How many pallets fit on a trailer?
A 53 foot trailer holds 26 standard 48 × 40 in pallets on one layer when they are loaded straight, or 30 when they are turned sideways. A 48 foot trailer holds 22 or 28. Below are the pallet counts for US 53 ft and 48 ft dry vans and European 13.6 m, 12 m and 15 m trailers, why the answer changes with the way pallets face, and when weight runs out before floor space.
Quick answer: pallets on one layer
These figures come from the Trailer Loading Calculator, for one layer of pallets on the trailer floor with no overhang, using typical internal sizes. The pallet footprints are listed in mm and inches in the standard pallet sizes guide.
| Trailer (internal floor) | Standard 1200 × 1000 mm | Euro 1200 × 800 mm | US 48 × 40 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 53 ft dry van (16,002 × 2,540 mm) | 32* | 40* | 30 |
| US 48 ft dry van (14,478 × 2,540 mm) | 28 | 36 | 28 |
| European 13.6 m (13,620 × 2,480 mm) | 26 | 34* (33 is the usual planning figure) | 26 |
| European 12 m (12,000 × 2,480 mm) | 24* | 30* | 22 |
| European 15 m (15,000 × 2,480 mm) | 30* | 37 | 28 |
* An exact fit: less than 25 mm of floor length is left over. Real trailers vary by a few centimetres, and pallets are never placed perfectly, so measure the actual trailer before you promise these numbers. For planning, one row fewer is the safer figure. The 37 Euro pallets on a 15 m trailer are a mixed layout: 11 rows of three with the 1200 mm side along the trailer, then 2 rows of two with the 800 mm side along it, 14,800 mm in total.
How many pallets fit on a 53 foot trailer: 26 or 30?
Both figures are right. It depends on which side of the 48 × 40 in pallet runs along the trailer.
- 48 in side along the trailer: 13 rows of 2 = 26 pallets, with about 15 cm of floor left over.
- 40 in side along the trailer: 15 rows of 2 = 30 pallets, because two 48 in sides fit across the 100 in wide floor, leaving about 76 cm of floor length spare.
Turning the pallets only works if the forklift can reach them from the 40 in side. Two-way entry stringer pallets can only be picked up from their two ends, which is one reason loads are often planned at 26.
Top view, drawn to scale. The front of the trailer is on the left.
How many pallets fit on a 48 foot trailer: 22, 24 or 28?
It depends on which side of the 48 × 40 in pallet runs along the trailer. These figures use an inside floor of 47 ft 6 in × 100 in (14,478 × 2,540 mm), a typical size for a 48 ft dry van. Trailers vary, so measure yours.
- 48 in side along the trailer: 11 rows of 2 = 22 pallets, with 42 in (about 107 cm) of floor left over.
- 40 in side along the trailer: 14 rows of 2 = 28 pallets, with about 25 cm spare.
You will often see 24 quoted. Twelve straight rows need 576 in of floor, which is 6 in more than a 47 ft 6 in floor has. You reach 24 by turning some rows: for example, 6 rows straight and 6 rows turned use 528 in.
As with the 53 ft trailer, turning pallets only works if the forklift can pick them up from the 40 in side.
Top view, drawn to scale. The front of the trailer is on the left.
Can pallets be double stacked on a trailer?
Only when the goods and pallets can carry the weight on top. Before any top clearance, two layers fit when each loaded pallet is no taller than about 1,350 mm in a European trailer (2,700 mm inside) or about 1,397 mm in a US 53 ft van (2,794 mm inside).
Weight often runs out first
Floor space is only half the answer. Typical payloads are about 24,000 kg for a European trailer and about 20,400 kg for a US 53 ft van, and both vary with the tractor, trailer and axle setup.
Example: 26 US pallets at 800 kg each is 20,800 kg. That is over a 20,400 kg payload even though the floor has room for more, so the load has to drop to 25 pallets.
Axle loads matter as well: a heavy load placed at one end can overload an axle even when the total weight is legal. The calculator checks total weight, not axle loads.
Common mistakes
- Using the outside length of the trailer instead of the internal floor length.
- Forgetting cargo overhang: 50 mm on each side turns a 1200 × 1000 mm pallet into 1300 × 1100 mm and removes whole rows.
- Counting pallets that the forklift cannot pick up from the side you have turned them to.
- Checking floor space but not the weight per pallet.
Written and checked by a warehouse supervisor with about 15 years of hands-on experience. Last updated: October 2026. All guides