Guides
Short, data-led answers to the questions people ask about pallets, containers and trailers. Every figure comes from the same dimensions and load calculations as the rest of PalletSpec.
- EUR1 vs 48×40 pallets: which fits more?
The EUR1 always gives the higher count because it is smaller: 25 against 20 in a 40ft container, 34 against 26 on a 13.6 m trailer. Measured by floor actually covered, the 48×40 does better in 14 of the 20 containers and trailers on PalletSpec, every container among them. The EUR1 does better in the other 6: 13.6 m curtainsider, mega trailer, EU box trailer, 53 ft dry van, 53 ft flatbed and 26 ft box truck.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026 - 20ft vs 40ft vs 40ft high cube containers
A 40ft container has 2.04 times the floor of a 20ft but takes more than twice as many of most pallets: 25 EUR1 against 11. The 40ft high cube has exactly the same floor as the standard 40ft, so floor counts are identical; what it adds is 306 mm of inside height, enough for two layers of pallets up to 1,347 mm tall instead of 1,195 mm.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026 - Why some pallet and container pairs waste floor space
Across all 240 pairings of 12 pallet types with 20 containers and trailers, half cover 90.8% of the floor or more. The waste comes mainly from the width: if the inside width is not close to a multiple of a pallet side, a strip along the wall stays empty for the full length. The worst case is the 1165×1165 Australian pallet in a 20ft reefer, at 43.6%.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026 - Pallet sizes by region
Europe runs on the 1200×800 mm EUR1 and its 1200×1000 relatives, North America on the 48×40 in (1219×1016 mm) pallet, Australia on the 1165×1165 square and much of Asia on 1100×1100 and 1200×1000. The 12 sizes on PalletSpec range from 0.24 m² for the 600×400 quarter pallet to 1.357 m² for the Australian pallet.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026 - European vs North American trailers
A 53 ft dry van has 41.0 m² of floor against 33.8 m² in a European 13.6 m curtainsider and takes 39 EUR1 pallets against 34, or 30 48×40 pallets against 26. The European trailer uses its floor more fully for EUR1 pallets, 96.6% against 92.3%, because its 2,480 mm width takes three pallets across with only 80 mm left.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026 - How to use the pallet load planner
Pick a pallet, pick a container or trailer and set the height of one loaded pallet. The planner returns the most pallets that fit on the floor, the count for each single orientation, a to-scale drawing, the floor left over and how many layers fit under the roof. For EUR1 pallets in a 40ft container that is 25 on the floor, 20 all lengthwise, 15 all across, and 1 layer at 1,200 mm.
Oliver Bennett · 27 October 2026
Want to try a combination yourself? Open the load planner.