LoadExpert answers the two questions exporters, freight forwarders and 3PL teams ask every day: how much fits in one container, and how many containers the shipment needs. Two calculation tabs cover both — carton loading and pallet loading — with 20GP / 40GP / 40HQ / 45HQ and 8 standard pallet sizes built in.
Enter your carton size and pick a container — get the carton count, volume utilization and whether the payload limit is reached. Single-SKU loading is free: 1 calculation every 20 minutes per IP, 50 per day site-wide.
Single carton size, single container. Mixed SKUs, fixed-quantity allocation, pallet loading and combined loads are not available on the free plan. 1 calculation every 20 minutes per IP, 50 per day site-wide. Loading constraints →
From the quoting stage — "how many cartons fit?" — to booking the shipment — "how many containers, and how do they get packed?" LoadExpert puts both into two tabs.
Loose cartons loaded straight into the container — corrugated boxes, bags, drums. Five modes on one page: maximum capacity (how many fit), fixed-quantity allocation (how many containers a known quantity needs), load verification (will it fit), multi-container allocation, and optimal mixed loading for unlimited quantities.
Adjustable: box rotation, weight-stacking tolerance 0–100%, multiple target containers, custom payload limit. Choose a rule-based layout or full optimization, and a fast or thorough solver.
Typical job: a customer sends 800 cartons at 60×40×40 cm / 18 kg. Check whether they fit one 40HQ, and how many fit at most.
Palletize first — 8 presets (EUR, US, Asian standards) or your own dimensions — then load the container. Calculate either how much fits on one pallet (units per layer × layers, total height, footprint utilization) or how many pallets the shipment needs (pallets filled one by one, with the minimum count and the contents of each; identical builds are grouped into Pallet A / Pallet B).
Four container-loading modes: single-container maximum, mixed maximum, multi-container allocation, mixed allocation — the two "mixed" modes are what the trade usually calls a combi load (pallets plus loose cartons). Per-layer rotation and weight tolerance are supported, containers too short for the door are filtered out automatically, and the 3D view lays pallet types out side by side so full pallets and the last partial pallet are both obvious.
Typical job: how many 43×30×25 cm cartons go on a 1200×1000 EUR pallet, and how high? How many pallets for 500 cartons?
Shared by both tabs: side-by-side container comparison · weight-stacking tolerance · 3D loading view. Every result is saved to your history and can be shared as a link that opens without signing in.
The solver searches carton orientations and row patterns instead of assuming one. Across common carton sizes in standard containers, volume utilization lands between 70% and 97%, and regularly shaped cartons usually sit around 90%. The same carton gives a different number in a different container, so every result reports the utilization actually achieved — not a headline maximum.
A strict heavy-on-light constraint (tolerance adjustable) keeps upper layers from crushing the boxes below, and the load is checked for balance: the offset from the container floor center stays within ±10% lengthwise and widthwise, and the center of gravity stays below 60% of the internal height — avoiding one-sided loads, container rollovers and carrier rejections.
Account sign-in, login throttling and an audit trail, sanitized error messages. Loading calculations run server-side, so no calculation logic sits in the browser, and each account's business data is isolated from every other.
Rule-based: every carton faces the same way, every layer is built the same way — a warehouse can copy it directly (lower count, easiest to build). Optimized: orientations and patterns are searched for the higher count — better for quoting, less uniform on the floor.
Deep optimization for the dry vans that carry most ocean freight: 20GP / 40GP / 40HQ / 45HQ. Reefers, open-tops and flat racks differ enough in structure, temperature control and handling that a standard packing algorithm is the wrong tool — use a dedicated reefer or special-equipment plan for those (see container types).
Three carton dimensions and a gross weight are enough — no need to study the parameters first: support area, heavy-on-light and center-of-gravity criteria all ship with safe defaults. Results include the carton breakdown, volume utilization, gross weight and container allocation.
Buffer and dimensional tolerance are not added for you — cartons are placed at the size you enter. If you need clearance, enter slightly larger carton dimensions (e.g. 60.5×40.5×25.5 cm).
Loading more starts with knowing the constraints: container internal dimensions, pallet standards, weight and stacking limits, reefer air channels. We keep those references in one place.
Internal dimensions and payload limits for 20GP / 40GP / 40HQ / 45HQ, plus reefers, open-tops, flat racks and tank containers. Naming conventions through to suitable cargo.
Read →EUR 1200×800 and 1200×1000, US 48"×40", Asian 1100×1100, half pallets 800×600 and 600×400 — where each is used, how they fit container dimensions, and forklift clearance.
Read →Heavy-on-light, center of gravity, support area, BCT compression, maximum stacking layers, buffer, forklift clearance — behind every loading constraint is a piece of hard-won industry experience.
Read →The free plan covers single-SKU container capacity. A full account unlocks all five carton-loading modes, pallet loading (per-pallet capacity, pallets required, four container modes), rule-based and optimized layouts, custom pallet sizes, custom payload limits, calculation history, the 3D loading view and shareable results. Leave a contact and we will set up your account within one business day.