Tool · Logistics

Container load calculator for furniture cartons

Enter each carton's size, gross weight and quantity to estimate the total CBM, the total weight and how full a 20' GP, 40' GP, 40' HQ or 45' HQ container gets. The result shows whether volume or weight limits the load, estimates how many cartons fit by simple floor tiling and can flag a road weight limit.

This is an estimate, not a load plan. Omni's quotation team confirms the final load plan.

Updated October 2026

Container and loading

Container type

Loading allowance (% of volume)Effective m³ = published m³ × this share (volume check only). 85% is a planning default, not a standard.

Carton dimensions in mm inches

Keep cartons upright (“this side up”) Load on pallets

Destination (road weight check)

Override with your booked container's specs (inside)

Length (mm)

Width (mm)

Height (mm)

Capacity (m³)

Max payload (kg)

Tare (kg)

ONE's figures for the selected type; Reset restores them.

Cartons (one row per SKU)

Omni gives carton dimensions and gross weights per model on request; none are pre-filled here.

Container data used

Dry containers, defaults from Ocean Network Express (ONE), Container Information — dry containers (checked 2026-10-24). Payload = maximum gross weight − tare.
Type	Inside L × W × H (mm)	Door W × H (mm)	Capacity	Max payload	Max gross
20' GP (dry)	5,898 × 2,350 × 2,390	2,340 × 2,280	33.1 m³	28,330 kg	30,480 kg
40' GP (dry)	12,032 × 2,350 × 2,390	2,340 × 2,280	67.6 m³	26,840 kg	30,480 kg
40' HQ (high cube)	12,032 × 2,350 × 2,695	2,340 × 2,585	76.2 m³	28,800 kg	32,500 kg
45' HQ (high cube)	13,556 × 2,352 × 2,697	2,340 × 2,585	86.0 m³	27,850 kg	32,500 kg

Carriers differ by a few mm and a few hundred kg (Hapag-Lloyd 20' GP: 33.2 m³, 28,130 kg payload), and boxes vary by manufacturer. Override with your booked box's specs. Sources: ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM.
The 40' HQ and 45' figures are for boxes rated 32,500 kg gross; a 30,480 kg-rated box carries about 2,000 kg less.

Road weight limits (planning only)

Destination	Road cargo limit used	Basis
United States	20' GP 39,200 lb (≈17,780 kg); 40' GP 44,000 lb (≈19,960 kg); 40' HQ 43,700 lb (≈19,820 kg); 45': 80,000 lb − vehicle − tare	80,000 lb federal gross (FHWA); Maersk / OCEMA, standard chassis
European Union	Gross 40 t; 42 t or 44 t for qualifying intermodal combinations (2- or 3-axle tractor)	Directive 96/53/EC; cargo = gross − tractor − chassis − fuel − tare

Planning limits only, separate from the structural payload; for other routes enter the permitted gross. Axle loads, permits and state or national rules are outside this tool. Default tractor + chassis + fuel: 12,580 kg (assumed).

Pallet floor positions (one floor layer)

Published planning ranges; the calculator uses the lower figure.
Pallet	20' GP	40' GP	40' HQ	45' HQ (standard width)
EUR / EPAL 1200 × 800 mm	11	23–25	23–25	27
1200 × 1000 mm	10–11	20–21	20–21	21–24
48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm)	10	20–21	20–21	24

No double stacking; optimized patterns may add 1–2. Other sizes: one floor layer, uniform grid. A 45' pallet-wide box is different equipment (33 EUR positions, not 27). ISO 6780 covers flat-pallet dimensions and tolerances for several sizes, not only 1200 × 1000. Sources: Logistics Cluster, CMA CGM, KTL, ISO 6780.

How the estimate works

Volume. Carton CBM = L × W × H. Total CBM is compared with the published capacity and the effective capacity (published m³ × allowance, applied only here).
Weight. Total gross weight (cartons, plus pallets if used) is compared with the container payload.
Binding constraint. Whichever of volume (after the allowance) or weight fills first; the road limit is checked separately.
Floor tiling. For each SKU, the calculator tries the 6 ways a carton can lie (2 if upright), counts floor(L ÷ a) × floor(W ÷ b) × floor(H ÷ c) in the empty container and keeps the best. For a mix, it adds each SKU's share of its own best count.
Pallets (optional). Cartons are tiled on one pallet up to the height limit; one SKU per pallet, single-tier, floor positions from the table above.
Cartons that fit. The lowest of tiling, effective m³ ÷ carton m³, payload ÷ carton kg and (with a destination) road limit ÷ carton kg.

What it does not do: mixed orientations within one SKU, filling gaps with smaller cartons, door clearance when loading, load distribution, carton crush strength, dunnage or bracing. A real load plan can fit more or fewer.

Worked examples

Illustrative cartons, not Omni's.

Example 1: one SKU, volume-bound (40' HQ)

300 flat-packed cartons of 1200 × 600 × 150 mm at 30 kg each.

Totals	32.400 m³, 9,000 kg
Volume fill	42.5% of 76.2 m³; 50.0% of effective 64.770 m³ at 85%
Weight fill	31.3% of 28,800 kg
Containers	1
Flat-pack carton: fits alone	599 (tiling 600 as 10 × 15 × 4, lying 1200 × 150 × 600 mm; volume 599; weight 960) — limit: volume allowance

Open in the calculator

Example 2: dense steel parts in a 20' GP, US road check

300 cartons of 600 × 400 × 300 mm at 90 kg each, trucked inland in the US.

Totals	21.600 m³, 27,000 kg
Volume fill	65.3% of 33.1 m³; 76.8% of effective 28.135 m³ at 85%
Weight fill	95.3% of 28,330 kg; 151.9% of the 17,780 kg US road limit
Containers	2 by road (1 structurally): 197 + 103 cartons
Steel parts carton: fits alone	197 (tiling 315 as 9 × 5 × 7, lying 600 × 400 × 300 mm; volume 390; weight 314; road 197) — limit: road limit

Open in the calculator

Example 3: two SKUs in one 40' GP

200 desktop cartons (1600 × 800 × 60 mm, 32 kg) and 200 frame cartons (1300 × 300 × 250 mm, 25 kg).

Totals	34.860 m³, 11,400 kg
Volume fill	51.6% of 67.6 m³; 60.7% of effective 57.460 m³ at 85%
Weight fill	42.5% of 26,840 kg
Floor tiling	69.5%
Containers	1
Desktop: fits alone	585 (tiling 585 as 15 × 1 × 39, lying 800 × 1600 × 60 mm; volume 748; weight 838) — limit: floor tiling
Frame: fits alone	567 (tiling 567 as 9 × 7 × 9, lying 1300 × 300 × 250 mm; volume 589; weight 1,073) — limit: floor tiling

Open in the calculator

Example 4: light but bulky, over one 20' GP by volume

60 cartons of 1800 × 700 × 450 mm at 42 kg. Weight is under 10% of payload, but 34.02 m³ exceeds the published 33.1 m³ (Hapag-Lloyd: 33.2 m³).

Totals	34.020 m³, 2,520 kg
Volume fill	102.8% of 33.1 m³; 120.9% of effective 28.135 m³ at 85%
Weight fill	8.9% of 28,330 kg
Containers	2: 45 + 15 cartons
Bulky carton: fits alone	45 (tiling 45 as 3 × 3 × 5, lying 1800 × 700 × 450 mm; volume 49; weight 674) — limit: floor tiling

Open in the calculator

How to use this with an Omni RFQ

Ask Omni for the carton dimensions and gross weight of each model you are quoting (one row per carton; a desk can ship in more than one carton).
Enter them here with your quantities, pick the container and copy the shareable link.
Paste the link into your RFQ email (the button below opens a pre-addressed one).
Omni's quotation team returns the confirmed load plan and container count with the quotation.

Email an RFQ with this estimate

Opens your email app. No email app? Write to weiben.zhang@omnidesking.com

Related: open specification dataset (model codes and product dimensions) · all tools

Sources & verification

Checked against an independent, source-cited fact sheet dated 2026-10-24; an independent second review was run. With Hapag-Lloyd specs as overrides, the calculator reproduces its examples (665 of 684 at 85%; 45 + 15; 240 per SKU).