How Many GMA Pallets Fit in a 40ft High Cube?
A 40ft high cube takes 18 to 20 GMA pallets on the floor in a single layer: 18 with every pallet loaded the same way, 20 with one lane longways and one lane turned. Counts come from the 12032 x 2352 mm usable interior with no overhang and no stacking.
By pallet type
Other pallets in a 40ft high cube
GMA 1219 x 1016 pallets in other containers
The short answer
18 GMA pallets loaded straight (9 down by 2 across, long side down the length), or 20 with one lane longways and one lane turned. Single tier, no overhang.
Floor count is identical to the standard 40ft, 18 to 20, because the high cube only adds height. That extra 305 mm is the practical difference: a 48 x 40 pallet loaded to 60 in plus its deck still fits one tier, but the HC leaves room for taller cases or a partial top tier.
Internal dimensions used
- 40 ft High Cube: 12032 x 2352 x 2698 mm usable interior (474 x 93 x 106 in), 26,580 kg payload.
- GMA pallet (North American 48 x 40 in): 1219 x 1016 mm footprint (48 x 40 in), 143 mm deck, 1,270 kg dynamic rating.
Usable figures sit a little under nominal to allow for corrugation, posts and the door frame; the count is a plain grid with no overhang.
Long side or short side down the container
Longways (1219 mm side down the length): 9 down x 2 across = 18 pallets, 1061 mm spare at the doors and 320 mm across. Floor used 78.8%.
Turned (1016 mm side down the length): 11 down x 1 across = 11 pallets, 856 mm spare at the doors and 1133 mm across. Floor used 48.1%.
Mixed lanes: 1 lane longways (9 each) beside 1 lane turned (11 each) = 20 pallets. The lanes use 2235 mm of the 2352 mm width and floor used rises to 87.5%. Two turned lanes will not fit side by side, so one of each is the best use of the width; the calculator above reports the straight 18.
What changes with double stacking
Two tiers need every loaded pallet, deck included, at or under 1349 mm in the 2698 mm interior: goods no higher than 1206 mm on a 143 mm deck. The 1524 mm load preset here (1667 mm with the deck) is one tier only. Under 1206 mm the floor count doubles to 40, if the bottom tier can carry the top.
Weight is worth a check too: 20 pallets at the 1,270 kg dynamic rating comes to 25,400 kg against a 26,580 kg payload, so a second tier at full weight would not clear it.
The same GMA pallet in the other three
| Container | Interior L x W (mm) | Longways | Turned | Best floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft Container | 5898 x 2352 | 8 | 5 | 9 mixed |
| 40ft Container | 12032 x 2352 | 18 | 11 | 20 mixed |
| 40ft High Cube (this page) | 12032 x 2352 | 18 | 11 | 20 mixed |
| 53ft Trailer | 16002 x 2591 | 26 | 30 | 30 turned |
Check it with the calculators
The calculator above is preset to this pallet and container; change the load height or add a pallet weight to see tiers and payload. For other pallet sizes in the same box, use 40ft high cube container calculator or the pallets in a 40ft container; for any pairing, the pallets per container calculator. To plan the pallet itself, see the GMA pallet calculator.