How many pallets fit on a European truck?

A 13.6 m European trailer takes 33 EUR1 pallets with handling room and 34 if every pallet is turned across, a layout that leaves just 20 mm. It takes 26 of the 1200×1000 UK pallet. A mega trailer has exactly the same floor and only adds height; the reefer is 310 mm shorter and takes 33 EUR1.

By Oliver Bennett · Published 29 October 2026 · Data as of 27 October 2026, from spec sheets retrieved that day

On a European road trailer the floor is planned in pallets rather than in square metres. A standard semi-trailer is built to take EUR1 pallets three abreast, and the numbers on this page show how close it comes to a perfect fit and where that fit breaks.

33 or 34 EUR1 pallets

The 13.6 m curtainsider has a planning floor of 13,620 × 2,480 mm. Loaded lengthwise, three pallets across use 2,400 mm of the width and 11 rows fill 13,200 mm of the length: 33 pallets with 420 mm left over. Turned across, two per row, 17 rows of 800 mm use 13,600 mm and the count rises to 34.

That extra pallet leaves 20 mm of length, which is no tolerance at all once real pallets, straps and a forklift are involved. With 20 mm of play per pallet side the count is back to 33. DP World's Euroliner page quotes 33 Euro pallets, the figure that keeps a working margin.

26 UK pallets

The 1200×1000 pallet goes two across with its 1,200 mm side spanning the trailer, 80 mm spare, and each row takes 1,000 mm of length. Thirteen rows give 26, the same 26 that DP World publishes for "UK pallets". Turned the other way it is 22.

Mega, box and reefer trailers

A mega trailer is not a bigger floor. It has the same 13,620 × 2,480 mm deck as the curtainsider and gains only height, 2,940 mm inside against 2,700 mm. Every floor count is the same, so a figure of 26 attached to a mega trailer is the 1200×1000 count, not a EUR1 one.

The box trailer in the data is 20 mm narrower at 2,460 mm. EUR1 pallets still fit three across and reach 34, which here equals the area limit for the floor. Wider pallets feel it: the 48×40 drops from 26 to 23 once each side gets 20 mm of play.

The reefer is 310 mm shorter inside, at 13,310 mm. That is too short for 17 turned rows, so turning gives only 32 and the best layout goes back to lengthwise rows: 33 pallets, or 32 with play.

Two layers and more

All four trailers have room for two layers of 1.2 m units: 68 EUR1 pallets on the curtainsider, mega and box trailer, 66 in the reefer. The difference shows with taller or shorter loads. Two layers fit on the curtainsider up to 1,350 mm per unit and in the mega up to 1,470 mm. Three layers need units no taller than 900 mm on the curtainsider and 980 mm in the mega, which is what mega trailers are bought for.

Trailer space in Europe is usually sold in loading metres; loading metres explained converts these counts. Try other pallets in the load planner, or see the 13.6 m curtainsider, mega trailer, box trailer and reefer trailer pages.

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