | 94% | 8 | 100% |
| 40×25 | 9 | 94% | 12 | 100% |
| 50×40 | 4 | 83% | 6 | 100% |
| 35×25 | 9 | 82% | 12 | 88% |
| 45×35 | 5 | 82% | 6 | 79% |
| 60×30 | 4 | 75% | 6 | 90% |
| 30×30 | 8 | 75% | 12 | 90% |
| 50×50 | 2 | 52% | 4 | 83% |
Box sizes for a US pallet (48×40 in)
In North America the standard pallet is 48×40 in (122×102 cm) and boxes are sized in inches. The same rule applies: 24×16 and 20×16 in boxes fill the floor completely. A standard bankers box (15×12 in) fits 9 per layer and uses 84% of the floor.
| Box footprint (in) | Per layer | Floor use |
|---|---|---|
| 24×16 | 5 | 100% |
| 20×16 | 6 | 100% |
| 24×12 | 6 | 90% |
| 18×12 | 8 | 90% |
| 16×12 | 9 | 90% |
| 12×12 | 12 | 90% |
| 15×12 | 9 | 84% |
| 20×20 | 4 | 83% |
| 18×18 | 4 | 68% |
Working out boxes per layer by hand
Try both layouts and take the larger. For the straight layout, divide the pallet length by the box length and the pallet width by the box width, round both down, and multiply. For the turned layout, rotate the box 90° and repeat.
Take a 120×80 pallet and a 50×30 cm box. Straight gives ⌊120÷50⌋ × ⌊80÷30⌋ = 2 × 2 = 4 boxes. Turned gives ⌊120÷30⌋ × ⌊80÷50⌋ = 4 × 1 = 4 boxes. Both seem to stop at 4 — but mix the two in one layer and 6 fit: four turned boxes fill a 50 cm deep strip, and the 30 cm strip left over takes two more laid straight.
Finding those mixed layouts by hand is hard. The pallet calculator tries both orientations for every box and mixes them within a layer, so it picks up these gains on its own.
Stack height and layer count
The layer count is the allowed stack height divided by the box height, rounded down. For road freight, safe total height is usually between 180 and 220 cm including the pallet base, with the real limit set by the vehicle's internal height and your warehouse racking.
Do not forget the pallet's own height. If your total limit is 200 cm, subtracting the Euro pallet's 14.4 cm base leaves about 185 cm for the load. With 25 cm boxes that is 7 layers (175 cm). Divide the 200 directly and you get 8 layers, which comes to 214 cm with the pallet — over your own limit.
Weight is a limit too: an EPAL-certified Euro pallet carries around 1,500 kg of evenly distributed load, though the safe figure drops noticeably when the pallet is racked with nothing supporting it underneath.
How many pallets fit in a trailer?
A 13.6 m curtainside trailer is 245 cm wide inside, so Euro pallets go three across with the 80 cm side facing sideways, and the trailer takes 33. If the pallets can be stacked and each layer stays under half the trailer's internal height, that number doubles. The truck guide has the full table by vehicle type.
Floor count alone is not the whole story though: the vehicle's payload, the height of the loaded pallets, and the unloading order on multi-drop runs all shape the plan. The 3D load planner shows those together.
Frequently asked questions
- What exactly are the dimensions of a Euro pallet?
- The footprint is 120×80 cm, the base height is about 14.4 cm, and an empty pallet weighs roughly 25 kg. EPAL certification standardises both those dimensions and the load rating.
- How many boxes fit on a Euro pallet?
- It depends on the box size. At a 180 cm stack height you get 48 boxes of 40×30×30 cm, 16 of 60×40×40 cm, or 144 of 30×20×20 cm. The table above lists ready figures for common sizes.
- How much weight can a pallet carry?
- An EPAL-certified Euro pallet carries around 1,500 kg of evenly distributed load. The safe limit falls noticeably when the pallet is racked and unsupported underneath, so check your racking system's own rating as well.
- What is the difference between a Euro pallet and an industrial pallet?
- The Euro pallet is 120×80 cm and the industrial pallet is 120×100 cm. Those extra 20 cm of width make a real difference for some box sizes: a 50×30 cm box gives 6 per layer on a Euro pallet and 8 on an industrial one.
- Should I include the pallet's own height in the calculation?
- Yes. A vehicle or racking limit covers the total height, so the pallet's 14.4 cm base comes off before what is left goes to the load. Enter only the height of the load itself in the pallet calculator.
- What is the best box size for a Euro pallet?
- 60×40 cm and its divisions (40×30, 30×20 cm): they cover a Euro pallet's floor with no gaps. 60×40 and 30×20 fill an industrial pallet completely too. Sizes like 45×35 leave close to a fifth of every layer empty.
- How many bankers boxes fit on a pallet?
- A standard 15×12×10 in bankers box fits 9 per layer on a 48×40 in pallet. Keep the total height, pallet included, under 48 in and you get 4 layers (36 boxes); under 60 in, 5 layers (45 boxes).