Floor positions in a container: how many pallets fit side by side?
A 20ft container has 9 to 25 floor positions in one tier depending on the pallet type, a 40ft container 22 to 55. A floor position is a place on the container floor — whatever is stacked on it comes on top.
Floor positions per pallet type
All figures are calculated with the same packer the 3D calculator uses — one tier, both orientations mixed:
| Load unit | Footprint | 20′ Standard | 40′ Standard | 45′ High Cube |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet (EUR/EPAL) | 120 × 80 cm | 11 | 25 | 27 |
| Industrial pallet (CP1) | 120 × 100 cm | 9 | 22 | 24 |
| Wire mesh pallet | 124 × 83 cm | 11 | 23 | 26 |
| Chemical pallet CP3 | 114 × 114 cm | 10 | 20 | 22 |
| Half pallet (Düsseldorf) | 80 × 60 cm | 25 | 55 | 60 |
The number everything hangs on: 117.5 cm
A sea container is around 235 cm wide inside. Divided by two that is 117.5 cm — the quiet limit behind the whole table. A load unit that stays under 117.5 cm in no direction can only stand alone in its row, and half the container width lies idle.
That is why the euro pallet is so efficient: two of them with the 80 cm edge across take up only 160 cm and leave 75 cm idle. Put one lengthwise and one crosswise instead and it is 120 + 80 = 200 cm — the remainder shrinks to 35 cm. That alternation is exactly where 11 positions instead of 8 come from. The other way round: a 120 × 120 cm pallet stands alone in its row however you turn it — 2 × 120 = 240 cm, five centimetres too many.
Why rotating gains so much
Put every pallet the same way round and you give positions away. The same packer, once with and once without a permitted 90° turn:
| Euro pallets | one orientation only | mixed | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20′ Standard | 8 | 11 | + 3 |
| 40′ Standard | 20 | 25 | + 5 |
In a 20ft container that is three more pallets, almost 40 % — purely because part of the load stands crosswise instead of lengthwise. That is the pattern the 3D calculator works out and draws; by hand you rarely find it.
The other way round: goods that must not be turned (because they are long, or the fork pockets only run one way) cost you that gain. In the calculator it is a switch per position — not an assumption about the whole shipment.
Floor positions are not packages
A floor position tells you how many units stand on the floor. How many go in altogether is decided by two more things:
- Stacking height. 11 positions × 2 tiers = 22 pallets. Whether two tiers fit is a question of build height: at 110 cm two go into a standard container (239 cm), at 130 cm only one.
- The payload. 22 pallets at 1,000 kg is 22 tonnes — fine. 46 mesh pallets at 1,070 kg would be 49 tonnes, so a 40ft container is done after 24.
Only both together answer "will my shipment fit?". The calculator applies both limits at once and ends with one number — and if it is not enough, how many containers it takes.
Frequent questions
How many floor positions does a 20ft container have?
11 for euro pallets, 9 for industrial pallets, 11 for wire mesh pallets and 25 for half pallets — one tier each.
How many pallets fit side by side?
At 235 cm internal width, two euro pallets lengthwise are 240 cm — just too much, so it is one lengthwise and one crosswise, or two crosswise at 160 cm. The best pattern mixes both directions instead of picking one.
Does a high cube have more floor positions?
No. High cube means 30 cm more height, not more floor area — the positions are the same as in a standard container of the same length. More height buys tiers, not places.
The calculator draws the floor pattern — with rotated pallets where that gains more.