Any logistician or warehouse manager knows how important it is to know the exact volume of a shipment. This applies not only to goods, but also to pallets – wooden containers. The correct calculation of pallet volume helps to optimize warehouse space. For logisticians, knowing the total volume of the transport unit (cargo volume + wooden pallet volume) will allow them to choose the best means of transportation.
Main types of wooden pallets
Wooden pallets are standardized decks to form a convenient transport unit. They are used in warehousing and logistics, come in several sizes and have different load capacities.
The main types of wooden pallets that are most commonly found:
- Euro pallets(1200×800×145 mm), load capacity 2.5 tons;
- standard and lightweight pallets (1200×800×145 mm), load capacity 1.5 and 0.9 tons respectively;
- standard and lightweight pallets(1200×1000×140 mm), load capacity 1.5 and 0.9 tons respectively;
- American standard pallets (1200×1200×146 mm), load capacity 2.0 tons.
Pallets have strict overall dimensions, which must comply with GOST 33757-2016 or UIC435-2 (for Europallets). These standards describe, among other things, the permissible deviations. Knowing the exact dimensions of wooden containers, you can calculate their volume.
Algorithm for calculating pallets: how many cubes
The volume of the pallet can be calculated using the formula for calculating the volume of a parallelepiped: V=L×W×H. To do this, you need to know three values: the length (L), width (W) and height (H) of the container. To get the result in cubic meters, all linear quantities must also be converted into meters.
Calculation example
- Let’s take the Euro pallet as an example. It has the following dimensions: length 1200 mm (1.2 m), width 800 mm (0.8 m), height 145 mm (0.145 m).
- We calculate the volume V=1,2×0,8×0,145=0,1392 m³. That is, we have found out how many cubes there are in a euro standard pallet.
- It is often necessary to calculate the volume of several pallets. To do this, multiply the volume of one pallet by their number: 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 or more pallets. In our case, 10 euro pallets will have a volume V=0,1392×10=1,392 m³. As a rule, the result is rounded to two digits after the decimal point.
How many pallets in a cube
Another quantity that is in demand for logistics and warehousing operations is how many pallets fit into one cubic meter. To calculate this, divide this volume by the volume of one pallet. For example, for euro pallets this value will be 1/0,1392=7,183 pcs.
Here is a table for some types of wooden pallets.
| Pallet size in mm | Volume of 1 pallet in m³ | Quantity in 1 m³ |
| 1200×800×145 | 0,139 | 7,183 |
| 1200×800×140 | 0,134 | 7,440 |
| 1200×1000×145 | 0,174 | 5,747 |
| 1200×1000×140 | 0,168 | 5,952 |
| 1200×1200×146 | 0,210 | 4,756 |