Container Load Planner
Plan how boxes and pallets load into a 20 or 40 foot container, a high cube or a truck trailer: stacks, payload, the number of containers needed and a 3D view you can turn.
Runs in your browser — nothing is uploadedPlan a container or truck load before you book
Enter the boxes or pallets you are shipping, pick a 20 or 40 foot container, a high cube or a truck trailer, and the planner works out how they load: which units stack, how the stacks sit on the floor, how much of the payload is used and how many containers the shipment needs.
A 3D view shows each container from any corner, with a top view and a table of units per item. Every plan is checked so no two units overlap and nothing pokes through a wall, and the centre of gravity is compared with Hapag-Lloyd’s guidance for containers.
What Container Load Planner gives you
Containers and trailers
20 and 40 foot standard, 40 and 45 foot high cube, a 53 foot van, a 13.6 m trailer or a custom size.
Several items at once
Up to 30 different boxes or pallets, each with its own stacking rule.
More than one container
When one is not enough, the planner fills the next and lists what is left.
3D and top views
Turn the 3D view to any corner, or switch to a floor plan with stack counts.
Payload and balance
Stacks are trimmed at the payload, and the centre of gravity is reported.
How to use Container Load Planner
Pick the space
A container or trailer, or your own inside size and payload.
Add the cargo
Size, weight, quantity and whether each item can stack or turn.
Read the plan
Containers needed, the 3D view, and a CSV for the warehouse.
Other names for this tool
People also look for this as container load calculator, container loading software, 3D load planner, container stuffing calculator, truck load calculator, container fill calculator and trailer load planner. It is the same tool on this page.
Looking for the opposite job? Pallet Calculator, CBM Calculator.
Limitations
- Units stay upright and only identical units stack on each other.
- Does not model load-bearing strength, lashing or axle weights.
Questions about Container Load Planner
How many pallets fit in a 20 or 40 foot container?
On one level, 11 Euro pallets fit a 20 foot container and 25 a 40 foot, mixing crosswise and lengthwise rows; 48 by 40 inch US pallets fit 10 and 21 with a pinwheel. Enter your own pallets to check.
Does it work out several containers?
Yes. When the cargo does not fit one container or truck, the planner fills another and shows each one, with what could not be loaded and why.
How many pallets fit in a 20 foot container?
Eleven Euro pallets of 1200 by 800 millimetres fit on the floor: seven crosswise and four lengthwise. Ten US pallets of 48 by 40 inches fit when some are turned in a pinwheel, nine in plain rows. Stacking doubles that only when the goods and the height allow it.
How many pallets fit in a 40 foot container?
Twenty-five Euro pallets or twenty-one US pallets fit on one level of a 40 foot container, the US count with a pinwheel, and twenty-seven Euro pallets in a 45 foot high cube. The planner reproduces these counts and handles your own sizes.
What is the difference between a 40 foot and a 40 foot high cube?
The floor is the same, but the high cube is about 30 centimetres taller inside: 2.70 metres against 2.39. That extra height helps light, bulky cargo that stacks, not heavy goods that reach the payload first.
Does it stack different items on each other?
No. Only identical units stack, up to the height, the payload and any limit you set. Mixing items in one stack needs knowledge of their strength that a calculator cannot have.
Why does the plan load less than the volume suggests?
Boxes leave gaps at the walls and between rows, and a stack stops when the next unit would hit the roof. A container rarely loads to its full cubic capacity, so the planner shows what physically fits.
What is the centre of gravity check?
The planner works out where the weight sits along the length. For containers it compares this with Hapag-Lloyd’s guidance: within 60 centimetres of the middle for a 20 foot and 90 centimetres for a 40 foot.