On This Page
- Ti × Hi in thirty seconds
- Why the best orientation is rarely the obvious one
- Standard pallets at a glance
- Two loads, start to finish
- From box count to freight class
- How the count is verified
- FAQ
- References
Ti × Hi in Thirty Seconds
Ti (tier) is how many boxes sit in one layer. Hi (high) is how many layers fit between the pallet deck and the height limit. Ti × Hi is the carton count per pallet, the number warehouses, purchase orders and retail receiving docks work from. A label reading "Ti 8, Hi 5" means 40 boxes, and a wrong label can get a pallet rejected at a distribution center.
Hi = floor((max stack height − pallet deck height) ÷ box height)
Every division rounds down because a part box does not fit. To use the calculator, enter the box length, width and height, pick a pallet (US GMA, EUR-1, ISO A or custom), then set the height limit and the deck height. Switching between inches, centimeters and millimeters converts everything you have entered. Round products need a different approach, which the Sphere Packing Calculator handles.
Why the Best Orientation Is Rarely the Obvious One
A box can rest on any of its three faces, turned two ways, so there are six options. The one with the most boxes per layer often loses because it wastes height. Take a 12 × 10 × 8 inch box on a 48 × 40 GMA pallet with 54.5 inches of usable height:
| Footprint | Height | Ti | Hi | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 10 | 8 in | 16 | 6 | 96 |
| 8 × 10 | 12 in | 24 | 4 | 96 |
| 12 × 8 | 10 in | 20 | 5 | 100 |
The flat, obvious layout gives 96 and the upright one also 96, but the box on its side wins with 100. When two layouts tie, the calculator picks the one with more boxes per layer, because a lower, wider stack is steadier. Treat the result as the mathematical best: fragile goods, weight balance and which side the label has to face can still override it.
Standard Pallets at a Glance
| Pallet | Footprint | Deck height | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| US GMA | 48 × 40 in | 5.5 in | North American grocery and general freight; 26 fit a 53-foot trailer |
| EUR-1 | 1200 × 800 mm | about 144 mm | European retail; 33 fit a 13.6 m trailer |
| ISO A | 1200 × 1000 mm | varies | Automotive, chemical and pharma; 11 per 20-ft container, 23 per 40-ft |
| Half pallet | 48 × 20 in | varies | Pharmacy and club retail; enter it as a custom size |
Two Loads, Start to Finish
Euro cartons on a EUR-1 pallet. A distributor ships 30 × 20 × 15 cm cartons with a 180 cm height limit and a 15 cm deck, leaving 165 cm. Lying flat, the cartons give Ti = 4 × 4 = 16 and Hi = floor(165 ÷ 15) = 11, so 176 cartons. Standing them on end packs 30 into a layer but only 5 layers, 150 in all.
A production run of 1,440 units. Each ships in a 16 × 12 × 10 inch carton on a GMA pallet with 54.5 inches of usable height. The best layout stands the carton 16 inches tall on its 12 × 10 face: Ti = 4 × 4 = 16, Hi = 3, so 48 cartons per pallet. 1,440 ÷ 48 = 30 pallets, which is more than the 26 a 53-foot trailer takes, so the run needs two trucks. To fold that freight and palletizing cost into a per-unit price, use the Product Pricing Calculator, and the Break Even Point Calculator shows how the cost changes the volume you need to sell.
From Box Count to Freight Class
Three volume figures matter once the pallet is built:
- Pallet volume, the whole space from floor to height limit: 48 × 40 × 60 in = 115,200 in³ = 66.67 ft³. Carriers use it for trailer space and dimensional weight.
- Pallet cube, the boxes themselves: 100 boxes of 12 × 10 × 8 in = 96,000 in³ = 55.56 ft³.
- Used space, cube ÷ volume: 83%, so 17% of what you pay to ship is air.
For LTL freight, density = pallet weight (lb) ÷ pallet volume (ft³). A 480 lb pallet in that 66.67 ft³ space is 7.2 lb/ft³, which lands in the 6-to-under-8 band, class 125 on the NMFC density scale in use since July 2025. Denser loads get lower classes and cheaper rates, which is why trimming gaps pays off at scale. For the weight side of that division, including empty pallet weights by type, see how much a pallet weighs. For any other rectangular space in liters or gallons, the Tank Volume Calculator does the conversion.
How the Count Is Verified
Behind the scenes, the calculator runs the box through all six ways it could sit on the pallet (length-width, width-length, length-height, and so on) and compares the total carton count each orientation produces before picking the winner. Ti is then floor(pallet length / box footprint length) times floor(pallet width / box footprint width), and Hi is floor(available stack height / box footprint height), so the count only credits fully-fitting boxes with no partial-box rounding up. If you manually rotate a box's dimensions before entering them, expecting to match the calculator's output, you can end up testing only one of those six orientations and land on a lower total than the best-fit result.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pallets fit in a 53-foot trailer?
A 53-foot dry van trailer holds 26 GMA pallets in a standard double-row straight layout (two pallets abreast at 48 inches each = 96 inches across the 98-100 inch interior width). Some carriers fit 28 to 30 pallets using a pinwheel or turned configuration where pallets alternate direction.
How many pallets fit in a 20-foot container?
Approximately 8 to 11 GMA pallets in a 20-foot container, depending on arrangement. A single straight row fits 8 (4 deep × 2 abreast). A turned or pinwheel layout can reach 10 to 11. EUR-1 pallets fit 11 per 20-foot container in a standard layout.
How many pallets fit in a 40-foot container?
Approximately 18 to 22 GMA pallets. A standard layout gives 18 (9 rows × 2 abreast). A pinwheel configuration reaches 20 to 22. EUR-1 pallets fit 23 to 25 depending on arrangement and container type (standard vs. high-cube).
What is the standard pallet board height?
A standard GMA pallet deck is 5.5 inches (139.7 mm) tall. Euro EUR-1 pallets are approximately 144 mm (5.67 inches). Enter your actual pallet height in the pallet board height field for accurate available stacking height. Using the wrong board height shifts HI by one layer in edge cases.
What is the difference between a pallet and a skid?
A pallet has a bottom deck (boards connecting the bottom of the feet) so forklifts can enter from all four sides. A skid has no bottom deck, allowing entry only from the two open sides. Skids were the original design; pallets became standard because four-way entry is faster in modern warehouses. The Ti Hi calculation works identically for both.
References
- FMI: The Food Industry Association (formerly GMA): North American standard pallet dimensions, weight limits, and deck configurations for grocery and general merchandise supply chains.
- ISO 6780:2003 Flat Pallets for Intercontinental Materials Handling: International standard covering pallet footprint dimensions including EUR-1 (1200×800 mm), ISO A (1200×1000 mm), and other global sizes used in cross-border logistics.
- NMFTA: National Motor Freight Traffic Association: NMFC density-based freight class guidelines used to calculate shipping rates for LTL palletized freight in North America.