Loading metre calculation: formula and worked examples

Loading metre definition and formula

A loading metre (LDM) is one metre of trailer floor length across the full width of the trailer. Forwarders use it to measure the floor space a part load takes. The formula is length × width ÷ 2.4, with both sizes in metres. The result is the length of trailer floor your goods need.

UN/EDIFACT, the United Nations standard for electronic trade messages, defines loading metres as the length of a vehicle where the goods need the complete width and height. So a loading metre measures floor length. Weight and volume are separate numbers.

In US English the word is loading meter. Shippers in Germany say Lademeter, in the Netherlands laadmeter, in Sweden flakmeter and in Norway lastemeter. All of these words name the same unit.

Trailer width and length in the formula

The formula divides by 2.4 because pallets fill 2.4 metres across a trailer. Three euro pallets stand side by side (3 × 0.8 = 2.4 m), or two industrial pallets (2 × 1.2 = 2.4 m). A standard curtainsider trailer is about 2.45 metres wide inside. That leaves about 5 cm of spare width for loading.

The 13.6 metres come from EU length rules. A semi-trailer may measure at most 12 metres from the kingpin to the rear, and at most 2.04 metres from the kingpin to any point at the front. Inside, a standard curtainsider has about 13.6 metres of loading floor.

A full trailer of euro pallets uses 13.2 of those 13.6 metres. Eleven rows of 1.2 metres take 13.2 metres, and the last 0.4 metres is too short for another row. So 33 euro pallets equal 33 × 0.4 = 13.2 loading metres.

A full truck is priced per truck, so this gap does not change its price. For a part load, the forwarder counts the loading metres your goods use.

Loading metres by pallet count and stacking

The table gives the loading metres for common pallet counts, computed with the formula. Find your number of pallets, then the column for your pallet type. Stacked pallets share one floor place, so two pallets stacked count as one. With an odd number of stacked pallets, one pallet stands alone.

Stacking halves the floor space only when the goods allow it. The lower pallet must carry the upper one without damage, and the two together must fit under the trailer roof. For international traffic, EU rules set a maximum vehicle height of 4 metres. The space inside the trailer is lower. Ask us for the inside height of the trailer on your route.

Non-stackable goods use the full height above them. The UN/EDIFACT definition counts the complete width and height over the length your goods take. So a pallet with fragile goods, a pointed top or a tall load uses its full floor place, even when the space above it stays empty.

Tell us before loading if your goods cannot be stacked. Twelve euro pallets booked as stackable need 2.4 loading metres. If they cannot be stacked at pickup, they need 4.8, twice the space the truck had planned for them.

Odd sizes, crates and mixed loads

For goods that are not on standard pallets, use the same formula with the real size. Measure the longest length and the widest width, including any part that extends beyond the pallet. Multiply them and divide by 2.4. A machine of 2.6 × 1.8 metres gives 2.6 × 1.8 ÷ 2.4 = 1.95 loading metres.

The formula assumes that other goods can use the floor beside yours. A standard curtainsider is about 2.45 metres wide inside, so the 1.8 metre machine leaves 0.65 metres beside it. That is too narrow for a euro pallet. If nothing fits there, the forwarder can count the full width, and the machine uses 2.6 loading metres.

For a mixed load, add the parts. Eight euro pallets and four industrial pallets, not stacked, use 8 × 0.4 + 4 × 0.5 = 3.2 + 2 = 5.2 loading metres.

• Measure the pallet with the goods on it, not the empty pallet.
• Use the longest length and the widest width.
• Write the sizes in metres: 120 cm is 1.2 m.
• For a mixed load, add the loading metres of each part.

Weight and loading metres

Weight can decide the truck before floor space does. A standard curtainsider trailer carries about 24 tonnes of goods on about 13.6 loading metres. Simple division gives about 1.75 tonnes per loading metre (24 ÷ 13.6) and about 727 kg per euro pallet place (24,000 ÷ 33). Heavier goods reach the weight limit before they fill the floor.

These two numbers are averages, not a rule. The 24 tonnes come from EU weight rules. In international traffic, a two-axle tractor with a three-axle semi-trailer may weigh 40 tonnes in total. The tractor and the empty trailer weigh the rest.

An example shows the effect. Twenty euro pallets of 1,200 kg each weigh 24 tonnes and use 8 loading metres. The truck is full by weight, and 5.6 of the 13.6 loading metres stay empty. EPAL allows up to 1,500 kg on one euro pallet, about twice the trailer average.

Some forwarders also convert loading metres into a weight for the price. They multiply the loading metres by a fixed number of kilograms and charge for the higher of the two weights. The number differs between forwarders. Ask which number your price uses, and compare offers on the same basis.

Load details to send when booking

Send us the number and type of pallets, the length, width and height of each item, the gross weight and whether the goods can be stacked. With these details, our team calculates the loading metres and checks the weight. You do not need to calculate the loading metres yourself.

RNJ Transport focuses on full truckloads. If your load fills a large part of a trailer, send us the details. Our own 2 MAN TGX trucks mostly run full loads between Lithuania and Sweden. You get one contact person for your load and one invoice.

The full list of booking details is in our guide to booking mistakes. It has a booking brief with twelve lines.

• Number of pallets and the pallet type, for example 12 euro pallets
• Length, width and height of each pallet with the goods on it
• Gross weight per pallet and in total, with the packing
• Stackable or not, and how many layers
• For goods without pallets: the size and weight of each item

Worked examples in loading metres

The table shows five loads calculated with the formula. The numbers are an illustration, not a price. Use them to check your own calculation before you ask for a price. If your result is close to half a trailer, 6.8 loading metres, ask us to price a full truck as well.