Both layouts
EPAL 1 covers 76.1% of the floor and 48 × 40 covers 80.4%. One EPAL 1 takes 0.96 m² and one 48 × 40 takes 1.24 m², so the count alone does not tell you which carries more goods: 11 × 0.96 = 10.6 m² against 9 × 1.24 = 11.1 m² of pallet deck.
Floor and door
The 20 ft dry container has 13.9 m² of floor (149 sq ft) inside. Pallet decks cover 10.6 m² with EPAL 1 and 11.1 m² with 48 × 40, leaving 3.3 m² and 2.7 m² of gaps.
The door opening is 2,340 mm wide, so the EPAL 1, carried narrow side first, clears it by 1,540 mm and a 48 × 40 by 1,324 mm. The EPAL 1 layout puts 7 with the 800 mm side along the length and 4 turned with the 1200 mm side along the length; the 48 × 40 layout puts 8 with the 1219 mm side along the length and 1 turned with the 1016 mm side along the length.
Inputs
| Inside length × width | 5,898 × 2,352 mm |
|---|---|
| Inside height | 2,391 mm |
| Door opening, width × height | 2,340 × 2,280 mm |
| Guideline payload | 21,720 kg |
| EPAL 1 footprint | 800 × 1,200 mm |
| 48 × 40 footprint | 1,219 × 1,016 mm |
| Equipment source | Leman USA Inc.. US road/rail-limited guideline payload |
How this is computed
The engine tries every split of the deck into rows of pallets placed one way and rows placed the other way, along the length and across the width, and keeps the arrangement with the most pallets. It does not overhang, mix in other pallet sizes or allow for bulging goods. The methodology page explains each step, and the load planner runs the same code on your own dimensions.