Tool
ULD capacity calculator
Pick a ULD, enter the dimensions and weight of your pieces, and estimate capacity. It tells you whether volume or weight is the binding constraint and warns you when the cargo simply does not fit.
1 · Choose the ULD
ULD / air pallet type
The PMC and PAG are pallets (flat bases of 318×244 and 318×224 cm); the "height" refers to the build-up on top of the base, capped at 1.60 m (160 cm) in Chile. That is why they are preloaded at 160 cm and their volume is the base envelope × 1.60 m. Edit any field if your actual case differs.
2 · Define your piece
Estimated result
Max. pieces
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Constraint
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This calculation is indicative and does not replace operational validation, actual stowage, airline restrictions, packaging, permitted orientation, or weight distribution limits.
Assumptions and limitations
- It does not solve an exact 3D packing problem. It estimates two ways: how many pieces fit by volume and how many fit by weight, then takes the lower of the two.
- It does not optimize piece orientation or rotation; it assumes a homogeneous stack of one and the same piece.
- Configurable stowage efficiency factor (85% by default) to discount voids, ULD contour and build-up losses.
- Max load is preloaded with the "practical payload" (what actually ships with perishables out of Chile), not the ULD's theoretical structural maximum. A PMC, for example, is loaded with ~3,500–4,000 kg of cherries even though its theoretical max is higher, because the fruit fills the volume before it hits the weight limit.
- ULD dimensions and weights are indicative: they change by aircraft, deck (main deck vs. lower deck) and airline. Edit the fields if you know the real figures.
- The primary constraint tells you whether you run out of volume or available weight first — key to picking the ULD and estimating chargeable weight.
Need the chargeable weight? Use the volumetric weight calculator. Not sure about a term? Check the glossary.