Container Loading Calculator
Enter your cartons to find the best packing plan found for each container type, the containers you need and the best container combinations.
Results
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Next steps with this cargo
Assumptions
Container dimensions, door openings and payloads are planning references. Actual dimensions and payload can vary by carrier, equipment and manufacturer.
Cartons load from the front wall (X = 0) towards the door. Upper cartons must rest at least 75% on cargo below; max weight on top counts the full weight of every carton above whose footprint overlaps. Capacity is never estimated from container CBM ÷ carton CBM.
This is an optimized planning layout and is not a certified cargo-loading or safety plan. The centre of gravity and weight split are planning indicators, not axle-load or safety certification.
How the Container Loading Calculator works
Every carton is placed at real coordinates by a packing engine. It builds quantity-aware blocks of identical cartons into the free spaces of the container, tries all six carton rotations (or only those you allow) and runs several ordering strategies, then keeps the best valid plan found.
Each plan is checked for overlaps, container bounds, door size, payload, stackability, fragile cartons, maximum stacking weight and support from below. If the cargo does not fit in one container, the calculator fills further containers and compares combinations of container types to find the fewest and best-used containers.
Results include the containers needed, cartons loaded and left over, utilization, payload, the limiting factor, centre of gravity and weight distribution, with 2D views and an interactive 3D view.
Formula
Volume utilization = carton volume loaded ÷ container volume Payload utilization = cargo weight loaded ÷ container payload Unused volume = container volume − carton volume loaded Centre of gravity = Σ (carton weight × carton centre) ÷ Σ carton weight
Capacity is never estimated as container CBM ÷ carton CBM. That ratio ignores gaps, orientation and weight, and usually overstates what fits.
Worked example
A shipment of 120 shoe cartons (60 × 40 × 35 cm, 12 kg), 75 bag cartons (50 × 40 × 30 cm, 8 kg) and 240 clothing cartons (45 × 35 × 25 cm, 7 kg) totals 435 cartons, 24.03 CBM and 3,720 kg. That is about 72% of a 20ft container's 33.2 m³, and well under its payload, so the engine checks whether every carton can actually be placed in one 20ft, or whether a 40ft is needed.
When to use it
- Deciding between 20ft, 40ft, 40HC and 45HC containers for your exact cartons.
- Finding how many containers a large order needs.
- Giving the loading team a visual load plan and a suggested loading sequence.
Limitations
This is an optimized planning layout and is not a certified cargo-loading or safety plan. The engine is a heuristic: it returns the best plan found, not a proven optimum. Container dimensions and payloads are planning references, and real equipment varies. Lashing, dunnage, blocking and axle-load limits of road vehicles are not modelled.
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Frequently asked questions
How many boxes fit in a 20ft container?
It depends on the carton size, how cartons can be turned and stacked, and their weight. Enter your cartons to get a placed, carton-by-carton plan instead of a CBM estimate.
Can I load several SKUs into one container?
Yes. Mixed cartons are loaded together, each with its own rotation, stacking, fragile and load-bearing rules.
Is the load plan a certified loading plan?
No. It is an optimized planning layout and is not a certified cargo-loading or safety plan. Securing, lashing and road axle limits are not modelled.