PalletSpec

Mega trailer vs standard trailer

A mega trailer has exactly the floor of a standard 13.6 m trailer, so both take 34 EUR1 pallets in one layer. Its 240 mm of extra height adds 8.1 m³ and changes the pallet count only for units between 1,351 and 1,470 mm tall, where it stacks 68 EUR1 against 34.

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

Put a mega trailer next to a standard European curtainsider and the floors are identical: 13,620 × 2,480 mm in both, the same 33.8 m². What changes is the roof. The mega in our data gives 2,940 mm of inside height against 2,700 mm, 240 mm more, and every advantage it has comes from that extra height.

The three trailers compared

13.6 m curtainsiderMegaBox
Inside length × width13,620 × 2,480 mm13,620 × 2,480 mm13,620 × 2,460 mm
Inside height2,700 mm2,940 mm2,700 mm
Rear door height2,670 mm2,900 mm2,700 mm
Side opening height2,650 mm2,870 mmclosed sides
Volume, computed91.2 m³99.3 m³90.5 m³
Volume, published89 m³100 m³90 m³
Tare7,100 kg6,880–7,2006,850 kg6,500–7,2008,600 kgone source
Smallest published inside sizes; door and side figures as published by DSV; tare as the median of the DSV, DP World and Röhlig figures with the range beneath.

The extra height is worth 8.1 m³, 8.9% more space than the standard trailer. The published round figures, 100 m³ against 89 m³, put the gap a little wider. The mega's inside height comes from a single source, DSV; Röhlig confirms its length, width and tare.

On the floor: no difference

Because the floors match, each of the 12 pallet standards gets the same single-layer count on both: 34 EUR1 at zero clearance, 26 of the 48×40. The box trailer has the curtainsider's height but is 20 mm narrower inside. Its best counts are the same too; only with 20 mm of play does it fall behind, for the EUR6 half pallet, 48×40 (GMA), 48×20 half pallet and 600×400 quarter pallet.

34 EUR1 pallets, best layout · 96.6% of the floor

13,620 × 2,480 mm planning length
2,480
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Top view · doors on the right

2,480
2,940

Door end

EUR1 pallets on a mega trailer floor, with the end view showing two layers of 1.2 m units. Drawn to scale from the planning floor size, doors on the right.

Where the height pays, 50 mm at a time

The difference appears only when pallets are stacked, and only for a narrow range of unit heights. The table steps the height of one loaded pallet from 1,200 to 1,500 mm and gives the layers each trailer takes, with the EUR1 total on the standard and mega trailers.

Unit heightStandardMegaBoxEUR1, std / mega
1,200 mm22268 / 68
1,250 mm22268 / 68
1,300 mm22268 / 68
1,350 mm22268 / 68
1,400 mm12134 / 68
1,450 mm12134 / 68
1,500 mm11134 / 34
Layers = smallest published inside height ÷ unit height, rounded down. Totals = layers × the best floor count. Geometry only: whether goods may be stacked is a separate question.

Up to 1,350 mm per unit both trailers take two layers and carry the same 68 EUR1 pallets. Between 1,351 and 1,470 mm only the mega still stacks, and in that band it carries 68 against 34. Above 1,470 mm neither does. So a mega trailer does not add a fixed share of capacity: for loads in that window it doubles the count, for everything else it adds nothing on pallets and only gives loose or tall cargo more room.

Openings set a lower limit

The inside height is not the whole story if stacks are built before they go in. Curtainsiders are usually loaded from the side, and the published side opening is 2,650 mm, 50 mm below the inside height. Two units at the 1,350 mm limit would stand 2,700 mm, taller than that opening, so a stack built beforehand has to stay at or under 1,325 mm per unit. The same sum gives 1,435 mm on the mega, through a 2,870 mm side opening. Loaded one pallet at a time, the inside height is what counts.

Weight

A taller body might be expected to weigh more, but the published figures do not show it. The mega's tare spans 6,500–7,200 kg and the curtainsider's 6,880–7,200 kg; the ranges overlap, so the data shows no reliable weight penalty for the extra height. The box trailer, with rigid sides and roof, is the heavy one at 8,600 kg.

For floor counts on all European trailers see how many pallets fit on a European truck; for heights across every container and trailer, double stacking pallets. Set your own unit height for the mega trailer in the load planner.

Sources

  • DSV – Shipping container dimensions / Trailer sizes pages. DSV A/S (freight forwarder).
  • DP World – Euroliner curtainsider trailers (Europe equipment). DP World.
  • Röhlig South Africa – Mega trailers resource page. Röhlig Logistics South Africa.
  • European Pallet Association (EPAL) – load carrier specification pages. European Pallet Association e.V.
  • CHEP – Standard pallet sizes & product pages. CHEP (Brambles).
  • Load calculations: PalletSpec, exact guillotine packing over the smallest published floor sizes (see sources and method).

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