What TI and HI mean
TI is the number of cartons in one pallet layer. HI is the number of layers stacked vertically. A simple pallet capacity is therefore TI × HI, but a useful planning result also has to respect loaded-height and gross-weight limits. ShipMeasure tests the six basic orthogonal carton orientations and selects the best whole-carton pattern within the limits you enter.
Worked example: 60 × 40 × 30 cm cartons on a Euro pallet
A 1200 × 800 mm EUR/EPAL footprint can take four 60 × 40 cm carton bases per layer in a simple grid. If a 180 cm maximum loaded height is entered, the 144 mm pallet base leaves about 165.6 cm for cartons, allowing five 30 cm layers. That gives a simple theoretical plan of TI 4 × HI 5 = 20 cartons, provided the weight limit is not reached first.
The diagram generated above shows the selected top-down layer pattern rather than relying on cubic volume alone.
Height can be limiting—or weight can be limiting
A tall lightweight product may hit the loaded-height limit first. Dense products can hit gross pallet weight long before all available height is used. That is why the calculator asks for carton weight and a maximum gross pallet weight instead of assuming every geometrically possible layer can be stacked.
The EUR/EPAL profile uses the official 1200 × 800 × 144 mm footprint/base dimensions and approximately 25 kg pallet weight as a reference. The working load you enter into the calculator should reflect your actual pallet, warehouse, transport and product constraints; ShipMeasure does not automatically treat an equipment specification as a safe load for every use case.
What the visual pallet plan does not prove
The SVG is a planning layout, not a warehouse loading instruction. It does not model carton compression, interlocking layers, protrusion, pallet overhang, centre of gravity, load securing, stretch wrap, edge protection, crush strength or whether a product may safely be rotated onto another face. A real operator may deliberately use a lower theoretical capacity to keep a load stable and handleable.
Why cube-only pallet calculators can mislead
Two cartons can have identical cubic volume but very different footprints. A long narrow box may leave unusable strips of pallet area while a slightly different carton nests neatly into the same footprint. Whole-carton orientation therefore matters. ShipMeasure reports footprint utilisation alongside TI and HI so you can see whether the limiting factor is geometry, height or weight.
Planning a mixed shipment
Use the Shipment Workspace pallet planner when the shipment contains several SKUs. You can switch between the saved cargo lines without retyping dimensions, compare EUR/EPAL, UK, US GMA, Australian or custom pallets, and then carry the same shipment into container and freight-cost calculations.
Continue planning the shipment
Shipment Workspace
Enter mixed cargo once and carry the same data through volume, chargeable weight, pallets, containers and freight costing.
Methodology & sources
See the formulas, planning assumptions, source links and review dates behind ShipMeasure.
Packaging efficiency
Find the carton-volume threshold where dimensional weight stops exceeding actual weight.