How many boxes fit on a EUR pallet?

EUR pallet dimensions

A standard Euro pallet (EUR/EPAL) measures 1200 × 800 mm, and the pallet itself is about 144 mm tall. The maximum load height depends on the carrier and the means of transport - most commonly 1800-2200 mm including the pallet is assumed.

Before building the layers, check the box arrangement in the boxes per pallet calculator. For further worked examples, see the guide Load Formation on a Pallet - principles of stable stacking.

The formula for the number of boxes

We calculate the number of boxes in two steps - first how many fit in a single layer, then how many layers fit within the height:

1. Boxes per layer = (1200 ÷ box length) × (800 ÷ box width) - rounding down.
2. Number of layers = (max. height − 144) ÷ box height - rounding down.
3. Total = boxes per layer × number of layers.

The key is to check both orientations of the box (lengthwise and crosswise). Sometimes rotating the box 90° lets you fit one more row.

Example: a 400 × 300 × 300 mm box

If we rotated the box (300 × 400), a layer would hold (1200÷300) × (800÷400) = 4 × 2 = 8 pieces - that's 40 boxes instead of 30. That's why it always pays to compare the variants.

The most common mistakes that waste space

• A single box orientation - skipping the 90° rotation can cost as much as 20-30% of the pallet's capacity.
• Exceeding the pallet footprint - goods sticking out beyond 1200 × 800 mm are often rejected by carriers and get damaged in transit.
• Margins that are too large - a few millimeters of slack on each box add up to an entire lost column.
• No layer interlocking - stacking "in columns" without interlocking reduces stability, even though it gives even counts.

Calculate it automatically

Manual counting works fine for a single box type. When you have different sizes, weights, and stacking, an algorithm does it far faster and more accurately. The Pallet3D calculator arranges boxes on the pallet in 3D, automatically picks the orientation, and instantly shows how many pieces fit.