How Many Pallets Fit a Shipping Container? 48 × 40 in pallet (GMA pallet)
Floor-loaded, single layer, best-fit orientation — the same floor-packing algorithm used by the pre-palletize step inside our Container Loading Calculator:
| Container | Inner floor (cm) | Pallets, one layer | Max height per tier to double-stack | Pallets, double-stacked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20GP | 589×235 | 9 | 119 cm | 18 |
| 40GP | 1,203×235 | 20 | 119 cm | 40 |
| 40HC | 1,203×235 | 20 | 134 cm | 40 |
| 45HC | 1,355×235 | 24 | 134 cm | 48 |
Open the calculator with 9 of these pallets pre-filled ›
Single layer vs. double-stacked
The "one layer" column is a hard floor-area count: 122×102 cm pallets laid out on each container's inner floor, no assumptions about load height. Whether you can add a second tier on top depends entirely on how tall your loaded pallets are — this page can't know that, but the container's own inner height sets the ceiling. In a 45HC (inner height 269 cm), two stacked tiers only fit if each loaded pallet is 134 cm or under; taller loads have to stay single-tier, or split into a shorter pallet with fewer cartons per tier.
Weight and getting an exact plan
None of the numbers above check weight. The calculator's default payload limits are 20GP 21,700 kg, 40GP 26,500 kg, 40HC 26,500 kg, 45HC 27,500 kg (the real limit is on the CSC plate on the container door) — compare that with your actual loaded-pallet weight before you commit to a count. If you're starting from individual cartons rather than pre-built pallets, the Container Loading Calculator can palletize them for you: pick "palletize first" on a cargo line (or apply it to the whole shipment in settings), set the pallet size, max height and max weight, and it loads the resulting pallets into a container in one pass.
FAQ
How many 48 × 40 in pallet (GMA pallet)s fit in a 20ft container, single layer?
9 pallets side by side on the floor, no stacking. That's a straight floor-area layout — the same best-fit algorithm the calculator's pre-palletize step uses to lay cartons out on a pallet, applied here to lay pallets out on the container floor (inner floor 589×235 cm).
Can these pallets be double-stacked?
That depends on how tall your loaded pallets are, which this page doesn't know — but the container height does set a hard limit. To fit two tiers in a 45HC, each loaded pallet (pallet plus cargo) needs to be 134 cm or shorter; if it is, you can fit up to 48 pallets. Taller loads mean single-tier only, or a shorter, wider pallet load.
Why isn't the floor used 100%?
Because 1,219×1,016 mm pallets don't divide evenly into every container's inner floor. The algorithm tries both a length-first and width-first layout and keeps whichever fits more pallets, so the number above is already the best of the two, not just one orientation.
What about weight?
Not counted here. Check your actual pallet weight (goods plus the pallet itself) against the payload limit — the calculator's defaults are 20GP 21,700 kg, 40GP 26,500 kg, 40HC 26,500 kg, 45HC 27,500 kg, and the real limit is on the CSC plate on the container door — using the full Container Loading Calculator, which also supports pre-palletizing a shipment of cartons directly.