Layout
The best layout our engine found puts 30 turned with the 1000 mm side along the length. That covers 95.7% of the floor.
The same 30 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 53 ft domestic reefer container has 37.6 m² of floor (405 sq ft) inside. In the same box an EPAL 1 takes 38 positions against 30 for the EPAL 2, so the EPAL 2 pallets cover 36.0 m² against 36.5 m² for EPAL 1.
The door opening is 2,438 mm wide, so the EPAL 2, carried narrow side first, clears it by 1,438 mm.
Inputs
| Inside length × width | 15,265 × 2,464 mm |
|---|---|
| Inside height | 2,565 mm |
| Door opening, width × height | 2,438 × 2,591 mm |
| Guideline payload | not published by the source |
| EPAL 2 footprint | 1,200 × 1,000 mm |
| Equipment source | CN (Canadian National Railway). payload not published in source |
Height and weight
Empty EPAL 2 pallets are 162 mm high. The lower of the inside height (2,565 mm) and the door height (2,591 mm) is 2,565 mm, so 15 fit in one stack and 450 across the 30 clearance positions, weighing about 15,750 kg.
For loaded pallets stacked two high, each unit including its pallet can be at most 1,282 mm tall, which leaves 1,120 mm for goods on each EPAL 2.
Other pallets in the same 53' reefer
| Pallet | Floor positions | With clearance |
|---|---|---|
| EPAL 1 | 38 | 37 |
| EPAL 3 | 30 | 30 |
| EPAL 6 | 76 | 75 |
| EPAL 7 | 76 | 75 |
| CP3 | 26 | 26 |
| CP4 | 24 | 24 |
| CP5 | 40 | 39 |
| 48 × 40 | 30 | 26 |
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.