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A Euro pallet (EPAL) measures 1200 x 800 x 144 mm, weighs about 25 kg and safely carries up to 1500 kg in transit. A standard 13.6 m trailer takes 33 Euro pallets on the floor, and one pallet occupies 0.4 loading metres (LDM). These numbers drive every freight quote, so learn them before you pack.
Five numbers to know before you pack
A shipper who knows the pallet specification negotiates with carriers as an equal. Here is the full data set for the EPAL 1 pallet, as published by EPAL:
- Dimensions: 1200 x 800 x 144 mm. Length and width decide how many pallets fit in the trailer; the 144 mm height counts towards the total cargo height.
- Tare weight: about 25 kg. Add it to the gross weight of the consignment. Across 33 pallets that is over 800 kg of timber travelling with your goods.
- Dynamic load capacity: up to 1500 kg. That is what one pallet can safely carry in motion, on forks and on the road.
- Static load capacity: up to 4000 kg. That is what the bottom pallet withstands under an evenly distributed load on a firm, level surface, for example in a warehouse stack.
- Footprint: 0.96 m2. Useful when converting pallets into loading metres.
The stakes are real. Load 1800 kg onto one pallet and the carrier is entitled to refuse it; if nobody notices, an overloaded pallet can fail mid-journey. A collapsed stack damages your goods and your neighbour's goods on the same trailer, and responsibility for badly prepared freight sits with the sender.
How many Euro pallets fit on a 13.6 m trailer
A standard curtainsider is about 13.6 m long and about 2.45 m wide inside. Euro pallets go in three rows, short side forward: 3 x 800 mm makes 2400 mm of width, and 11 pallets of 1200 mm take up 13,200 mm of length. The result: 33 Euro pallets on the floor. Industrial pallets of 1200 x 1000 mm fit in smaller numbers: two across and thirteen along, so 26 pallets.
One pallet placed askew, or turned long side across, can break the whole pattern and eat two spaces instead of one. A serious forwarder therefore asks for exact dimensions, weights and pallet counts before quoting, not after loading.
Pallet spaces and LDM: the language carriers speak
Two terms appear in every groupage quote. A pallet space is the floor area of one Euro pallet in the trailer, without stacking. A loading metre (LDM) is one metre of trailer length across its full width and height. The conversion is simple: a pallet footprint of 0.96 m2 divided by 2.4 m of loading width gives 0.4 LDM per Euro pallet. Ten Euro pallets equal 4 LDM. An industrial pallet takes 0.5 LDM.
Why bother with the arithmetic? On part loads and groupage you pay for the space you occupy, not for the whole trailer. If you cannot count LDM, you cannot check whether a quote is fair or compare two offers. We take full loads and groupage apart in FTL or LTL. And if you would rather not calculate by hand, use our load calculator: enter dimensions and pallet counts, and it returns trailer utilisation and loading metres.
Euro pallet or industrial pallet: comparison
| Parameter | Euro pallet (EPAL 1) | Industrial pallet | Half pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base dimensions | 1200 x 800 mm | 1200 x 1000 mm | 800 x 600 mm |
| Footprint | 0.96 m2 | 1.2 m2 | 0.48 m2 |
| Units on a 13.6 m trailer floor | 33 | 26 | depends on the pattern, roughly double the Euro pallet count |
| Loading metres (LDM) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Typical use | retail and manufacturing standard across Europe | heavier industrial goods, common in the UK | shop displays, small consignments |
One trap for UK importers buying from Poland: the 1200 x 1000 mm pallet is widely treated as the standard in Britain, while Polish suppliers ship on 1200 x 800 mm Euro pallets by default. Your warehouse may expect one format and receive another, which changes the pallet count per trailer and the freight price. Agree the pallet format with your supplier before the first shipment, not after it.
Cargo height and double-stacking
A standard trailer usually accepts cargo up to about 2.6-2.7 m high; a mega trailer takes roughly 3 m. If your loaded pallet stands up to about 1.2-1.3 m, has a flat top and goods that tolerate pressure, the carrier can place a second tier on top. Instead of 33 spaces the trailer then offers up to 66, and your freight cost per unit drops sharply.
Stacking has conditions: a stable, level pallet top, stretch film, pressure-resistant goods and a weight within the capacity of the bottom pallet. A 1.4 m pallet with an uneven top cannot be stacked and often pays for a full pallet space it does not fully use. How to prepare pallets for stacking, and what UK consignees expect, is covered in our article on pallet stacking.
Goods overhanging the pallet edge are a problem, not a detail
A carton protruding 5 cm beyond the pallet edge looks harmless, but inside a trailer it causes real damage. Overhanging goods rub against neighbouring pallets and the curtains, absorb impacts the pallet should take, and make tight loading impossible: suddenly 33 pallets no longer fit. Many warehouses also refuse to put such pallets into high racking, because the overhang fouls the structure.
There is a legal layer too. Under Article 10 of the CMR Convention, the sender is liable for damage caused to persons, equipment and other goods by defective packing of the consignment, unless the defect was apparent or known to the carrier at the time of taking over the goods and the carrier made no reservations about it. Under Article 17(4)(b) CMR, the carrier can be relieved of liability for damage arising from the lack or defective condition of packing. In plain terms: goods hanging over the pallet edge weaken your position in any compensation dispute. Packing and securing cargo on pallets is covered in pallets, packaging and load securing.
The OTSL role
As an international freight forwarder we plan loads so the trailer is used and the goods arrive intact: we ask for the dimensions, weight and stackability of every pallet before we quote. In our warehouses in Kielce, Legnica and Milton Keynes in the UK we can re-palletise, re-wrap and inspect goods before the onward leg, including shipments between Poland, the UK and Switzerland. Contact us through the form if you want your load calculated by people who do it daily, or browse the knowledge base.
How many Euro pallets fit on a standard 13.6 m trailer?
A standard 13.6 m trailer accommodates 33 Euro pallets on its floor, as each pallet occupies exactly 0.4 loading metres.
Step by step
- Check cargo dimensions. Ensure your goods fit within the 1200 x 800 mm footprint without overhanging the edges.
- Verify the total weight. Calculate the combined mass of goods and pallet to remain within the 1500 kg dynamic payload limit.
- Inspect EPAL markings. Confirm that the official EPAL logo is branded on the corner blocks to ensure authenticity.
- Calculate loading metres. Multiply your pallet count by 0.4 LDM to accurately determine the trailer floor space required.
- Secure the load. Fasten the goods to the pallet structure using strapping or stretch wrap prior to carrier collection.
Definitions
- EPAL (European Pallet Association): The organisation licensing the production and repair of standardised wooden pallets across Europe.
- Euro pallet (EPAL 1): A standardised wooden pallet measuring 1200 x 800 x 144 mm used throughout European logistics.
- LDM (Loading Metre): A unit of space measurement on a trailer, where one Euro pallet equals 0.4 loading metres.
- Pallet block: A structural wooden block of the pallet where the official certification mark is branded.
