How many pallets fit in a trailer: Euro pallets, 48 x 40s and the arithmetic
Euro pallets on a European semi-trailer with a 13,620 mm floor and 48 x 40 inch pallets in a 53-foot US dry van: the footprints, the makers' load-space figures, what fits.
A European semi-trailer with a load space of 13,620 x 2,480 mm, the figure Krone publishes for its Profi Liner curtainsider, takes 33 Euro pallets: three across and 11 rows deep. The same load space takes 26 pallets of 1,000 x 1,200 mm. A 53-foot US dry van with the 52 ft 6 in by 101.5 in interior Hyundai Translead publishes takes 26 pallets of 48 x 40 inches loaded straight or 30 loaded turned. These counts are the site’s own arithmetic from the manufacturers’ published dimensions; where a manufacturer prints a pallet count itself, the page says so.
Status: 1 October 2026. The pallet dimensions come from EPAL’s pages and CHEP’s product overview, the load spaces from Krone’s Profi Liner data sheet (issue 09/2020), Schmitz Cargobull’s S.KO COOL pages and Hyundai Translead’s Composite dry van page, all read on that date. Each count is a floor-space count, one pallet high; weight, height and load securing are separate questions, taken up at the end.
The pallets
| Pallet | Publisher | Length x width x height | Also published |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPAL Euro pallet | EPAL | 800 x 1,200 x 144 mm | Approx. 25 kg; safe working load 1,500 kg |
| EPAL 2 | EPAL | 1,200 x 1,000 x 162 mm | Approx. 35 kg; safe working load 1,250 kg |
| EPAL 3 | EPAL | 1,000 x 1,200 x 144 mm | Approx. 30 kg; safe working load 1,500 kg |
| Pooled wood block pallet, North America | CHEP | 1219 x 1016 x 141 mm (48 x 40 inches) | Block-stacked up to 5 unit loads high, not to exceed 10,000 lbs |
EPAL 2 and EPAL 3 have the same 1,000 x 1,200 mm footprint, so they count the same on a trailer floor.
The load spaces
| Trailer | Internal length | Internal width | Source’s wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krone Profi Liner, type SDP 27 eLB50-CS (curtainsider) | 13,620 mm | 2,480 mm | Side access length and width |
| Schmitz Cargobull S.KO COOL SMART (refrigerated box, 13.4 m body) | Approx. 13,410 mm | Approx. 2,460 mm | Internal body length and width |
| Hyundai Translead Composite dry van (53 ft) | 52 ft 6 in | 101.5 in | Interior length and width |
Schmitz Cargobull prints its S.KO COOL dimensions with “approx.” in front of them, and publishes internal body lengths of 13.4, 14.7 and 16.8 m and an internal width of 2,460 or 2,490 mm for the model family. Details of the two European trailers are on the Krone Profi Liner and Schmitz Cargobull S.KO COOL pages.
What fits: the counts
| Load space | Pallet | Layout | Count (our arithmetic) | Maker’s published count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krone Profi Liner, 13,620 x 2,480 mm | Euro, 800 x 1,200 mm | 3 across (3 x 800 = 2,400 mm), 11 rows of 1,200 mm | 33 | – |
| Krone Profi Liner, 13,620 x 2,480 mm | Euro, 800 x 1,200 mm | 2 across (2 x 1,200 = 2,400 mm), 17 rows of 800 mm | 34 | – |
| Krone Profi Liner, 13,620 x 2,480 mm | 1,000 x 1,200 mm | 2 across (2 x 1,200 = 2,400 mm), 13 rows of 1,000 mm | 26 | – |
| Schmitz S.KO COOL, approx. 13,410 x 2,460 mm | Euro, 800 x 1,200 mm | 3 across, 11 rows | 33 | 33 Euro pallets, listed against the 13.4 m body |
| Schmitz S.KO COOL, approx. 13,410 x 2,460 mm | 1,000 x 1,200 mm | 2 across, 13 rows | 26 | 26 ISO pallets, body length not stated |
| Hyundai Translead Composite, 52 ft 6 in x 101.5 in | 48 x 40 in | Straight: 2 across (2 x 40 = 80 in), 13 rows of 48 in | 26 | – |
| Hyundai Translead Composite, 52 ft 6 in x 101.5 in | 48 x 40 in | Turned: 2 across (2 x 48 = 96 in), 15 rows of 40 in | 30 | – |
The 34 in the second row is arithmetic with almost no margin: 17 rows of 800 mm take 13,600 of the 13,620 mm, leaving 20 mm, and in the S.KO COOL’s shorter body the same layout fits only 16 rows, 32 pallets. The US counts use the Hyundai Translead interior of 52 ft 6 in, 630 inches: 630 divided by 48 is 13 whole rows, and 630 divided by 40 is 15 whole rows.
Longer bodies take more. Schmitz Cargobull gives 36 Euro pallets for the 14.7 m internal body and 41 for the 16.8 m body; which lengths may run on which roads is covered in semi-trailer dimensions for Europe and semi-truck dimensions for the United States.
The pallet calculator runs the same count for other trailers, swap bodies, containers and vans, from the inside dimensions their makers publish.
What a pallet count does not tell you
- Weight. A full floor of pallets can exceed what the vehicle may carry. The EU weight limits are explained in truck weights: GVW and GCW, the US federal limits in how much a semi-truck weighs.
- Height and stacking. The counts are one pallet high. Double-deck systems are separate equipment and are not counted here, and internal heights differ from trailer to trailer.
- Load securing. How the load is held in place is covered in load securing explained; the body types themselves in trailer types explained.
The loading metre calculator turns pallets into loading metres, with or without stacking, and the cartons per pallet calculator works out how many cartons go on each pallet.
What this page does not cover
- Double-stacking advice and mixed-pallet loading patterns.
- Freight rates and pricing per pallet space.
- Trailers whose internal dimensions were not read for this page.
Quick answers
- How many Euro pallets fit in a standard semi-trailer?
- 33. A Krone Profi Liner curtainsider has a load space of 13,620 x 2,480 mm; three Euro pallets of 800 x 1,200 mm stand side by side across its width, and 11 rows of 1,200 mm fit its length (our arithmetic). Schmitz Cargobull lists 33, 36 and 41 Euro pallets against the 13.4, 14.7 and 16.8 m internal bodies of its S.KO COOL refrigerated semi-trailer.
- How many pallets fit in a 53-foot trailer?
- With 48 x 40 inch pallets, 26 loaded straight (48 inches along the trailer, two across) or 30 loaded turned (40 inches along the trailer, two across), by our arithmetic from the interior Hyundai Translead publishes for its 53-foot Composite dry van: 52 ft 6 in long and 101.5 in wide.
- How many 1,000 x 1,200 mm pallets fit in a semi-trailer?
- 26 in a 13,620 x 2,480 mm load space: two across with the 1,200 mm side across the trailer, 13 rows of 1,000 mm (our arithmetic). Schmitz Cargobull's S.KO COOL page gives 26 ISO pallets, without saying for which body length.
- What size is a Euro pallet?
- EPAL gives the EPAL Euro pallet as 800 mm long, 1,200 mm wide and 144 mm high, weighing approx. 25 kg, with a safe working load of 1,500 kg.
- What size is a 48 x 40 pallet?
- CHEP's pooled wood block pallet for North America measures 1219 mm (48 inches) by 1016 mm (40 inches) and is 141 mm high.
- Can 34 Euro pallets fit on a semi-trailer?
- In a 13,620 mm load space, arithmetically yes: with the 1,200 mm side across the trailer, two pallets side by side need 2,400 mm of the 2,480 mm width, and 17 rows of 800 mm take 13,600 mm, leaving 20 mm (our arithmetic). In the 13,410 mm body of the S.KO COOL the same layout fits 16 rows, 32 pallets.
Models in this article
Sources
- EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1): dimensions, weight and safe working load — European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)
- EPAL 2 pallet — European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)
- EPAL 3 pallet — European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)
- Pooled Wood Block Pallet — North America (48 x 40 inches), product overview — CHEP
- Profi Liner 5-CS data sheet, type SDP 27 eLB50-CS (issue 09/2020) — Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG
- S.KO COOL — refrigerated freight: technical data — Schmitz Cargobull AG
- S.KO COOL SMART EXECUTIVE PLUS — brief information, Technical Data table — Schmitz Cargobull AG
- Composite dry van: product specifications — Hyundai Translead