EUR-pallet vs Industrial

This tool works out how many Euro pallets and how many 1200×1000 industrial pallets fit on the floor of a trailer or container, and how many pallet spaces you gain or lose by switching.

How the calculation works

Enter the internal load length and width in metres and the number of tiers (1–3). For each pallet type the calculator tests two orientations — long side along the trailer and long side across — and counts a simple grid in each: whole pallets along the length times whole pallets across the width. It keeps the better orientation and multiplies by the number of tiers.

Pallet footprints follow the European standards: the EUR pallet (EPAL 1) is 1200×800 mm per EN 13698-1, and the industrial pallet (EPAL 2) is 1200×1000 mm per EN 13698-2. The headline figure is the difference in spaces, EUR minus industrial. You also see the count for each type and the floor utilisation of one tier: total pallet area (0.96 m² per EUR pallet, 1.2 m² per industrial pallet) divided by the floor area L × W.

The model is an idealised tight fit: no gaps between pallets, no mixed patterns, and no allowance for wheel arches, posts or door frames. Treat the result as an upper bound rather than a loading plan.

Worked example

A standard 13.6 × 2.45 m curtainsider, one tier. EUR: 13.6 / 0.8 = 17 rows and 2.45 / 1.2 = 2 across, so 34 spaces. Industrial: 13.6 / 1.0 = 13 rows × 2 = 26 spaces. The EUR layout wins by 8 spaces, with 98.0% versus 93.6% floor use. Double-stacked, that becomes 68 versus 52. Hauliers usually quote 33 EUR pallets for this trailer because real side walls and doors take a few centimetres the model ignores.

Things to keep in mind

• Measure the internal dimensions; a few centimetres less width can cost a whole row.
• More spaces do not mean more payload. Check the vehicle's payload limit and the rated load of each pallet before stacking.
• Tiers only make sense if the goods are stackable and the trailer is tall enough; the calculator does not check height.
• Mixed layouts (some pallets lengthwise, some crosswise) can occasionally squeeze in one or two more; this tool only counts uniform grids.
• In the UK and other markets the 1200×1000 pallet is often simply called the “standard pallet”; the maths is the same.