Trailer Loading Calculator
Plan how many pallets fit in a European 13.6m curtainsider or a US 53ft dry van, or enter a custom trailer size, and check volume, weight and floor-space limits.
Your load
22 m trailer: a typical planning size, not a manufacturer specification. It uses a 22,000 mm deck and a 2,450 mm (245 cm) inside width, typical for trailers (244 to 248 cm inside). For your own length or width, choose Other size. Height and payload vary by trailer and are optional: enter yours to check the stack and the weight.
Enter the length of your trailer (in m, cm or mm). The width starts at 245 cm, a typical inside width (most trailers are 244 to 248 cm inside): change it to yours. Enter the loadable deck, not the length of the whole vehicle. For a truck and trailer combination (for example 22 m or 25.25 m overall), work out each deck on its own. Left blank, the inside height is not checked against the stack and the payload is not checked; use the figures of your own vehicle, this calculator does not know legal limits.
Loading result
How this was calculated
Printed from warehousecalc.com. Results are planning estimates; confirm them before you rely on them.
How this works
Choose a trailer type (or enter a custom internal length, width, height and payload), then a pallet type and how the cargo is loaded. The calculator tries two loading layouts – all pallets in one orientation, and a mixed layout that turns pallets 90 degrees in any leftover space – and uses whichever fits more, then checks that against the trailer’s weight limit and volume.
This calculator plans one pallet size per load.
Trailer sizes used by the calculator
The presets use typical internal sizes and payloads. Real trailers differ by a few centimetres and by tare weight, so check the figures for the vehicle you are loading, or choose Custom size and enter them.
| Trailer | Internal size (L × W × H) | Payload used |
|---|---|---|
| European 13.6 m curtainsider | 13,620 × 2,480 × 2,700 mm | 24,000 kg |
| European 12 m flatbed or open trailer | 12,000 × 2,480 × 2,700 mm | 24,000 kg |
| European 15 m flatbed or open trailer | 15,000 × 2,480 × 2,700 mm | 24,000 kg |
| US 53 ft dry van | 16,002 × 2,540 × 2,794 mm | 20,400 kg |
What decides how many pallets fit
- Pallet footprint and direction. On a 13.6 m trailer, one layer holds 26 standard 1200 × 1000 mm pallets, or 33 to 34 Euro pallets depending on how they are turned. Some layouts leave only a few millimetres spare, so treat the best count found by this calculator as a planning figure and confirm it with the person loading.
- Overhang. Cartons that hang over the pallet edge make the footprint bigger and can cost a whole row.
- Stacking. A second layer only fits if the goods can carry the weight on top and both loaded pallets fit under the roof.
The guide how many pallets fit on a trailer gives the counts for each trailer and pallet size, and the standard pallet sizes guide lists the common footprints.
Weight limits
- Heavy goods often reach the payload before the floor is full. For example, 26 pallets at 1,000 kg each is 26,000 kg, more than the 24,000 kg used for a European trailer. Enter the weight per pallet and the calculator shows which limit you reach first.
- The legal limit is for the whole vehicle and depends on the country, the tractor and the axle layout. The payload figure here is a typical planning value, not a legal limit.
- The calculator does not check axle loads. Spread heavy pallets along the trailer rather than loading them all at one end.