Find how many boxes fit per layer and in total on a pallet, checking both box orientations for the best fit.
Calculator verified • Last updated: August 2026
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Fitting boxes onto a pallet is a two-step problem: how many boxes fit across one flat layer, and how many layers fit within the maximum safe stack height. For the per-layer count, a box's length and width rarely divide the pallet's footprint evenly in both directions, so this calculator checks both orientations — box length running along the pallet's length, and box length running along the pallet's width (rotated 90 degrees) — and uses whichever fits more:
$$\text{Boxes per Layer} = \max\Big(\lfloor L_p / L_b \rfloor \times \lfloor W_p / W_b \rfloor,\ \ \lfloor L_p / W_b \rfloor \times \lfloor W_p / L_b \rfloor\Big)$$
$$\text{Layers} = \lfloor H_{max} / H_b \rfloor \qquad \text{Total Boxes} = \text{Boxes per Layer} \times \text{Layers}$$
L_p, W_p: the pallet's length and width, in inches.
L_b, W_b, H_b: the box's length, width, and height, in inches.
H_max: the maximum safe stack height for the load, in inches.
⌊ ⌋: round down to the nearest whole number — a partial box or partial layer doesn't count.
A standard GMA pallet (48 by 40 inches) with a 60-inch max stack height, loaded with boxes measuring 12 by 10 by 8 inches: in the standard orientation, floor(48 / 12) times floor(40 / 10) equals 4 times 4, or 16 boxes per layer. Rotated 90 degrees, floor(48 / 10) times floor(40 / 12) equals 4 times 3, or 12 boxes per layer. The standard orientation wins, so 16 boxes per layer is used. Layers: floor(60 / 8) equals 7. Total boxes: 16 times 7 equals 112 boxes on the pallet.
Forgetting to check the rotated orientation is the most common one — a layout that looks obviously correct in one orientation can leave real capacity on the table if the boxes would actually fit more densely rotated 90 degrees. Ignoring the pallet's own height, and any required top cap or dunnage, in the max stack height figure is another: the true usable height is the shipping or storage limit minus the pallet's own height and any packaging on top. Finally, this calculator assumes boxes stack in simple aligned layers (no interlocking or brick-pattern stacking) — a real interlocked pattern can sometimes fit a few more units than a simple grid, at the cost of a less stable, harder-to-plan load.
GMA Pallet — the Grocery Manufacturers Association standard pallet, 48 by 40 inches, the most common pallet size in North America.
Euro Pallet — the EUR/EPAL standard pallet, 120 by 80 centimeters (about 47.24 by 31.5 inches), common across Europe.
Stack Height — the maximum vertical height a loaded pallet can safely reach, limited by trailer height, warehouse racking, or load stability.
Cube Utilization — how efficiently a load fills the available volume of a pallet, container, or trailer; better orientation choices raise it.
It depends on your box dimensions, the pallet size, and the maximum stack height you can safely load or ship. This calculator works it out from your exact numbers, checking both box orientations to find the layout that fits the most per layer.
In the US, the most common is the GMA pallet at 48 by 40 inches. In Europe, the Euro pallet at 47.24 by 31.5 inches (120 by 80 centimeters) is standard. Many operations also use a custom size, which this calculator supports.
Rotating boxes 90 degrees changes how many fit across the pallet's footprint per layer, since a box's length and width rarely divide the pallet's length and width evenly in both directions. This calculator checks both orientations and uses whichever fits more boxes per layer.