Container Loading Calculator — How Many Boxes Fit
Find out how many boxes fit inside a shipping container or any rectangular storage space. Enter the container and box dimensions in any unit — the calculator works out the arrangement and space utilisation instantly.
Unit
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
Maximum boxes loaded upright in a single orientation
700
boxes- 1
Boxes along length
floor(1,200 ÷ 60) = 20 - 2
Boxes along width
floor(235 ÷ 40) = 5 - 3
Boxes along height
floor(239 ÷ 30) = 7 - 4
Boxes that fit
20 × 5 × 7 = 700Each dimension floor-divided independently; boxes are not rotated.
How does this calculator work?
Divide each container dimension by the matching box dimension (floor), then multiply the three results. For example, a 1200 × 235 × 239 cm container holds floor(1200/60) × floor(235/40) × floor(239/30) = 20 × 5 × 7 = 700 boxes of 60 × 40 × 30 cm, using about 74 % of the space.
Formula
How this is calculated
The calculator uses simple floor division: it asks how many whole boxes fit along each dimension of the container (length, width and height), then multiplies the three numbers together. This gives the maximum count for a single upright orientation — boxes are not rotated or rearranged.
Space utilisation is calculated as (number of boxes × box volume) ÷ container volume × 100 %. Any remaining gap (fractional rows/columns/layers) shows up as unused space. Real-world loading typically loses 3–8 % more to packing irregularities, pallets and securing materials, so treat this as an optimistic upper bound.
For best results when packing mixed sizes, calculate each orientation separately (e.g. boxes on their side) and compare counts. Standard 20-foot shipping containers are approximately 590 × 235 × 239 cm internally; 40-foot containers are roughly 1,200 × 235 × 239 cm.
Frequently asked questions
No — the calculator assumes one fixed orientation (upright as entered). For rotated arrangements, swap the box length/width/height values and re-run; compare the totals to find the highest-count orientation.
Pallets, loading equipment clearance, securing straps, and irregular stacking in practice all reduce usable space. Allow 5–10 % headroom beyond the calculated number when planning actual shipments.
A standard 20-foot (1 TEU) shipping container has internal dimensions of approximately 590 cm × 235 cm × 239 cm (L × W × H). A 40-foot container is roughly 1,200 cm × 235 cm × 239 cm. Always verify with the carrier's specification sheet.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Container Loading Calculator — How Many Boxes Fit [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/container-loading-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Container Loading Calculator — How Many Boxes Fit." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/container-loading-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Container Loading Calculator — How Many Boxes Fit," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/container-loading-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_container_loading_calculator, title = {Container Loading Calculator — How Many Boxes Fit}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/container-loading-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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