Enter your cartons, including mixed sizes, and compare floor loading with pallets for 20', 40' and 40' high-cube containers.
Garment shipments rarely use one carton size. A small-size carton and a 3XL carton of the same style can differ a lot in volume. This Apparel Search calculator totals cartons, CBM and weight exactly, estimates how many containers you need, and draws how the cartons or pallets would sit in the container. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is saved.
Please read: this is a planning estimate, not a load plan. Totals (cartons, CBM, weight) are exact for what you enter. Container counts are estimates. Real loads lose space to gaps, dunnage, uneven cartons and handling, and carriers, forwarders and factories decide the final plan. Container dimensions and payload limits vary by carrier, so edit them to match your booking. The tool does not check carton crush strength, stacking limits, road weight limits or hanging-garment (GOH) loads. Confirm with your forwarder before booking.
Shipment setup
Cartons
One row per carton type or size. Dimensions are outside measurements. "Upright only" keeps the carton's height as entered (this side up). "Any" lets the tool turn it on any side. Units per carton is optional.
Label
Length (cm)
Width (cm)
Height (cm)
Weight (kg)
Cartons
Units/ctn
Orientation
Containers (edit to match your carrier)
Container
Inside length (cm)
Inside width
Inside height
Door height
Max payload (kg)
Defaults are typical figures. Internal dimensions differ slightly by manufacturer, and payload depends on the carrier and lane (about 21,700 to 28,000 kg for a 20').
Shipment totals (exact)
Containers needed (estimate)
How it loads
Estimates only. Drawings are simplified to show the idea, not a load plan. Confirm with your forwarder or factory before booking.
Floor loading or pallets?
Floor loaded usually fits more cartons because pallets take space, and it is common for garments. It takes more labor to load and unload, and cartons are handled individually.
Palletized speeds handling and is often required by retailers and distribution centers. It usually means fewer cartons per container.
What the tool cannot decide for you: damage risk, labor cost, destination requirements, port and carrier rules, and carton strength. Ask your forwarder and your customer which method they need.
How the estimate works. Floor loading places each carton type as a block along the container length, using the turn of the carton that takes the least length, and starts a new container when length or weight runs out. Because different blocks have different heights, this is cautious. The theoretical minimum, total cargo volume divided by container volume, shows the best case nobody reaches. Pallets are built one carton type per pallet, with simple layer patterns, and fitted to the container floor using the lane patterns that give about 11 EUR pallets in a 20' and 23 to 24 in a 40'. Air chargeable weight uses the divisor shown, and LCL uses the greater of cubic meters or tonnes. Check the basis with your forwarder.
Estimates only. This tool is provided for general planning and informational purposes. Results depend on the information you enter and on assumptions that may not match your cargo, container or carrier. Apparel Search does not guarantee accuracy or completeness of any result. Confirm container counts, weights and load plans with your freight forwarder, carrier, factory or other qualified professionals before booking or shipping. See our Legal page for terms of use.
How to calculate CBM and containers needed for cartons
Choose metric or imperial units and floor loading or pallets (US or EUR pallet size).
Enter each carton type with outside dimensions, weight, quantity and orientation. Add a row for every different carton size.
Edit the container dimensions and payload to match your carrier.
Review the totals, container estimates and drawings, then download the results.
How the calculations work, with an example
CBM. A carton's volume in cubic meters = length x width x height in meters. A 60 x 40 x 38 cm carton is 91,200 cubic centimeters, or 0.0912 CBM, so 40 of them are about 3.65 CBM. Air chargeable weight uses the greater of actual weight and volume / 6,000 (cubic centimeters per kilogram, editable): 91,200 / 6,000 = 15.2 kg per carton, against 14 kg actual. LCL shipments are often charged on the greater of cubic meters or tonnes, so confirm the basis with your forwarder.
Containers. Typical inside volumes are roughly 33 CBM for a 20', 67 CBM for a 40' and 76 CBM for a 40' high cube, but dimensions and payload vary by carrier. Cargo rarely fills a container completely, so the estimate shows a theoretical minimum and a cautious figure.
Key terms
CBM: cubic meter, a standard unit of cargo volume.
FCL and LCL: full container load and less than container load (a shared container).
TEU: twenty-foot equivalent unit, a container size measure where a 20-foot container equals one TEU.
Chargeable weight: the greater of actual and volumetric weight, used for pricing freight.
Payload: the maximum weight a container can carry.
Floor loaded: cartons loaded directly into the container without pallets.
Dunnage: packing material used to brace and protect cargo.
Getting the most from the Carton and Container Load Calculator
Use outside carton dimensions. Measure the packed carton, not the product inside.
Edit the container figures. Inside dimensions and payload vary by carrier, so match them to your booking.
Remember pallet weight. If you palletize, the pallets add weight and take up floor space.
Ask your forwarder for the load plan. Real loads lose space to gaps and handling, so treat the result as a planning estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What is CBM?
CBM stands for cubic meter. A carton's CBM is its length times width times height in meters, and a shipment's CBM is the total for all cartons. Freight is often priced by CBM or by weight.
What is chargeable weight?
Chargeable weight is the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. Carriers use it so that light but bulky cargo still pays for the space it takes.
Is floor loading or palletizing better?
Floor loading usually fits more cartons into a container. Palletizing speeds handling and is often required by retailers. This calculator compares both for your cartons.