How Many Cases on a Pallet?
Find how many cases fit on a pallet from your case size, with the layer pattern, orientation and total count.
How it works
A case here means a uniform shipping case (a master carton of retail units). The calculator places one case size onto one pallet footprint and reports the best single-orientation pattern. The default pallet is the GMA / 48 x 40 in footprint, the dominant North American standard.
It solves three numbers:
- Cases per layer = the larger of
floor(48 / a) x floor(40 / b)across the two flat orientations. - Layers =
floor(cargo height / case height)against a typical 60 in cargo stack. - Total cases = cases per layer x layers.
Unlike a plain box, retail cases are often a bit larger and rarely tile the deck perfectly, so the orientation choice matters even more.
Worked example (page defaults)
Default case: 13 x 11 x 9 in on a 48 x 40 in GMA pallet.
- Orientation A:
floor(48 / 13) = 3byfloor(40 / 11) = 3gives 9 cases per layer. - Orientation B (case rotated 90 degrees): the 13 in side runs across the 40 in width,
floor(40 / 13) = 3, and the 11 in side runs along the 48 in length,floor(48 / 11) = 4, giving 3 x 4 = 12 cases per layer. - Orientation B wins, so we use it: 12 cases per layer.
- Footprint coverage: 12 cases x 143 in2 = 1,716 in2 of the 1,920 in2 deck, about 89%, the rest is the gap from cases not dividing evenly.
- Layers:
floor(60 / 9) = 6. - Total = 12 x 6 = 72 cases, a 54 in cargo stack (about 59.6 in including the deck).
Note how rotating the case lifted the count from 9 to 12 per layer, a 33% gain from orientation alone.
Footprint coverage by case size
Because cases seldom tile cleanly, coverage tells you how much deck is wasted:
| Case (in) | Best per layer | Footprint used | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 x 10 x 8 | 16 | 1,920 in2 | 100% |
| 13 x 11 x 9 | 12 | 1,716 in2 | 89% |
| 15 x 12 x 10 | 9 | 1,620 in2 | 84% |
Lower coverage is not a mistake, it is the honest result of fixed case dimensions on a fixed deck. To squeeze more on, change the case size, allow slight overhang, or interlock the layers.
This estimate assumes identical cases in one orientation with no overhang. For interlocked or column-stacked patterns, compare options in the Ti-Hi calculator; for a full load with cube and weight, use the pallet calculator. A dedicated cases per pallet calculator runs the same method, and the boxes on a pallet page handles plain boxes.