Work out container fill rate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Fill rate is the loaded volume against the container's internal volume — 33.2 m3 for a 20-foot, 67.7 m3 for a 40-foot and 76.4 m3 for a 40-foot high cube. Volume fill and weight fill are separate constraints, and the shipment is only efficient when whichever binds first is close to its limit.
Container fill rate
Fill % = pallets x volume per pallet x 100 / container internal volume
On whichever limit is reached first. Dense goods hit the payload limit at low volume fill; bulky goods fill the volume long before the weight limit. Mixing dense and light SKUs in one container fixes both.
Pallet gaps for handling, dunnage, load-securing space and the mismatch between pallet footprint and container width. A 40-foot container takes 20-21 standard pallets in one tier.