Load Rate
How to calculate container
load rate (fill rate)
Load rate shows how efficiently a container is packed. There are two versions — volume-based and weight-based — and whichever hits 100% first becomes your real limit.
Two kinds of load rate
Volume load rate and weight load rate
Bulky cargo pushes up the volume load rate first; heavy cargo pushes up the weight load rate first. In practice, take whichever is higher as your real load rate — once it approaches its limit, you can't load any more.
Worked example
A 40ft container with 55 CBM loaded and 12 tonnes total weight
55 ÷ 67.5 × 100 ≈ 81.5%Weight load rate:
12,000 ÷ 26,700 × 100 ≈ 44.9%→ Volume fills up first, so the real load rate is ~81.5%. Plenty of weight headroom, but this is a volume-limited (bulky) shipment.
Why you never reach 100%
Theoretical volume vs. actual loaded volume
The internal volume in spec sheets is a theoretical figure — as if you filled an empty box perfectly. In reality, cargo comes in irregular shapes, leaving gaps between pieces, pallet thickness, and clearance near the door. That's why a realistic ceiling in practice is usually 85–90% of volume. Pushing beyond that makes unloading and cargo securing difficult.
Load rate and freight cost are not the same thing
Filling a container to 95% does not automatically cut your freight bill by the same margin, because the two are billed on different bases.
FCL is priced per container. Half full or nearly full, you pay the same, so every point of load rate is a direct saving on unit cost.
LCL is normally charged on revenue ton (R/T), sometimes written W/M for weight or measurement. The carrier bills whichever is greater: your cubic metres or your weight in tonnes, with 1 CBM and 1,000 kg usually treated as one revenue ton. A consignment of 0.8 CBM weighing 1.5 tonnes is billed as 1.5 R/T even though it takes up very little room. This is the usual reason a quote for dense cargo comes back higher than shippers expect.
Check your own load rate instantly
Enter your cargo and the calculator instantly works out volume and weight load rate for 20ft, 40ft and 40ft HC, and shows which one fills up first with a layout drawing.
Open the Loading SimulatorFAQ
Common questions about load rate
What load rate is ideal?
It depends on cargo shape, but 85–90% on a volume basis is a good fill. 100% is theoretical and hard to reach in practice.
Should I check volume or weight?
Calculate both and use whichever is higher — that one hits its limit first and determines your real loading limit.
How do I raise my load rate?
Rotating cargo (switching between lengthwise and crosswise orientation) and mixing sizes reduces wasted space. The loading calculator automatically tries both orientations and picks whichever fits more.