How many pallets fit in a 40 ft container?
In LoadComposer's nominal 40' Dry reference, with rotation allowed, zero modeled clearance, and no stacking, the planner finds 25 Euro pallet floor positions, 22 industrial pallet positions, or 20 North American pallet positions.
This is the primary LoadComposer reference for standard 40-foot dry-container floor capacity. The figures describe the current engine and data, not every manufactured container or every operational loading method.
40' Dry reference
| LoadComposer vehicle | 40' Dry |
|---|---|
| Nominal internal dimensions | 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,393 mm |
| Nominal rear opening | 2,340 × 2,280 mm |
| Capacity settings | Rotation allowed; 0 mm modeled clearance; no stacking |
Common pallet results
| Pallet preset | Footprint | Floor positions found |
|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet | 1200 × 800 mm | 25 |
| Industrial pallet | 1200 × 1000 mm | 22 |
| North American pallet | 1219 × 1016 mm | 20 |
Compared with the same modeled settings in the 20' Dry reference, the longer floor can accept more positions, but usable capacity still depends on the pallet footprint and orientation pattern. A quantity that geometrically fits can still require operational checks outside LoadComposer's current scope.
Example floor layout
The example requests 25 Euro pallets at 1,500 mm loaded height. It uses the current solver result exactly; pallet positions have not been redrawn or manually moved for this guide.
Dry, High Cube, or reefer?
A 40' High Cube has more internal height in LoadComposer but the same modeled length and width as 40' Dry, so it does not automatically add floor positions. The current 40' HC Reefer reference has reduced internal floor dimensions and must be evaluated as different equipment.