Pallets · 40 ft
How many pallets fit in a 40ft container?
Yuri Kan Checked against 29 of 88 published sheets Updated
A 40 ft container fits 25 EUR pallets (1,200 × 800 mm, 47.2 × 31.5 in) or 21 US pallets (48 × 40 in, 1,219 × 1,016 mm) on its floor in one tier, counted on the 12.032 × 2.352 m (39′5½″ × 7′8½″) inside with every pallet tight, none overhanging. The inside length is 12.032 m and the width 2.352 m, per 13 of 16 sheets. Seaco’s lessor sheet prints 23 EUR and 20 US pallets for the 40 ft: a lessor’s working count.
| Container | Pallet | Counted on the floor | Seaco’s sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 ft | EUR pallets | 25 | 23 (Seaco) |
| 40 ft | US pallets | 21 | 20 (Seaco) |
| 40 ft HC | EUR pallets | 25 | — |
| 40 ft HC | US pallets | 21 | — |
| 20 ft | EUR pallets | 11 | 11 (Seaco) |
| 20 ft | US pallets | 10 | 10 (Seaco) |
Checked : outside sizes set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; every other figure against 29 published sheets of 20 lines, lessors and makers. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources
Data: EPAL Euro pallet 800 × 1,200 mm product data sheet (PB 05/2025) · GMA 48 × 40 in block pallet specifications: CHEP, PECO, iGPS, Rehrig Pacific · Seaco product sheets (the published counts)
Where 25 EUR and 21 US pallets come from
The count is geometry on the 40 ft’s 12.032 m length. EUR pallets load into a 40 ft as two bands: one with the 1.200 m side along the box and one turned, so across the 2.352 m width they take 1.200 m plus 0.800 m and leave only dunnage room. US pallets go into a 40 ft in a staggered pattern of two lengthwise lanes, turned pallets at opposite ends: nine straight and one turned in one lane, four straight and seven turned in the other, because two turned pallets do not stand side by side in 2.352 m.
Why some tables say 20 US pallets and others 21
Laid in bands, each lane one way round, US pallets fill a 40 ft with 20, the count Seaco’s lessor sheet prints. The staggered lanes above fit 21 pallets and leave 44 mm of the 12.032 m length. Book on 20 when cargo overhangs the deck or the pallets go in by forklift; count on 21 pallets only for square, tight loads placed with care.
When a 20 ft is the better box
For dense cargo a 20 ft fits 11 EUR or 10 US pallets and carries almost the same weight as a 40 ft. The high cube fits the same 25 EUR and 21 US pallets; its extra 305 mm helps only with height. The long version of the 40 ft, with the layouts drawn, is pallets in a 40 ft container.
The 40 ft container on one page, plus the whole pack
Every dimension in millimetres, metres and feet, the door opening, tare, payload and volume, and the floor drawn to scale with EUR and US pallets on it. In the same email, the container pack: all 17 containers by the job, 17 sheets like this one, the 85 owner prefixes, an A3 wall chart and an Excel workbook.
- 17 containers, by the job
- 17 container sheets
- 85 owner prefixes
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Frequently asked questions
How many Euro pallets fit in a 40 ft container?
25 EUR pallets (1,200 × 800 mm, 47.2 × 31.5 in) fit a 40 ft container in one tier on its 12.032 × 2.352 m (39′5½″ × 7′8½″) floor, per 13 of 16 sheets.
How many US 48 × 40 pallets fit in a 40 ft container?
21 US pallets (48 × 40 in, 1,219 × 1,016 mm) fit a 40 ft container in one tier: two staggered lanes, turned pallets at opposite ends, on the 12.032 × 2.352 m (39′5½″ × 7′8½″) floor.
Can pallets be double-stacked in a 40 ft container?
Yes: a 40 ft takes two tiers under its 2,393 mm (7′10″) inside height when each loaded pallet, pallet included, is short enough to pass the 2,280 mm (7′6″) door as a pair or to be lifted on inside; the 28,800 kg payload caps the total, and a road truck usually carries less.