Palltech

How Many Pallets Fit in a Container?

Exact pallet counts by container size, pallet size and loading pattern. 20ft, 40ft, 40HC, plus UK trucks and trailers. Math shown so you can work out your own edge cases.

Quick reference table

UK standard (1200x1000mm): 11 in a 20ft, 24 in a 40ft. Euro (1200x800mm): 25 in a 20ft, 52 in a 40ft. US GMA (48x40"): 10 in a 20ft, 20 in a 40ft. UK 26-pallet trailer carries 26 standards. All floor-loaded single-layer; stacking doubles counts if height allows.

Container dimensions

  • 20ft container: 5,898mm L x 2,352mm W x 2,393mm H internal. Usable floor 5.9m x 2.35m.
  • 40ft container: 12,032mm L x 2,352mm W x 2,393mm H internal. Usable floor 12m x 2.35m.
  • 40ft high-cube (40HC): same footprint as 40ft but 2,695mm H internal (300mm taller). Same floor pallet count, more room for stacking.

UK standard pallet counts (1200 x 1000mm)

  • 20ft container: 11 pallets floor-loaded. Five rows of 2 plus one end pallet, with tight loading. Some loading patterns give 10.
  • 40ft container: 24 pallets floor-loaded. Ten rows of 2 plus four end pallets is the typical pattern.
  • 40HC container: 24 pallets floor-loaded; up to 48 if double-stacked (stack height allowing).

Euro pallet counts (1200 x 800mm)

  • 20ft container: 25 Euro pallets floor-loaded. The 800mm width allows tighter packing.
  • 40ft container: 52 Euro pallets floor-loaded.
  • 40HC container: 52 floor-loaded; up to 104 double-stacked.

US GMA pallet counts (48" x 40" / 1219 x 1016mm)

  • 20ft container: 10 US GMA pallets floor-loaded.
  • 40ft container: 20 US GMA pallets floor-loaded.

UK trucks and trailers

  • Standard UK artic trailer (13.6m): 26 UK standards floor-loaded, 52 Euros. Max weight 44 tonnes gross.
  • Double-deck trailer: 52 UK standards (26 per deck), 104 Euros. Most UK grocery chains use these.
  • 7.5-tonne rigid truck: around 10-12 UK standards floor-loaded.
  • 3.5-tonne luton van: 4-6 UK standards depending on load weight.

Stacking pallets: can you double-deck?

Stacking doubles floor counts but only works if your goods can take the weight and your container is tall enough. A typical loaded pallet is 1.5m tall including pallet height. A 40HC container (2.7m internal) fits two stacked pallets with ~300mm gap for stretch wrapping. A standard 40ft (2.4m) fits stacked pallets only if loaded goods are shorter than 1.2m.

Heavy loads stack poorly because the bottom pallet crushes under dynamic load. Stack only light-to-medium goods, and use dynamic load ratings (not static) when calculating weight capacity.

Planning your shipment

Always confirm with your freight forwarder. Some container liners, palletised packaging, and carrier-specific loading rules reduce the theoretical counts above. See the UK pallet sizes guide for more context on pallet dimensions, or the pallets for export page for a full export compliance checklist including ISPM15 stamps, dunnage and paperwork.

Pallets per container: common questions

24 UK standard pallets (1200x1000mm) floor-loaded in a 40ft container using the standard ten-rows-of-two-plus-four-end pattern. Double-stacked gives 48 in a 40HC. Standard 40ft usually doesn't have enough headroom for double-stacking with loaded pallets.

Euro pallets are 200mm narrower (800mm vs 1000mm), so they pack tighter. The 2,352mm internal container width allows two Euros across side-by-side, and you can fit 13 pairs lengthwise in a 40ft (52 total). UK standards only fit one across the short dimension plus one in between, giving 24.

Only if your loaded goods are shorter than 1.2m (so two stacks of ~1.2m fit in the 2,393mm internal height). Most loaded pallets are 1.5-1.8m tall, which fits only one layer. For consistent double-stacking, use a 40HC instead.

Container rates are flat per-container, so more pallets per container means lower cost per pallet. Switching from UK standard to Euro pallets for EU shipments can cut per-pallet freight by ~50% just from tighter packing. For non-EU exports, HT cost eats some of that saving.

Yes. Tight loading (pallets filling the container edge-to-edge) reduces shift risk. Where gaps exist, use dunnage airbags or timber bracing. Overseas shipping causes vibration and movement; unsecured pallets break goods and fail inspections.

Maximum gross weight for a 40ft dry container is typically 30.48 tonnes (30,480kg). Subtract the tare weight (~3,800kg for a 40ft) to get payload: ~26.68 tonnes. At 24 pallets per container, that's ~1,100kg per pallet. Road regulations at each destination may reduce allowable weight further.