How do you calculate how many cases fit on a pallet?
Start with the pallet footprint and the case footprint, then divide the usable pallet area by the case area to find the theoretical maximum cases per layer. That number is an upper bound, not an answer — real layouts rarely reach it, because cases are rigid rectangles that leave unusable gaps.
The practical calculation depends on how cases are oriented and arranged. A single case size can be placed lengthwise or crosswise, and layers can be built as column stacks, block patterns, brick patterns, or pinwheels — each producing a different count and a different stability profile. Overhang allowance, layer interlocking, and the maximum load height your operation permits all change the result.
Because the combinations multiply quickly, the reliable method is to generate every viable arrangement and rank them, rather than working a single layout by hand. Betsel Stack produces dozens of ranked patterns from your case and pallet dimensions in seconds.
What is Ti-Hi, and why is it not enough on its own?
Ti-Hi is shorthand for two numbers: Ti is the count of cases in one layer (a tier), and Hi is the number of layers stacked on the pallet. Multiplying them gives total cases per pallet, which is why Ti-Hi appears on most spec sheets and purchase orders.
The limitation is that Ti-Hi describes a quantity, not a layout. Two patterns with identical Ti-Hi values can behave completely differently on a trailer — one interlocked and stable, the other a column stack that shifts in transit. Ti-Hi also assumes every layer is the same and every case shares one orientation, so it cannot describe interlocked layers, mixed orientations, or multi-SKU loads at all.
For specification and ordering, Ti-Hi remains the right shorthand. For engineering the load, you need the actual pattern behind it.
What are the standard pallet sizes used in North America?
The 48 x 40 inch GMA pallet is the dominant standard in North American grocery and consumer goods, and it is the footprint most case dimensions are designed around. It is typically a stringer or block pallet roughly 5 to 6 inches tall.
Other footprints appear in specific industries: 42 x 42 inches in paint and telecommunications, 48 x 48 inches for drums, 44 x 44 inches in chemicals, and 36 x 36 inches in beverage. European operations commonly use the 1200 x 800 mm EUR pallet, which does not share the GMA footprint and produces different pattern math entirely.
Custom and non-standard footprints are common in agricultural packing and specialized processing, where the pallet is chosen to suit the product rather than the other way around.
How does pallet overhang affect load stability?
Overhang occurs when cases extend past the edge of the pallet deck. It is tempting because it raises cases per layer, but the cost is borne by the case below: corrugated boxes carry compression load almost entirely at their vertical corners, and a case whose corner is unsupported loses a large share of its stacking strength.
Published compression testing consistently shows that even modest overhang produces a substantial reduction in stacking strength, with the loss growing sharply as overhang increases. The practical consequence is crushed bottom layers, leaning loads, and product damage claims that outweigh the extra cases gained.
Some overhang is acceptable in many operations, but it should be a deliberate engineering decision with a known margin — not an accident of the pattern you happened to pick.
What is a mixed-case pallet, and when do you need one?
A mixed-case pallet carries more than one case size or SKU on a single unit load, rather than a uniform stack of identical cases. It is the normal state of affairs in distribution center replenishment, store-level orders, retail-ready displays, and any operation shipping smaller quantities of many products.
Mixed loads are considerably harder to plan than single-SKU loads, because case footprints differ, layers no longer repeat, and weight distribution and crush protection have to be managed across the stack — heavier and stronger cases low, lighter and more fragile cases high.
Most legacy palletization tools handle single-SKU loads well and mixed loads poorly. Betsel Stack builds mixed-case loads layer by layer with different case sizes on the same pallet.
How do you optimize pallet loads for trailer cube utilization?
Trailer utilization is decided by the pallet pattern, not by the loading crew. Freight is paid by the trailer, so an unused cubic foot is a cost whether or not anything occupies it — which means the pattern that maximizes cases per pallet is not always the pattern that maximizes cases per trailer.
A standard 53-foot dry van holds 26 GMA pallets floor-loaded in a single tier, or 52 when loads are double-stacked. Working backward from those figures often reveals that a slightly shorter or narrower unit load ships more product per trailer than a taller one that cannot be double-stacked.
The productive approach is to evaluate pattern and trailer fit together rather than in sequence. Betsel Stack models 53-foot reefers, dry vans, and custom trailer dimensions with live pallet counts and a balance check.