How many fit the empty trailer?

How the arithmetic works

Trailers needed is the pallet count divided by pallets per trailer, rounded up. If you count in stacks, the calculator first multiplies by the pallets per stack the maker prints. The rackable comparison divides the same pallet count by the per-trailer figure of one 48 x 40 rackable model, 540.

Nothing else goes in. There is no allowance for loading gaps, dunnage, weight limits or a mixed load, because no maker prints them. The result is the maker's own trailer figure turned into a count.

Where the figures come from

One supplier prints a 48 x 40 pallet as fitting 30 stacks in a turned pattern on a 53 ft dry van. That is the pattern the floor plan draws: two stacks across, fifteen rows deep. Multiply 30 stacks by 60 pallets and you get the 1,800 that Nelson Company lists, which is a useful check on the arithmetic.

What the calculator cannot tell you

• Whether the model suits your load. Read static, dynamic and racking on the sheet first.
• Whether a nest figure is the same for another footprint. Type your maker's own figures under "Another footprint".
• What a trailer costs or who pays for it. We do not state prices or freight terms.

How tall the empties stand

Stack height is the other half of the return leg. For the Rehrig Pacific heavy-duty nestable, a stack of 12 stands 34.55 in and a stack of 24 stands 65.15 in, against 156.0 in un-nested.

What the calculator assumes

The calculator divides your count by a maker's per-trailer figure and rounds up. It does not know your trailer's weight limit, your loading pattern or the height of your dock door, and it does not add a safety margin. For a model with a per-stack figure it also lets you count in stacks and converts using that figure.

• The figures are the makers' published numbers for named 48 x 40 in models, last checked November 12, 2026.
• The rackable comparison is the Rehrig Pacific 40 x 48 rackable at 540 per 53 ft trailer.
• A turned 30-stack pattern is drawn for the floor plan because one supplier prints it; your maker's may differ.
• For another footprint, type the per-stack and per-trailer figures from that maker's sheet.

Questions to put to the maker

• Is the pallets-per-trailer number for nested empties, or for loaded pallets?
• Is there a version of the model with a lower nest increment, and what does it give up?
• Does a nested stack need a strap or wrap to ship, and who supplies it?
• Is the nest increment measured on a new pallet, or one that has been in service?
• Can nested stacks be handled by a pallet jack, or do they need a clamp or forks?
• How is a nested stack counted when it arrives: by stack, or by pallet?
• How many empties can stand in one nested stack before the stack leans?
• What happens to the rating if a stack is stored outside in the sun?
• Do the legs ever jam when pallets are nested warm and then cold?
• Does the nest figure change with the deck type, open or closed?

From the dock

• Warehouses with low ceilings find nested stacks fit under sprinkler lines that tall un-nested stacks would hit.
• A trailer loaded to the roof is limited by cube, not weight, which is why empties are priced by the trailer.
• A pallet that nests well but cracks at the corner after a season is not a bargain; ask for the service record.
• Mixing two models in one nested stack can fail: legs that differ by a fraction of an inch will wedge rather than seat.
• Nesting pays only when pallets come back. A one-way shipment gains nothing from a deep nest except cheaper freight out.
• Return legs are often the cheapest freight a carrier hauls, which is why closed loops lean on the nest figure.
• Forklift operators prefer stacks that stand square to the tines; a leaning stack gets re-stacked by hand.
• A returning stack is judged at the dock door: crooked stacks, cracked legs and a missing strap cost more time than the pallets save.
• Hollow legs collect meltwater and grit; a rinse before nesting keeps stacks from sticking together.

Words on this page

Static load

The weight a pallet holds while standing still on a flat floor, spread evenly across the deck. It is the highest of the three ratings.

Dunnage

Loose material used to support or secure cargo inside a trailer or container.

Closed loop

A route where pallets return to the sender after delivery, so the empty trip is a standing cost.

Nest ratio

How many empty pallets fit in the height of one: pallet height divided by nest increment.

Dynamic load

The weight a pallet holds while it is moved by a forklift, pallet jack or conveyor. It is lower than static because motion adds shock.

Pallet jack

A hand or powered truck with two forks, used to move a pallet short distances.

Footprint

The length and width of a pallet deck. It is chosen to fit the container, the drum, the bag or the receiving rack.

HDPE

High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.