A simple formula for calculating loading metres, a conversion table for typical pallets, and the pitfalls that inflate your freight bill.
LDM (loading metre) is the basic billing unit in road transport of partial loads (LTL/FTL). It describes how many metres of trailer floor length your load occupies - across the full width of the vehicle. Freight forwarders price partial freight precisely in LDM.
In this article
For a load that cannot be stacked and next to which no other goods can be placed:
For further worked examples, see the guide Chargeable weight: how many kg per loading metre?.
Example: 5 industrial pallets (1.2 × 1.0 m) placed across the trailer in a single row: LDM = (1.0 × 1.2 × 5) ÷ 2.4 = 2.5 LDM.
| Load unit | Dimensions | LDM |
|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet (across) | 1200 × 800 mm | 0.4 |
| Industrial pallet | 1200 × 1000 mm | 0.5 |
| Half-pallet | 800 × 600 mm | 0.2 |
| Full trailer | 13.6 m | 13.6 |
Hence the popular conversions: 33 euro pallets ≈ 13.6 LDM (3 pallets per 1.2 m of length → 0.4 LDM each) and 26 industrial pallets ≈ 13 LDM.
The formula is enough while the pallets fit neatly. Once the last row is left incomplete or some pallets have to be turned, a hand calculation starts drifting away from what will really take up space in the trailer. That is why loading metres are now shown in the program itself - on the pallet and trailer results bars, worked out from the area the layout actually occupies.
The figure refreshes after every change to the layout, including pallets moved by hand, and the tooltip carries the full formula together with the 2.4 m divisor. Containers deliberately do not get one: sea freight is billed in cubic metres, so that tab shows volume instead. The tool itself is described on the LDM calculator page.
Pallet3D arranges pallets and boxes in a trailer in 3D - you instantly see how many metres of floor your load will really take. 5 days free.
Run calculator →Groupage carriers charge around 1,750 kg per loading metre. What chargeable weight means and when the invoice stops following the floor space.
Compare FTL, LTL, and consolidation loads in terms of space, transshipments, timing, risk, and the cost of the entire shipment.
For a KRONE trailer, the calculation gives 33 EPAL 1, 34 only geometrically, or 26 EPAL 2. Check the dimensions and layout constraints.
