How Many Pallets Fit in a 40ft Container? (2026 Guide)

Quick answer: A standard 40ft container holds about 25 Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) or 20–21 standard/GMA pallets (1200 × 1000 mm) in a single ground layer. If your cargo can be double-stacked and stays under the weight limit, you can fit roughly 50 Euro or 40–42 standard pallets in total.

The exact number depends on three things: the pallet footprint, whether you can stack, and the container’s payload limit. Let’s break it down.

Get the number for your shipment. These are single-size averages — real loads mix pallet sizes and often hit the weight limit before the floor fills. Enter your cargo to see the fit and payload instantly — free, no signup.

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40ft container internal dimensions

Pallet counts come straight from the usable floor area. A standard (“dry”) 40ft container measures:

Measurement	Metric	Imperial
Internal length	12.03 m	39’ 5"
Internal width	2.35 m	7’ 8"
Internal height	2.39 m	7’ 10"
Door opening (W × H)	2.34 × 2.28 m	7’ 8" × 7’ 6"
Floor area	~28.3 m²	~305 ft²
Volume capacity	~67.7 m³	~2,390 ft³
Max payload	~26,500 kg	~58,400 lb

A 40ft High Cube (HC) is identical in length and width but ~30 cm taller (internal height 2.69 m / 8’ 10", ~76 m³). That extra height doesn’t change the floor count — but it makes double-stacking far easier. (See the full shipping container dimensions guide for every size and weight spec.)

The two pallet sizes that matter

Almost every calculation comes down to one of these footprints:

• Euro pallet (EUR/EPAL): 1200 × 800 mm — the standard across Europe.
• Standard / GMA pallet: 1200 × 1000 mm — the metric “industrial” pallet, near-equivalent to North America’s 48 × 40 in GMA (1219 × 1016 mm).

Because the two have different footprints, they fill the container differently.

The Euro pallet’s smaller 0.96 m² base is exactly why more of them fit in the same container floor.

The math: pallets in a single layer

The container floor is 12.03 m long × 2.35 m wide. Here’s how each pallet type tiles into it:

One lengthwise column fits 10 Euro pallets; a second, crosswise column fits 15 — 25 per floor.

Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) Mix orientations in two side-by-side columns. One column loads lengthwise — 1,200 mm along the container, 800 mm across — fitting 10 pallets along the 12.03 m floor. Beside it, a second column loads crosswise — 800 mm along, 1,200 mm across — fitting 15. Together the columns span 800 + 1,200 = 2,000 mm, well within the 2.35 m width, and 10 + 15 gives the industry-standard 25 Euro pallets per floor.

Standard pallets (1200 × 1000 mm) Two rows of 1000 mm across the width (2 × 1000 = 2000 mm) leave little waste, and 10 pallets of 1200 mm down the length gives 20–21 standard pallets per floor.

Pallet type	Footprint	Single layer	Double-stacked
Euro (EUR/EPAL)	1200 × 800 mm	25	~50
Standard / GMA	1200 × 1000 mm	20–21	~40–42

For reference, a 20ft container holds about 11 Euro or 9–10 standard pallets in a single layer — roughly half a 40ft.

When you can (and can’t) double-stack

Doubling the floor count assumes two things hold:

1. Height fits. Two stacked pallets must clear the 2.39 m internal height (2.69 m in a High Cube). A 1.1 m-tall loaded pallet stacks fine; a 1.3 m one usually won’t in a standard 40ft.
2. Weight stays under the limit. This is the constraint people forget. A 40ft container caps out around 26,500 kg of payload. Across 50 pallets that’s only ~530 kg per pallet — so heavy goods hit the weight ceiling long before they run out of floor or height.

In practice, dense cargo (tiles, liquids, machinery) is weight-limited, while light, bulky cargo (textiles, packaging, foam) is volume-limited. Knowing which one you are tells you whether stacking actually helps.

Don’t load by rule of thumb — load by plan

These figures are starting points. Real shipments mix pallet sizes, have load-bearing and weight rules, and need a door-to-nose loading sequence. Eyeballing it leaves paid-for space empty or, worse, overloads an axle.

ContainerMath is container loading software that works the exact problem in reverse: enter your carton or pallet dimensions and weights, and it computes a 3D loading plan — how many fit, where they go, and how much volume and payload you’re actually using. It supports 20ft, 40ft, 40ft HC, reefer, and truck/road vessels out of the box. Need the volume math first? Use the free CBM calculator.

See it packed in 3D — free trial →

Frequently asked questions

How many Euro pallets fit in a 40ft container?

About 25 Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) in a single layer, and up to ~50 if the cargo can be safely double-stacked and stays under the container’s weight limit.

How many standard pallets fit in a 40ft container?

Around 20–21 standard/GMA pallets (1200 × 1000 mm) on the floor, or roughly 40–42 double-stacked.

Does a 40ft High Cube hold more pallets?

Not on the floor — the footprint is the same, so it’s still ~25 Euro / ~20–21 standard in a single layer. But the extra 30 cm of height (2.69 m vs 2.39 m) makes double-stacking practical, so the total capacity is usually higher.

What limits how many pallets I can load — space or weight?

Either. Light, bulky cargo runs out of volume first; dense, heavy cargo hits the ~26,500 kg payload limit first. Work out both before you book — a calculator that tracks volume and weight together will tell you which one binds.