Layout
The best layout our engine found puts 4 with the 1200 mm side along the length and 5 turned with the 1000 mm side along the length. That covers 86.3% of the floor.
The same 9 pallets still fit after leaving 100 mm of length and 50 mm of width free for handling, so this layout has room to spare.
Floor and door
The 20 ft reefer container has 12.5 m² of floor (135 sq ft) inside. In the same box an EPAL 1 takes 10 positions against 9 for the EPAL 2, so the EPAL 2 pallets cover 10.8 m² against 9.6 m² for EPAL 1.
The door opening is 2,290 mm wide, so the EPAL 2, carried narrow side first, clears it by 1,290 mm.
Inputs
| Inside length × width | 5,454 × 2,294 mm |
|---|---|
| Inside height | 2,273 mm |
| Door opening, width × height | 2,290 × 2,221 mm |
| Guideline payload | 27,700 kg |
| EPAL 2 footprint | 1,200 × 1,000 mm |
| Equipment source | SeaCube Containers. lessor payload, approximate |
Height and weight
Empty EPAL 2 pallets are 162 mm high. The lower of the inside height (2,273 mm) and the door height (2,221 mm) is 2,221 mm, so 13 fit in one stack and 117 across the 9 clearance positions, weighing about 4,095 kg, which is within the 27,700 kg guideline payload.
For loaded pallets stacked two high, each unit including its pallet can be at most 1,110 mm tall, which leaves 948 mm for goods on each EPAL 2.
If all 9 clearance positions are filled in one layer, the guideline payload allows on average 3,042 kg of goods per pallet, after the pallet's own 35 kg.
Other pallets in the same 20' reefer
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.