Loading metre calculator for road freight
Work out the loading metres (LDM) for any cargo, and see what share of a 13.6 m curtainsider it takes up, before you quote the job.
Your cargo
Start from a standard pallet:
2.4 m is the internal width of a standard European curtainsider. Change it only if you are quoting a non-standard trailer.
What is a loading metre?
A loading metre (LDM, from the German Lademeter) is one metre of trailer floor across its full width. It is the unit European road freight is priced in: a carrier sells you floor space along the trailer, not volume and not weight. Because the trailer width is already baked into the unit, a loading metre on a standard curtainsider means 1 m of length by 2.4 m of width.
Height does not enter the calculation at all. A pallet stacked one metre high and the same pallet stacked two metres high occupy exactly the same number of loading metres, which is why LDM is a floor-space measure rather than a volume measure like CBM.
How to calculate loading metres
Multiply the length by the width of one item in metres, multiply by the quantity, then divide by the trailer width.
LDM = (Length × Width × Quantity) ÷ 2.4
A Euro pallet measures 1.20 × 0.80 m, so (1.20 × 0.80) ÷ 2.4 = 0.40 loading metres each. Twenty of them come to 8.00 LDM, which is a little under 60% of a 13.6 m trailer.
Loading metres per pallet type
| Pallet type | Footprint | LDM each | Per 13.6 m trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet (EPAL 1) | 1.20 × 0.80 m | 0.40 | approx 33 |
| Industrial / block pallet | 1.20 × 1.00 m | 0.50 | approx 26 |
| Half pallet | 0.80 × 0.60 m | 0.20 | approx 68 |
Capacities are single-layer and approximate. Real loads lose length to door clearance, load securing and pallet spacing, so treat these as the ceiling rather than the plan.
How many loading metres are in a truck?
A trailer gives you as many loading metres as it is long, because the 2.4 m width is already assumed. A standard 13.6 m curtainsider is therefore 13.6 LDM, a 7.7 m swap body is 7.7 LDM, and a 7.2 m rigid is 7.2 LDM. That 13.6 m trailer works out to roughly 33 Euro pallets or roughly 26 industrial pallets in a single layer.
Floor space is only half the question. A full deck of loaded pallets frequently exceeds the legal payload before it runs out of length, and where the weight sits along the trailer decides whether any individual axle is legal. Our truck axle load calculator checks that side of it.
Why the formula can understate the floor space you use
The standard LDM formula is area based, so it quietly assumes your items tile the trailer width perfectly. Euro pallets do: three fit across 2.4 m with nothing left over. Plenty of cargo does not. A crate one metre wide fits two across, leaving a 0.40 m strip of floor in every single row that nobody else can use, and a part-filled final row still costs you the whole row.
Carriers quote on the formula figure, so that is the headline number this calculator shows. When laying the load out in real rows consumes more floor than the formula suggests, the results panel shows that second figure too, so you can see the gap before you agree a price.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate loading metre?
Multiply the length by the width of your item in metres, multiply by the quantity, then divide by the trailer width, which is 2.4 m on a standard European curtainsider. A Euro pallet measuring 1.20 × 0.80 m gives (1.20 × 0.80) ÷ 2.4 = 0.40 loading metres. Height does not enter the calculation, because a loading metre measures floor space rather than volume.
How many loading metres are in a truck?
A standard 13.6 m curtainsider gives 13.6 loading metres, because loading metres are measured along the length of a trailer that is already assumed to be 2.4 m wide. A 7.2 m rigid gives 7.2 loading metres, and a 7.7 m swap body gives 7.7. In practice you rarely get the full figure, since door clearance and load securing eat into the usable length.
How to calculate a truck load?
Work out the loading metres for every item line, add them together, then compare the total against the trailer you are quoting. A 13.6 m curtainsider takes roughly 33 Euro pallets or roughly 26 industrial pallets in a single layer. Check the weight separately: a full deck of loaded pallets often exceeds the legal payload long before it runs out of floor.
What is the difference between loading metres and cubic metres?
A loading metre measures floor space, and a cubic metre measures volume. Loading metres ignore height entirely, so a pallet stacked one metre high and the same pallet stacked two metres high consume identical loading metres. European road freight is usually priced per loading metre, while sea and air freight are priced on cubic metres or chargeable weight.
Why does my quote use more loading metres than the formula gives?
The standard formula treats cargo as pure area, so it assumes your items tile the trailer width exactly. Items that do not divide evenly into 2.4 m leave a strip of unusable floor in every row, and a part-filled final row still costs a full row. This calculator shows both figures: the formula total your carrier quotes on, and the row-packed total that reflects the floor space actually consumed.
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