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HENGLIYUAN / SHIPPING TOOLS

Container loading calculator

How much can one container carry?

Free · No login

Calculate cartons, cargo weight and product units per 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high-cube container. Compare dimensions, payload and order container counts; save a PDF estimate.

YOUR LOADING BASIS

Your shipping carton

Enter the measured outside dimensions of one completely packed shipping carton. This mode loads cartons directly; pallets and mixed-SKU loading are not included.

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Product quantities and order size (optional)
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Advanced: actual container and loading allowances

01 / Choose a container

Dimensions and payload are Hapag-Lloyd fleet examples. Actual equipment, booking and route limits can differ; confirm and edit them before relying on the estimate.

Review / edit actual container specifications
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mm
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kg

02 / Loading allowances

Subtract total reserved space once per axis, not once per carton. Zero adds no allowance. Payload is cargo capacity, not container maximum gross weight; securing material uses part of it.

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PRELIMINARY LOADING ESTIMATE

Start with a packed carton.

FIG 01Container cutaway

Layers: 0 / 0 · Cartons shown: 0

Roof and near walls are removed to reveal the arrangement. Structural details are illustrative; the envelope represents usable space after allowances. All calculated carton positions are shown.

Choose the container, confirm the loading rules, then enter carton dimensions and gross mass. No cargo dimensions or weights are assumed.

How the estimate works

The regular grid counts whole cartons along each usable axis. Permitted orientations must also pass the door opening. Cargo weight is capped by payload after subtracting securing materials. For up to 2,000 theoretical cartons, an MIT-licensed placement heuristic is also tested; an independent check rejects overlapping, unsupported, out-of-bounds or overweight results.

This is a preliminary geometric estimate, not an approved loading instruction. Carton strength, centre of gravity, floor loading, door handling, securing, pallet requirements and route limits still need review. Entries stay in this page and clear on refresh.

Container specification sources

Open Cargo Planner · Open Cargo Planner · MIT license

Plan retail units inside a carton

Container loading questions

How many cartons fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?

There is no fixed carton count for a container size. Enter one packed carton’s outside dimensions and gross mass, then confirm its allowed orientation and stacking rule. The comparison uses both physical dimensions and cargo payload. Add net mass or product units per carton to see the corresponding cargo quantity.

Can I calculate the carton count by dividing cubic metres?

Volume division gives only an upper bound. Whole cartons must fit along the usable axes, pass the door in an allowed orientation and stay within the payload limit. Gaps between rows and height left above the last layer can reduce the usable count.

How many containers do I need for my order?

For one carton specification, enter the total order in cartons. Container count rounds the order quantity divided by the planned cartons per container up to a whole container. The final container can be partly filled. When no carton fits under the entered conditions, no order-level container count is inferred.

Does this include pallets or mixed carton sizes?

This calculator loads cartons of one specification directly into a container. It does not solve pallet building or mixed-SKU loading. Do not use a loose-carton count as a palletized loading result; confirm the loaded pallet dimensions, gross mass, handling space and actual loading plan separately.