Freight volume calculator: cubic feet, pallet spots and linear feet
Add boxes and skids of any size — the calculator totals them in cubic feet, converts that into pallet spots on 48×40 GMA pallets and linear feet in a 53-foot trailer, and shows how much of a trailer or ocean container your freight takes. Free, no sign-up.
Dimensions in inches, feet or yards; results in cubic feet. Nothing is sent anywhere — the math runs entirely in your browser.
Got the cube — now get a rate. The team (your company could be here) will quote LTL, volume LTL or a full truckload for your dimensions and lane.
Get a shipping quotethis button is for saleHow to use it
Enter every handling unit on its own line: length, width, height in inches and how many identical pieces you have. Sizes can differ from line to line — the calculator adds them up. For anything that is not a rectangle (pipe, drum, bag) enter the bounding box: carriers measure to the outermost points, including pallet overhang.
What it gives you
Cubic feet
Length × width × height per piece, times quantity, summed across lines. One cubic foot is 1,728 cubic inches, which is why a 48×40×48 pallet works out to 53.3 cu ft. Cube is what drives LCL and air rates, and it tells you how much room the shipment needs.
Pallet spots
A pallet spot is the footprint of a standard GMA pallet — 48×40 inches, or 13.33 square feet — with freight on it. Warehouses, carriers and your own dock all count in pallet spots, so it is the fastest way to describe a shipment to somebody else.
Linear feet
A linear foot is one foot of trailer length across the full width. Two 48×40 pallets sit side by side in a 53-foot van, so every row eats four linear feet and 26 pallets fill 52 of the 53 feet available. Volume LTL carriers price by linear feet, and most online calculators skip the number entirely — this one does not.
Trailer and container fill
The calculator shows what share of a 53' dry van, a 48' van or a 26' box truck the freight takes, and how it fits a 20', 40' or 40' high cube ocean container. Once fill passes roughly 70 to 80 percent, it is worth pricing a dedicated truck against LTL.
Reference dimensions
| Equipment | Inside dimensions | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| GMA pallet | 48 × 40 in | 13.33 sq ft footprint · 4 linear ft per row of two |
| 53' dry van | 636 × 100 × 110 in | ≈ 3,800 cu ft · 53 linear ft · 26 pallets |
| 48' dry van | 576 × 100 × 110 in | ≈ 3,400 cu ft · 48 linear ft · 24 pallets |
| 26' box truck | 312 × 96 × 100 in | ≈ 1,700 cu ft · 26 linear ft · 12 pallets |
| 20' container | 232 × 92 × 94 in | ≈ 1,170 cu ft · 10 pallets |
| 40' container | 474 × 92 × 94 in | ≈ 2,390 cu ft · 20 pallets |
| 40' high cube | 474 × 92 × 106 in | ≈ 2,700 cu ft · 20 pallets |
Figures are typical. Actual inside dimensions vary by a few inches between equipment and steamship lines — if your load is close to the limit, confirm with the carrier.
FAQ
How do I work out cubic feet by hand?
Multiply length × width × height in inches, then divide by 1,728. A 48×40×48 pallet is 92,160 cubic inches, which is 53.3 cu ft. Multiply by the number of pieces and add the lines together — that is exactly what the calculator does.
What are linear feet and why do carriers use them?
A linear foot is a foot of trailer length across the full width. Freight that cannot be stacked blocks the whole cross-section, so it is billed by the length it occupies rather than by cube. Two 48×40 pallets fit across, so each row costs four linear feet.
Does this give me a freight class?
Not yet. Freight class under the NMFC comes from density — pounds per cubic foot — and this calculator does not ask for weight. Take the cubic feet from here, divide your total pounds by it, and that density maps to a class.
Why measure the bounding box instead of the item?
Because in the trailer the outermost points decide, not the shape. A 10-foot pipe 8 inches across occupies the same slot as a 120 × 8 × 8 inch crate. Measure packaged and palletized, including any overhang.
Stackable or not — does it change the answer?
It changes what you pay. Stackable freight is priced on cube; non-stackable takes its floor area over the full height and is priced on linear feet. The calculator assumes no stacking, which gives you the safe, worst case.
Is my shipment data sent anywhere?
No. The widget is a script running entirely in your browser — dimensions and results are never transmitted or stored.