Guide: planning 3D palletization and container loading
Start with useful dimensions
A reliable plan starts with internal, useful dimensions rather than commercial names. On a pallet, the useful cargo height is measured from the deck; the total height of the unit adds the pallet itself, which is 144 mm for the EPAL 1. For truck bodies and containers, measure the internal length, width and height and record the payload stated by the manufacturer, the carrier or the CSC plate. The templates in the tool are editable starting points: the EPAL 1 carries the official figures published by EPAL, while containers, other pallets and truck bodies carry typical values flagged for confirmation. If columns, wheel arches, equipment or areas must stay free, enter them as obstacles in advanced mode.
Enter boxes with explicit units
Each product receives a SKU, description, length, width, height, unit weight and quantity. Length runs along the X axis, width along Y and height is vertical. You can work in millimetres, centimetres, metres or inches and enter weight in kilograms or pounds; internally everything is converted to millimetres and kilograms and positions are calculated in whole micrometres, so physical sizes are preserved when you switch units. Zero dimensions, fractional quantities and negative weights are rejected. To import lists, use CSV, Excel or the Quima product catalog JSON when it contains shipping measurements: the tool previews every row before applying it.
Orientation, stacking and fragility
Orientation controls how a box may turn. Fixed keeps the entered position; this side up only lets it turn on the floor; any side allows all six orthogonal positions. The maximum number of layers limits how many boxes may form a column; the maximum load on top, when known, limits the weight transmitted from above, distributed in proportion to the contact area. Boxes that are not stackable, and fragile boxes without a declared strength, never receive anything on top. Minimum support requires a percentage of the base to rest on other boxes, and the centre of the base must lie over a support. These criteria are geometric and do not replace a compression test of the packaging.
How the algorithm calculates positions
Three-dimensional packing is a hard combinatorial problem, so the tool does not promise a global optimum. It runs deterministic strategies and compares the results: extreme points, which test corners created by boxes already placed, filling the floor first, the walls first, favouring the largest contact or keeping the unloading path clear; and block layers, which build complete layers with one or two orientations, as in the classic pallet loading problem, and finish the rest with extreme points. Each strategy runs with several product orderings. The thorough search adds a local search that swaps product order with a fixed seed. The same data produces the same plan, with time and complexity limits and the option to cancel.
| Space | Box | Result |
|---|---|---|
| EPAL 1 pallet (1200 × 800 mm) · 1200 × 800 · Useful cargo height: 600 | 400 × 400 × 200 · 10 kg · Maximum layers in the stack: 3 | 3 × 2 × 3 = 18 · 180 kg |
Independent validation and indicators
Before it appears on screen or is exported, every plan goes through a validator written separately from the optimizer. It checks intersections of axis-aligned boxes, limits and clearances, height, allowed orientation, the quantity of each package, weight per space, obstacles, compatibility, support, layers and transmitted load. The indicators separate volume utilization, which compares the box volume with the useful volume, from base occupancy, which measures the floor area covered by the first layer. Mass, remaining capacity, height, packages per layer and the centre of mass weighted by each box weight are also shown, assuming uniform mass inside each package.
Mixed loads, several pallets and unloading
In professional mode, different products can share the same pallet. In advanced mode, enter several space types with quantities, incompatible groups that never share a space and the unloading order. With a rear door, packages unloaded earlier should sit closer to the door and on top. The tool compares solutions with different objectives, such as fewest pallets, lowest height, highest utilization and unloading priority, and shows the trade-offs in a table. After the calculation you can move, rotate, transfer, remove or lock boxes; every edit is validated again and can be undone. The suggested sequence follows the physical rule of loading supporting boxes first.
3D view and exports
The WebGL viewer draws the calculated coordinates, never prepared images. Rotate, zoom, pan, switch between perspective and orthographic projection, use top, front, side and isometric views, hide walls and products, highlight layers and step through the loading sequence. Tapping a box shows its position, dimensions, weight, support and load above. On devices without WebGL, 2D SVG views replace the 3D view. The PDF gathers views, summary, products, sequence and warnings; Excel has sheets for products, packages, positions, spaces, pending items and indicators; CSV lists X, Y and Z of every package; JSON lets you reimport and reproduce the plan; GLB carries the visual model to other programs.
Limits and safety good practice
Geometric feasibility is not the same as a safe load. The plan does not analyse lashing, friction, accelerations in curves and braking, axle loads, humidity, pallet condition, actual box strength or dangerous goods rules. Use as a reference the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units, the CTU Code, published in 2014 and circulated by the IMO as MSC.1/Circ.1497, checking the version in force and local regulations. Distribute weight evenly, keep heavier packages at the bottom, fill voids, use suitable dunnage and lashing, and have the final review done by the person responsible for loading.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool always find the best possible arrangement?
There is no proof of a global optimum. It compares extreme point and layer strategies with several orderings and shows the best feasible solution found for the chosen objective.
Why does the useful height exclude the pallet?
To keep cargo height and total height apart. Enter the height available above the deck; the pallet height only counts in the total height of the unit.
Does the plan guarantee the load is safe for transport?
No. The plan confirms the geometry and the configured limits. Lashing, friction, accelerations, axle loads and actual strength require operational review, following good practice such as the CTU Code.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. Calculation, import and export happen in this browser. Projects stay in local storage and can be saved as a JSON backup.
Can I use millimetres and kilograms instead of inches and pounds?
Yes, in any language. Choose the length and weight unit: physical values are preserved and rounding is applied only for display.
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