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A loading metre (LDM) is one metre of trailer floor across its full width. Forwarders price a part load on the higher of two values: the actual weight or the chargeable weight of the space it blocks, around 1750 kg per LDM as market practice. Formula: length times width in metres, divided by 2.4. Work out your own load with the calculator in our tools section.
Why does carriers charge for space, not just kilogram?
A trailer runs out of one of two things, and either ends the loading. The first is weight: Directive 96/53/EC caps the maximum authorised weight of a typical five or six axle articulated combination in international traffic at 40 tonnes, which leaves around 24 tonnes of payload once the tare of the tractor and trailer is deducted. The second is space: 13.6 m of floor, or 33 to 34 euro pallets in a single layer. Ten pallets of polystyrene weigh a few hundred kilograms yet block 4 m of floor where nothing else can stand. If carriers billed weight alone, light voluminous cargo would travel almost free and trucks would leave full in volume and empty in tonnes.
That is why every part-load quote carries an LDM figure next to the weight: you pay for the space the carrier can no longer sell to anyone else. With a full truck the mechanism disappears, because you buy the whole trailer; what goes into that price is covered in our article on the FTL rate from Poland to Germany and the UK.
How does to calculate LDM: formula and example?
The formula: LDM = (cargo length × cargo width in metres) / 2.4. For palletised goods the footprint and the number of pallets are enough. Two euro pallets side by side, short edge forward, occupy 0.8 m of trailer length; three placed long edge forward occupy 1.2 m: either way each pallet comes to 0.4 LDM.
| Cargo | Footprint | LDM | Chargeable weight (1750 kg/LDM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 euro pallet | 1.2 × 0.8 m | 0.4 | 700 kg |
| 1 industrial pallet | 1.2 × 1.0 m | 0.5 | 875 kg |
| 10 euro pallets, non-stackable | 4.0 m of floor | 4.0 | 7000 kg |
| Transport crate | 3.0 × 2.4 m | 3.0 | 5250 kg |
| Full trailer | 13.6 × 2.4 m | 13.6 | approx. 23 800 kg |
Watch the overhang: what counts is the real outline of the cargo, not the pallet under it. A carton protruding 10 cm beyond the pallet enlarges the footprint in the calculation, and a piece that nothing may be loaded against or stacked upon can block the full width of the vehicle.
Where does 1750 kg per LDM come from?
From arithmetic, not from legislation. Around 24 tonnes of payload divided by 13.6 m of floor gives roughly 1765 kg per loading metre. The market rounds that ratio to convenient values: 1750 kg per LDM most often, 1600, 1800 or 2000 kg with some carriers, depending on the corridor and the cargo mix on the route. No regulation imposes a conversion factor. It is commercial practice, so check the figure in the tariff or the transport order before you sign: the same load can receive a different chargeable weight, and a different price, from two carriers.
When do you pay for weight and when for space?
One rule: the carrier compares the actual weight of the cargo with the chargeable weight derived from loading metres and applies the higher one. Two pallets of ceramic tiles at 1200 kg each are 2400 kg actual against 1400 kg chargeable (0.8 LDM × 1750 kg): you pay for weight, because your cargo consumes the payload. Four pallets of garments at 150 kg each are 600 kg actual against 2800 kg chargeable (1.6 LDM): you pay for space, because you consume the floor.
The same logic drives the choice of transport product. Groupage up to a few pallets is usually priced in weight brackets, part loads from a few pallets upwards in loading metres, and beyond a certain volume a full truck is cheaper; we map the thresholds in FTL or LTL. In groupage your goods share the floor with somebody else's freight, so an honest dimension declaration decides whether they get on the vehicle at all: see what travels next to your pallet.
How to cut the LDM on your invoice
- Stack, and declare stackability. Goods that can carry a second pallet occupy half the floor. If the packaging allows it, say so in the order explicitly: cargo without a declaration is always priced as non-stackable.
- Stay within the pallet footprint. Euro pallet dimensions are defined by the EPAL system: 1200 × 800 mm. Goods packed within the outline are 0.4 LDM; a 10 cm overhang pushes the pallet into a larger footprint class. How pallet exchange works and how to recognise a sound carrier: the EPAL euro pallet in practice.
- Reduce height where you can. A pallet low enough to leave room for a second layer is worth more to the carrier and cheaper for you per unit of goods.
- Standardise your load carriers. A mix of different footprints leaves gaps on the floor that nobody can use and somebody still has to pay for.
- Declare dimensions, not just a pallet count. Length, width, height, weight per unit and stackability: five figures without which no fair quote exists, and with which you can negotiate.
Wrong dimensions in the order: who pays
The sender answers for the particulars in the consignment note: Article 7(1) of the CMR Convention makes the sender liable for costs and damage resulting from inaccurate or inadequate particulars entered in the note, including the number of packages and their marks (Article 6). In practice an understated LDM ends, at best, with a surcharge after loading; at worst the goods do not fit on the planned vehicle, stay on the ramp until the next departure, and the rate difference plus the standing time land on the invoice. An overstated LDM means overpaying on every shipment. Measuring the footprint, height and weight of each pallet takes minutes and protects both sides.
The OTSL role
As an international freight forwarder we price part loads and groupage every day: we help calculate the loading metres before the enquiry, match the vehicle to the real dimensions of the goods and make sure the declaration in the order matches what stands on the ramp. We run traffic between Poland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the rest of Europe, with warehouses in Kielce, Legnica and Milton Keynes. For a quote on a specific load, use the contact form.
Step by step
- Measure cargo dimensions. Determine the length, width and height of your cargo including the pallet.
- Calculate the LDM. Multiply length by width in metres and divide the product by the trailer width.
- Find the actual weight. Weigh the complete shipment to obtain its physical weight in kilograms.
- Determine chargeable weight. Multiply the LDM value by the standard conversion factor used in road freight.
- Compare both figures. Select the higher value between actual and chargeable weight for final pricing.
Definitions
- LDM (Loading Metre): A unit of measurement corresponding to one metre of trailer floor length across its full internal width.
- Chargeable weight: The calculated weight value based on the space occupied in the trailer, used to price freight transport.
- Actual weight: The real physical weight of the cargo including its packaging and pallet.
- Euro pallet (EPAL): A standard transport pallet with base dimensions of 1200 × 800 mm.
- Part load (LTL): A shipment that occupies only a fraction of the trailer space and is billed using LDM or weight.
When does this rule not apply?
Standard calculation of loading metres does not apply when hiring a full trailer load or when cargo can be stacked safely.
