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Tools · Freight

Container Load Calculator

Work out how many drums, bags or IBCs your order comes to, whether it fits a 20ft or 40ft container, and whether weight or volume is the binding constraint.

Packaging
Container
90packages
2× 20ft GP

Volume is the binding constraint. This container fills at 79 packages, while its payload would allow 129. There is weight allowance left over — tighter packaging or a high-cube box buys you real capacity here.

Packages per container
79
Gross weight per package
218.0 kg
Total gross weight
19,620 kg
Total stowage volume
37.8 m³
Payload used per container
61.1%
Volume used per container
99.9%
Packages in the last container
11

Indicative. Container payload is stated on the CSC plate of the individual box and varies by owner; road weight limits at either end are often lower than the container maximum, and hazardous cargo carries segregation and stowage rules that can reduce what a container will take. Confirm with your freight forwarder before booking.

How this is worked out

The number of packages is your order quantity divided by the net weight each package holds, rounded up. Each package’s gross weight is its net plus its tare, and the container takes whichever is smaller: the number its payload allows, or the number its volume allows.

That second comparison is the useful part. A dense material reaches the payload limit with the container half empty; a light powder fills the space with tonnes of allowance unused. Knowing which one you are looking at tells you whether changing packaging is worth anything.

Common questions

How many 200 litre drums fit in a 20ft container?
Around 80 unpalletised, which is what a general-purpose 20ft box takes on volume. Palletised at four drums to a pallet the figure drops to roughly 40, because the pallet footprint wastes space. Whether you reach either number depends on the material: at 200 kg net per drum, 80 drums is 17.4 tonnes, comfortably inside the payload — but a denser material hits the weight limit first.
What does it mean when weight is the binding constraint?
That the container reaches its maximum payload before it runs out of space. The box goes out part empty and you are paying to move air. Denser packing will not help; lighter packaging, or a container with a higher payload, might.
Why is stowage volume larger than the package's own volume?
Because packages do not tessellate. A 200 litre drum occupies about 0.32 cubic metres as a bounding box, but cylinders leave gaps, so the practical stowage figure is nearer 0.42 cubic metres. Using the stowage figure is what makes the count match what a forwarder would quote.
Is the container payload the same for every container?
No. The maximum payload is stated on the CSC plate of the individual container and varies by owner and age. Road weight limits at either end of the journey are often lower than the container maximum, and are frequently the real constraint.

Free to use, no sign-up. Need the material rather than the arithmetic? Send us the compound, grade and quantity, or search the catalogue at TSS.