Pallet and carton fit calculator for Australian standard pallets
An Australian standard pallet is 1165 × 1165 mm; a 400 × 300 × 250 mm carton fits 8 to a layer using a mixed pattern, and 6 layers stay under 1,800 mm, so 48 cartons per pallet. A 20-foot container takes 10 Australian pallets on the floor. Enter your carton, pallet and limits to get the layer pattern, stack height, weight and container fit.
Cartons per pallet
48 cartons
- Best — cartons per layer
- 8
- Best — layers
- 6
- Best — stack height mm
- 1,650
- Best — gross pallet kg
- 611
Show breakdown
Calculation breakdown
- Pallet — length mm
- 1,165
- Pallet — width mm
- 1,165
- Pallet — height mm
- 150
- Pallet — tare kg
- 35
- Best — orientation
- upright
- Best — pattern
- 2 lengthwise columns + rotated strip
- Best — cartons per layer
- 8
- Best — layers
- 6
- Best — cartons per pallet
- 48
- Best — stack height mm
- 1,650
- Best — gross pallet kg
- 611
- Best — weight limited
- No
- Best — footprint utilisation
- 70.73%
- Best — cube utilisation
- 64.3%
- Container — name
- 20' GP
- Container — pallets on floor
- 10
- Container — pallets total
- 10
- Container — cartons palletised
- 480
- Container — cartons floor loaded
- 981
- Container — payload kg
- 28,200
- Container — weight check palletised kg
- 6,110
| Pallet — length mm | 1,165 |
|---|---|
| Pallet — width mm | 1,165 |
| Pallet — height mm | 150 |
| Pallet — tare kg | 35 |
| Best — orientation | upright |
| Best — pattern | 2 lengthwise columns + rotated strip |
| Best — cartons per layer | 8 |
| Best — layers | 6 |
| Best — cartons per pallet | 48 |
| Best — stack height mm | 1,650 |
| Best — gross pallet kg | 611 |
| Best — weight limited | No |
| Best — footprint utilisation | 70.73% |
| Best — cube utilisation | 64.3% |
| Container — name | 20' GP |
| Container — pallets on floor | 10 |
| Container — pallets total | 10 |
| Container — cartons palletised | 480 |
| Container — cartons floor loaded | 981 |
| Container — payload kg | 28,200 |
| Container — weight check palletised kg | 6,110 |
Block patterns with no overhang; a pinwheel or interlocked layout may fit more. Confirm packaging strength, vehicle limits and safe loading with your carrier.
8 cartons per layer and 6 layers fit within the entered limits: 48 cartons and 611 kg including the pallet.
At a glance
- Australian standard pallet
- 1165 × 1165 mm, about 150 mm high, 35 kg tare, 1,000 kg rated load
- Note
- ISO pallet 1200 × 1000 mm; Euro pallet 1200 × 800 mm
- 20' GP container internal
- 5,898 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm, 10 Australian pallets on the floor
- 40' GP
- 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,393 mm, 20 Australian pallets; 40' HC is 2,698 mm high
- Cartons per pallet
- highest-count layer pattern × layers within the height limit, capped by weight
- Note
- Block and split patterns only; a pinwheel layout can sometimes fit one or two more
How it is calculated
Test upright and permitted rotated block patterns. Apply height and load limits before estimating palletised and loose-carton container capacity.
A: all lengthwise = floor(PL ÷ CL) × floor(PW ÷ CW)
B: all crosswise = floor(PL ÷ CW) × floor(PW ÷ CL)
C: split along the pallet length: for k = floor(PL ÷ CL) down to 1,
block = k × floor(PW ÷ CW); strip = floor((PL − k × CL) ÷ CW) × floor(PW ÷ CL); take the max
D: split along the pallet width, symmetric to C
cartons_per_layer = max(A, B, C, D); pattern name recorded
layers = floor((max_height − pallet_height) ÷ CH), capped by max_layers
cartons = per_layer × layers
if carton_kg × cartons > max_load: cartons = floor(max_load ÷ carton_kg); layers = ceil(cartons ÷ per_layer); weight_limited = true
stack_height = pallet_height + layers × CH
gross_pallet_kg = tare + cartons × carton_kg
footprint_util = per_layer × CL × CW ÷ (PL × PW); cube_util = cartons × CL × CW × CH ÷ (PL × PW × (max_height − pallet_height))
Container: pallets_on_floor = max( floor(L÷PL)×floor(W÷PW), floor(L÷PW)×floor(W÷PL) ); ×2 if double-stack and 2 × stack_height ≤ container height
cartons_palletised = pallets × cartons_per_pallet; cartons_floor_loaded = layer_count(container L, W, CL, CW) × floor(H ÷ CH)
weight check against payload- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Pallets And Containers: Chep Australia pallet specifications; ISO 668 container dimensions · Verification pending
How many cartons fit on an Australian pallet?
Divide the pallet’s length and width by the carton’s, in both orientations, and multiply the whole numbers: on a 1165 mm square pallet a 400 × 300 mm carton gives 2 × 3 = 6 one way and 3 × 2 = 6 the other. Splitting the deck, with two columns of cartons lengthwise and a rotated strip in the remaining 365 mm, fits 8. The calculator tries the block and split patterns for every allowed orientation and reports the highest count with a diagram. Then it counts layers: the usable height (your limit minus the pallet) divided by the carton height, 6 layers of 250 mm under an 1,800 mm limit, for 48 cartons. Finally it checks the weight: 48 cartons at 12 kg is 576 kg, under the 1,000 kg rating, so height is the constraint; at 30 kg a carton the pallet would be weight-limited to 33.
What are the standard pallet and container sizes in Australia?
The Australian standard pallet is 1165 × 1165 mm, unlike the 1200 × 1000 mm ISO pallet used in much of the world and the 1200 × 800 mm Euro pallet, which is why global pallet calculators give the wrong answer here. Shipping containers are the same everywhere: a 20-foot general purpose container has an internal floor of about 5,898 × 2,352 mm and a height of 2,393 mm, a 40-foot GP is 12,032 mm long, and a 40-foot high cube adds about 300 mm of height. Ten Australian pallets fit on the floor of a 20-foot container and twenty in a 40-foot; the awkward 1165 mm dimension leaves less wasted width than the ISO pallet’s 1000 mm but the same count.
How high can you stack a pallet?
The limit is whichever comes first: your racking bay height (commonly 1,800 to 2,100 mm including the pallet), the carrier’s limit (often 2,200 mm for road freight, and containers at 2,393 or 2,698 mm), the pallet’s rated load (1,000 kg for a standard hardwood pallet in racking, more on the floor), and the crush strength of the bottom cartons. The calculator takes a height limit and a load limit and applies both; set a maximum number of layers if the cartons cannot bear more than a certain number above them. Stack height and gross weight are shown so you can quote the pallet to a carrier for cubic weight.
Should you palletise or floor-load a container?
Floor-loading cartons uses the container’s volume more fully (the calculator shows 981 loose cartons against 480 palletised for the worked example) and avoids paying to ship pallets, but it costs labour at both ends and slows receiving. Palletised loads are unloaded in minutes with a forklift and go straight into racking. Most Australian wholesalers palletise unless the goods are light and the labour is cheap at origin; the calculator gives both numbers so the freight cost per carton can be compared with the handling cost.
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Pattern | 2 columns lengthwise + rotated strip (upright) |
| Cartons per layer | 8 |
| Layers | 6 |
| Cartons per pallet | 48 |
| Stack height | 1,650 mm |
| Gross pallet weight | 611 kg |
| Footprint utilisation | 70.7% |
| Cube utilisation | 64.3% |
| Pallets on the floor of a 20’ GP | 10 |
| Cartons palletised in a 20’ GP | 480 |
| Cartons floor-loaded in a 20’ GP | 981 |
| Same carton at 30 kg | weight-limited to 33 cartons (5 layers) |
Frequently asked questions
What size is a standard Australian pallet?
1165 × 1165 mm, with a height of about 150 mm and a tare of about 35 kg for a hardwood pallet. It is a square, unlike the rectangular ISO and Euro pallets, so cartons fit the same count in either orientation but a split pattern often does better. Racking, trucks and container floors in Australia are built around it.
How many pallets fit in a 20-foot container?
Ten Australian standard pallets on the floor of a 20-foot general purpose container if they are not double-stacked, and twenty in a 40-foot. ISO and Euro pallets fit differently: the calculator shows the block-pattern count for each, and a pinwheel load can add one or two. It also shows how many loose cartons fit if you floor-load instead.
Can the calculator lay cartons on their side?
Yes, turn on "allow cartons on their side" and it tries the two on-side orientations as well as upright. Only do this if the packaging and contents allow it; most cartons are designed to bear load on their base. The result names the orientation and the pattern used.
Why does a global pallet calculator give a different answer?
Most default to the 1200 × 1000 mm ISO pallet or the 48 × 40 inch American pallet, and some allow overhang. This calculator defaults to the 1165 × 1165 Australian pallet and does not allow overhang, so the counts differ. Choose the ISO or Euro preset here to compare.
ERP for wholesale distribution in Australia
Carton dimensions, cartons per pallet and pallet weights belong on the product record so receiving, put-away and freight quotes use them. See how in Odoo or MYOB Acumatica.
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