Pallet CBM Calculator — Volume by Pallet Size, Stack Height, and Count
Answer: Pallet CBM = outer pallet length × width × stacked height (in meters) × pallet count. The footprint is the pallet deck (e.g. 1.219 × 1.016 m for a US 48×40) and the height is measured from the floor to the top of the load, including the deck.
What is pallet CBM?
Pallet CBM (cubic meters, m³) is the volume your shipment occupies once it is built on a pallet — measured from the outer pallet footprint and the total stacked height from the floor to the top of the load, not from the cartons inside. LCL ocean carriers, palletized inbound networks (Amazon FBA, 3PL crossdocks), and airline ULD planners all price off this number.
If your 80 cartons of 50 × 40 × 30 cm carton CBM equals 4.8 m³ but they stack onto four US 48 × 40” pallets at 1.6 m each, the pallet CBM is ~4.96 m³ — slightly higher because overhang and gaps are now part of what the carrier loads.
How the calculator works
For each pallet line item, enter the outer pallet length, width, stacked height, and the number of identical pallets. The calculator normalizes your unit to meters, multiplies L × W × H to get one pallet’s footprint volume, then multiplies by pallet count.
Formula path:
pallet_cbm = (length_m × width_m × stacked_height_m) × pallet_countIf your shipment mixes pallet sizes (some US 48×40, some EUR), use + Add carton type to add another row — each row computes independently and the totals roll up.
Standard pallet sizes
| Pallet | Footprint (mm) | Footprint (m²) | Where it ships |
|---|---|---|---|
| US GMA / North America | 1219 × 1016 (48 × 40”) | 1.239 | US LCL, Amazon FBA inbound, most US trucking |
| EUR / EPAL | 1200 × 800 | 0.960 | Intra-Europe truck and rail, EUR-pallet pool |
| ISO industrial | 1200 × 1000 | 1.200 | Asia–Europe ocean LCL, generic ISO containers |
| Asia square | 1100 × 1100 | 1.210 | JIS pallets, China–Japan/Korea trade |
| Australian | 1165 × 1165 | 1.357 | AU domestic, CHEP pool |
Pallet deck height adds 120–150 mm (US GMA ~140 mm, EUR ~144 mm) to whatever stack you build on top. Plan the height including the pallet.
Stack-height planning (as of May 2026)
| Use case | Working stack height | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon FBA, floor-loaded inbound | 1.83 m (72”) hard cap | Plan 1.60 m to leave room for top caps and forklift entry. |
| Amazon FBA, clamp-truck pallet position | 2.54 m (100”) hard cap | Used by some inbound networks; confirm in current Seller Central rules. |
| Ocean LCL, single-stack | 1.80 m | Standard CFS warehouse practice; double-stackable cargo can go lower. |
| Ocean FCL, 40HQ no double-stack | 2.20–2.40 m | Internal container height is 2.69 m; leave headroom for forklift. |
| Air freight, lower-deck ULD | 1.60 m | LD3 and AKE ULDs have angled tops; tall pallets get re-stuffed. |
Heavier or dense loads should stay lower to keep the center of gravity safe and avoid restack at the warehouse.
Pallet CBM vs other freight metrics
| Metric | What it measures | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet CBM | Outer pallet footprint × stacked height × pallet count | Quoting LCL, FBA palletized inbound, FCL load plans |
| Carton CBM | Outer carton dimensions × carton count | Cartonization, how many cartons per pallet, FOB volume |
| Chargeable weight | max(actual kg, CBM × mode divisor) | Air, courier, and LCL billing when density is low |
| Loading meters (LDM) | Truck floor length × full trailer width/height | EU road freight, where price is per LDM, not CBM |
For ocean LCL the standard chargeable-weight divisor is 1000 kg/m³ (so 1 CBM ≈ 1 metric ton). For air it is 167 kg/m³ (IATA 6000 cm³/kg) and for courier 200 kg/m³ (5000 cm³/kg).
Worked example
You are sending 6 pallets of cartons to an Amazon FBA destination on the US east coast.
- Pallet: US GMA, 48 × 40” (1.219 × 1.016 m)
- Stacked height (load + 14 cm pallet deck + 2 cm wrap): 1.60 m
- One pallet CBM: 1.219 × 1.016 × 1.60 = 1.981 m³
- Total pallet CBM: 1.981 × 6 = 11.89 m³
If total weight is 3,600 kg, ocean LCL chargeable weight is max(11.89 CBM, 3.6 t) = 11.89 CBM. Switching to air freight would bill at max(11.89 × 167, 3,600) = max(1,986 kg, 3,600 kg) = 3,600 kg chargeable — actual weight dominates.
When pallet CBM is not the right number
- Before pallets are built. Use the carton CBM calculator to plan cartons-per-pallet first, then come back here.
- EU truck moves. Many EU trucking carriers bill by loading meter (LDM), where 1 LDM = ~1.85 m² of trailer floor. Pallet CBM is a useful sanity check, but the quote is per LDM.
- Dangerous goods, batteries, or oversized cargo. These get surcharged outside the CBM line; pallet CBM still feeds the rate but is not the final price.
FAQs
Do I include pallet height in CBM? Yes. Measure from the floor to the top of the wrapped load, including the pallet deck, cartons, top cap, and any overhang.
Why is pallet CBM higher than carton CBM? Pallet CBM includes unused space from the pallet footprint, gaps between cartons, wrap, and stacking constraints. Carton CBM only measures the boxes.
Which pallet size should I use for Amazon FBA? For US FBA inbound, the common footprint is the US GMA 48 x 40 inch pallet, but check the current Seller Central routing and pallet requirements before booking.
Can I use pallet CBM for air freight? Yes as a volume input, but air freight bills by chargeable weight. Convert pallet CBM to volumetric weight and compare it with actual gross weight.
What if my pallets are double-stackable? Use the actual stacked height shipped. Double-stackability may improve trailer or container utilization, but the freight quote still needs the measured pallet dimensions.
Dated facts
- As of May 2026, Amazon FBA’s floor-loaded inbound stack-height cap is 72” (1.83 m) and the clamp-truck pallet-position cap is 100” (2.54 m). Confirm current limits in Seller Central before booking.
- IATA dimensional-weight divisor remained 6000 cm³/kg through the 2026 TACT update; ocean LCL still uses 1000 kg/m³ as the volume-to-weight equivalence.
- The US GMA 48 × 40” pallet and the EUR/EPAL 1200 × 800 mm pallet together account for the majority of palletized export volume out of China and the US.
Frequently asked questions
- What is pallet CBM?
- Pallet CBM is the cubic-meter volume your shipment occupies once it is stacked on a pallet — measured from the outer footprint of the pallet (deck length × width) and the total stacked height from the floor to the top of the load, including the pallet itself. Carriers charge LCL and palletized inbound off this number, not the volume of the cartons inside.
- Why use pallet CBM instead of carton CBM?
- Once cargo is palletized, the carrier prices the pallet footprint, not the cartons. Cartons leave gaps (overhang restrictions, stacking layers, dunnage, stretch wrap), so the pallet CBM is almost always larger than the sum of carton CBMs. Use carton CBM to plan how many cartons fit per pallet; use pallet CBM to quote and book freight.
- What are the standard pallet sizes I should use?
- North America: 48" × 40" (1219 × 1016 mm, 1.239 m² footprint) — the GMA standard used for Amazon FBA inbound and most US LCL. Europe: 1200 × 800 mm EUR/EPAL pallet (0.96 m²). Australia: 1165 × 1165 mm. ISO also defines 1200 × 1000 mm (industrial) and 1100 × 1100 mm (Asia). For FBA pallet inbound, Amazon caps stack height at 72" (1.83 m) for floor-loaded and 100" (2.54 m) on a clamp-truck pallet position; the calculator accepts any height so you can stress-test those limits.
- How does pallet CBM differ from chargeable weight?
- Pallet CBM is pure volume in m³. Chargeable weight converts that volume into a billable weight using a mode-specific divisor: 1000 kg/m³ for ocean LCL (1 CBM ≈ 1 metric ton), 167 kg/m³ for air (IATA 6000 cm³/kg), and 200 kg/m³ for courier (5000 cm³/kg). Carriers bill the higher of actual weight and chargeable weight, so pallet CBM is the input — not the answer — when comparing LCL and air for the same load.
- Do I include the pallet itself in the height?
- Yes. The carrier measures floor-to-top, so include the pallet base (typically 5–6" / 12–15 cm for a wood GMA pallet, 6" / 15 cm for an EUR pallet) plus stretch wrap, top caps, and any slip sheets. A "1.6 m planned" pallet is usually ~1.45 m of cartons on a 15 cm pallet deck.
- What stack height should I plan for?
- Three common ceilings: 1.60 m for Amazon FBA single-stack inbound (under the 72" / 1.83 m hard cap, leaving room for forklift entry and overage), 1.80 m for general LCL and double-stack-friendly cargo, and 2.20–2.40 m if the pallet ships in a 40HQ FCL with no double-stack. Heavier or dense loads should stay lower to keep the center of gravity safe.