A reseller’s order plan is usually written in pallets: how many boxes will arrive, how much space they need and what the transport will look like. The answer depends on the size of the box and on whether it arrives flat or assembled. This article shows a simple way to estimate it.

Flat-packed or assembled?

Corrugated boxes are normally delivered folded flat, and a pallet then carries stacks of flat boxes. Assembled boxes take much more room, so when you plan storage or a parcel run, the two counts are very different. Work with the external size of an assembled box, because that is what stands on the pallet. See internal or external dimensions.

The pallet footprint

Many shipments use a 1,200 × 800 mm pallet with a height of 144 mm. Keep every stack inside the footprint, because overhanging boxes are easily damaged. Agree the pallet type, the maximum stack height and the maximum weight with the carrier and the receiving warehouse before you plan.

Assembled boxes: layers and boxes per layer

1. Try the box both ways round on the footprint: 1,200 ÷ length and 800 ÷ width, then the other way. Round each result down and take the better layout.
2. Available height = maximum stack height − pallet height. Layers = available height ÷ external box height, rounded down.
3. Boxes per pallet = boxes per layer × layers.

Flat boxes: stacks and thickness

For a standard flap box (FEFCO 0201), a flat box measures roughly (length + width) × (height + width) of the internal size, and its thickness is about twice the board thickness. Count how many flat stacks fit in the footprint, and divide the available height by the flat thickness to get boxes per stack.

A worked example (arithmetic only)

Take a box of 400 × 300 × 200 mm internal and board 3 mm thick, a 1,800 mm maximum stack height, and the 1,200 × 800 mm pallet.

• Assembled: the external size is about 406 × 306 × 206 mm. Two layouts give 4 or 3 boxes per layer, so take 4. Available height is 1,800 − 144 = 1,656 mm, so 8 layers, or 32 boxes. If you wrongly used the internal size you would count 8 per layer and 64 boxes, twice as many.
• Flat: a flat box is about 700 × 500 mm and 6 mm thick. Two stacks fit on the footprint, and 1,656 ÷ 6 gives 276 boxes per stack, so roughly 550 boxes.

This is an illustration of the arithmetic, not an offer. Tall stacks of flat boxes press on the bottom ones and need to stay stable, so the real number can be lower.

What limits the real number

• the maximum pallet height and weight set by the carrier,
• stability of the stack and the compression strength of the board (see how to choose corrugated boxes in bulk),
• strapping, stretch wrap and labelling rules of the receiving customer.

What to send us

Send the box sizes with the quantity per size, the pallet type, the maximum height and weight, and how the goods will be unloaded. The minimum order is one pallet and several sizes can share it. Short runs without tooling are possible for straight-cut formats: see short runs without tooling costs. Read the guide to buying cardboard boxes from Poland and our wholesale terms, and send your enquiry through our home page.

See also: FEFCO 0201 vs 0203: which box style should you choose?

See also: FEFCO Codes Explained: A Catalogue of Corrugated Box Styles and Their Uses

Frequently asked questions

Can several box sizes share one pallet?

Yes. Our minimum wholesale order is one pallet, and a pallet can combine several box sizes. The exact split is agreed for each order.

Which pallet size should I assume?

Many shipments use the 1,200 × 800 mm pallet, but the pallet type, maximum height and maximum weight must be agreed with the carrier and the receiving warehouse.

Is the calculation below an offer?

No. It only shows the arithmetic. The real count depends on stability, board strength, transport rules and the construction of the box, so ask us for the figure for your specification.