Pallet positions calculator
Enter your own measurements. The figures already filled in are an example building, not typical values. Anything marked assumed, change to suit is an allowance we've assumed for illustration: get the real figures from your racking designer. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent to us. Last checked 12 November 2026.
Pallet positions at a glance
Each row is worked out by this calculator for adjustable pallet racking, counting the floor level. They're estimates for planning, not designs: every row uses the same assumed allowances and an example aisle width, so your own building, truck and racking will give different answers. Click a row to open the calculator with those figures filled in, then change them to suit.
| Building and layout | Pallet | Load height | Aisle | Levels | Runs | Bays per run | Pallet positions | Per m² of floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 m × 25 m, 8 m clear, runs along the length | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 4 | 3 back-to-back + 2 single | 11 | 1,056 | 1.06 |
| Same building, runs across the width | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 4 | 6 back-to-back + 2 single | 7 | 1,176 | 1.18 |
| Same building, Euro pallets, runs along the length | 1200 × 800 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 4 | 3 back-to-back + 2 single | 14 | 1,344 | 1.34 |
| Same building, 3.5 m aisles, runs along the length | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3.5 m | 4 | 3 back-to-back + 2 single | 11 | 1,056 | 1.06 |
| Same building, 1,000 mm loads, runs across the width | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,000 mm | 3 m | 6 | 6 back-to-back + 2 single | 7 | 1,764 | 1.76 |
| 30 m × 20 m, 6 m clear, runs across the width | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 3 | 4 back-to-back + 2 single | 5 | 450 | 0.75 |
| 60 m × 40 m, 10 m clear, runs along the length | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 5 | 6 back-to-back + 2 single | 17 | 3,570 | 1.49 |
| 60 m × 40 m, 12 m clear, runs along the length | 1200 × 1000 mm | 1,500 mm | 3 m | 6 | 6 back-to-back + 2 single | 17 | 4,284 | 1.79 |
Pallet positions calculator: key facts
- A 40 m × 25 m floor with 8 m clear height, 3 m aisles and 1,500 mm loads holds about 1,056 pallet positions with runs along the length and 1,176 with runs across the width, on this calculator's assumed allowances.
- Which way the runs go matters. In the example, turning the runs to go across the width adds 120 positions (11%), because it changes how many bays and aisles fit. Always try both.
- Height usually matters most. On the same assumptions, lowering the tallest load from 1,500 mm to 1,000 mm takes the example (runs across the width) from 4 to 6 levels and from 1,176 to 1,764 positions.
- Wider aisles cost positions: with 3.5 m instead of 3 m aisles, the best layout for the example drops from 1,176 to 1,056. The aisle width you need depends on your lift truck, so get it from the truck supplier.
- Measure clear height to the lowest obstruction above the racking, such as sprinkler heads, lights, heaters or roof steel, not to the roof apex.
- HSE's guide HSG76 says aisles should be wide enough for the handling equipment to be easily manoeuvred, and that the width depends very much on the type of equipment.
- Clearances and tolerances for pallet racking are covered by the standard EN 15620, and structural design by EN 15512. Your racking designer applies them; this calculator doesn't.
- Fire exits, escape routes, columns, doors, docks and sprinkler requirements all reduce the real number. Treat the result as the most you could expect, then let a designer draw it.
How does the pallet positions calculator work?
It works out how many storage levels fit under your clear height, how many bays fit along each run, and how many rows of racking and aisles fit across the floor. Pallet positions = rows of pallets facing an aisle × bays per run × pallets per beam level × levels.
Everything is worked in millimetres. There are no hidden figures: the only fixed numbers are the two pallet footprints, taken from the European Pallet Association's product sheets. Everything else is either your measurement or an allowance you can see and change.
- Levels. The floor counts as the first level: pallets stand on the floor under the first beam. Each beam level above needs room for one load, a lift-off clearance above it (so the truck can raise the pallet off the beam) and the depth of the beam. The top load also needs a clearance below the lowest obstruction. So: beam levels = (clear height − load height − top clearance) ÷ (load height + lift-off clearance + beam depth), rounded down. Levels = beam levels + 1.
- Bay length. A bay is the space between two upright frames. Clear width = pallets per beam × pallet width along the beam + a side gap beside every pallet (one more gap than pallets). Add one upright for each bay.
- Bays per run. Run length available = the floor dimension the runs follow, less any end space you set at each end. Bays = (run length − one end upright) ÷ (clear width + upright), rounded down.
- Runs and aisles across the floor. A single-sided run goes against each wall, with back-to-back runs between and an aisle between each pair of facing rows. A single-sided run is one pallet deep; a back-to-back run is two pallets deep plus the gap between them. The calculator adds aisles one at a time while the runs still fit, including a layout where the last aisle runs along a wall, and keeps the one with the most rows of pallets.
- Total. Pallet positions = rows of pallets facing an aisle × bays per run × pallets per beam level × levels. Positions per m² = total ÷ (length × width).
- Both ways round. It repeats the sum with the runs turned 90° and shows that figure too.
The aisle width you enter is treated as the clear space between the faces of the pallets on either side, and pallets are assumed to fill the run depth. Real racks have frames slightly shallower than the pallet, and real aisles are measured in the way your truck supplier specifies, so check how they measured it.
Worked example: how many pallets fit in a 40 m × 25 m warehouse?
About 1,056 pallet positions with the runs along the 40 m length, and 1,176 with the runs across the 25 m width, using 8 m clear height, 3 m aisles, 1200 × 1000 mm pallets with 1,500 mm loads, 3 pallets per beam and our assumed allowances.
Here's the example the calculator opens with, using the assumed allowances: upright width 100 mm, gap between pallets and to each upright 75 mm, beam depth 120 mm, lift-off clearance above each load 150 mm, clearance from the top load to the lowest obstruction 500 mm, gap between back-to-back pallets 200 mm, gap from a wall 100 mm, no end space. None of these are recommended figures: they're there so you can see how the sum works.
- Levels: each beam level needs 1,500 + 150 + 120 = 1,770 mm. The space for beam levels is 8,000 − 1,500 load − 500 top clearance = 6,000 mm. 6,000 ÷ 1,770 = 3 beam levels (rounded down), plus the floor = 4 levels. The top load finishes at about 6,810 mm, leaving 1,190 mm to the lowest obstruction.
- Bay: 3 pallets × 1,000 mm + 4 gaps × 75 mm = 3,300 mm between uprights, plus a 100 mm upright = 3,400 mm per bay.
- Bays per run (runs along the 40 m length): (40,000 − 100) ÷ 3,400 = 11 bays, using 37.5 m.
- Across the 25 m width: single-sided runs are 1,200 mm deep, back-to-back runs 2 × 1,200 + 200 = 2,600 mm, aisles 3,000 mm, 100 mm at each wall. 4 aisles fit, with 2 single-sided and 3 back-to-back runs, using 22.4 m: 8 rows of pallets.
- Total: 8 rows × 11 bays × 3 pallets × 4 levels = 1,056 pallet positions, or 1.06 per m² of the 1,000 m² floor.
Turn the runs to go across the 25 m width and you get 7 bays per run but 14 rows of pallets: 1,176 positions (open that version). That's why the calculator always shows both. In a real building, doors, docks, columns and the escape routes decide which way round works.
What do you need to measure, and what does the calculator assume?
You need the usable floor length and width, the clear height to the lowest obstruction, the aisle width your truck needs, your pallet size and your tallest loaded pallet. The calculator assumes allowances for uprights, gaps, beams and clearances, which you can change and should confirm with a racking designer.
Inputs (your measurements)
- Usable floor length and width. Measure the area you can actually rack. Take off loading docks, marshalling areas, offices, battery charging, and the routes your fire risk assessment says must stay clear.
- Clear height to the lowest obstruction. From the floor to the underside of the lowest thing above the racking: sprinkler heads and pipes, light fittings, heaters, ductwork or the roof steel. If the roof slopes, the clear height changes across the floor: use the lowest point over where the racking will go.
- Aisle width. Get this from your lift truck supplier, for your truck, mast and pallet size. HSE's HSG76 says aisle widths depend very much on the type of equipment: some trucks turn 90° into the rack, others stay parallel to the aisle with forks at 90°. We don't build in widths for truck types.
- Pallet footprint. Presets for 1200 × 1000 mm and 1200 × 800 mm pallets (sizes from the European Pallet Association), loaded with the 1200 mm side into the rack, or any size you enter.
- Tallest loaded pallet, including the pallet itself.
- Pallets per beam level (2 or 3) and which way the runs go.
Assumptions (change to suit)
- Upright width, side gaps in each bay, beam depth, lift-off clearance above each load, clearance from the top load to the lowest obstruction, the gap between back-to-back pallets and the gap to a wall. The defaults are placeholders we've chosen for illustration. They are not taken from a standard and aren't rules.
- Every level in a bay is the same height, set by your tallest load.
- The floor level is used for pallets.
- Every run is the same length and fills the floor dimension, less any end space you set.
What it leaves out
- Building columns, doors, docks, offices and mezzanines inside the area.
- Fire exits, escape routes, gangways and cross-aisles (unless you set an end space or take them off the floor size).
- Sprinkler design requirements, including any in-rack sprinklers or clearances the sprinkler designer sets.
- Load capacity of beams, frames and the floor slab, and how high your truck can lift.
- Tolerances, deflections and clearances to EN 15620, and the structural design to EN 15512.
- Other storage systems such as narrow aisle, drive-in, push-back or mobile racking.
Why will a racking designer's number usually be lower?
Because a real layout has to work around the building and the rules: columns, doors, docks, fire exits and escape routes, sprinkler requirements, truck turning space, tolerances and load capacity. The calculator ignores all of those, so treat its figure as an upper limit.
- Escape routes and gangways. HSG76 says storage areas, aisles and gangways should be clearly marked on the floor, and gangways kept clear, especially those that are a means of escape. Your fire risk assessment decides where those routes go.
- Truck movement. HSG76 says roads, gangways and aisles should have enough width and overhead clearance for the largest truck using them, loaded or unloaded. Trucks need space to get into and turn out of the aisles, which is where the end space input comes in.
- Columns. Building columns rarely line up with the bays you'd want. A designer often loses a bay or adjusts bay sizes around them.
- Sprinklers. HSG76 says sprinkler spacing should follow the design code for the system, and that the information comes from the system installers. Any clearance below sprinkler heads is for your sprinkler designer to set, not us.
- Mixed load heights. If most of your pallets are shorter than the tallest one, a designer may set some levels lower and fit more in. If you have several very tall loads, they may need their own levels.
- Capacity. The number of levels that fit isn't the number the frames and floor can carry. Load capacity comes from the structural design and is shown on the load notice HSE says should be displayed on the racking.
How can you fit more pallet positions in the same building?
Try the runs the other way round, check whether all your loads really need the tallest level, check the real aisle width your truck needs, and use 3 pallets per beam where your loads and the design allow. Each change is easy to test in the calculator.
- Turn the runs. In the worked example, turning the runs added 120 positions with nothing else changed.
- Look at load heights. One very tall product can set the height for every level. In the table above, 1,000 mm loads instead of 1,500 mm took the example from 4 to 6 levels.
- Check the aisle figure. Use your truck supplier's figure for your actual truck and pallets, not a rule of thumb. A different truck type can need a very different aisle, which changes the layout and the cost.
- Measure the real obstruction. If the lowest obstruction is one run of light fittings, it may be cheaper to move them than to lose a level. Ask before you assume.
- Consider denser systems. HSG76 lists drive-in, push-back, live (flow) and mobile racking as alternatives that store pallets in blocks, with different access to each pallet. This calculator only covers adjustable pallet racking, where every pallet can be reached directly.
Which standards cover pallet racking layouts and clearances?
SEMA says the industry-accepted design standards in the UK are the SEMA design codes or EN 15512, the European standard for the structural design of adjustable pallet racking. EN 15620 covers the tolerances, deformations and clearances for pallet racking, and EN 15635 its use and maintenance.
- BS EN 15512:2020 sets out the principles for the structural design of adjustable pallet racking systems.
- BS EN 15620:2021 specifies tolerances, deformations and clearances for pallet and cantilever racking. BSI's description says the specifier, with the client or user, makes sure they are acceptable, using information about the handling equipment and the floor. That's why clearances belong in the design, not in a calculator.
- BS EN 15635 gives guidelines on the operational aspects of storage equipment that affect its structural safety, used alongside EN 15512 and EN 15620.
- HSE's HSG76 says racking should have its maximum safe working load and configuration displayed, that it should be fixed to the floor where lift trucks are used, and that aisles should be wide enough for the equipment.
We describe these standards from their publishers' own summaries. We don't quote clearances or figures from them: get those from your designer.
What should you send a racking designer?
A dimensioned floor plan with columns, doors, docks and fire exits marked; the clear height to the lowest obstruction; your truck type and its aisle figure; your pallet sizes, heights and heaviest weights; and how many positions you need, now and later.
- A floor plan with dimensions, building columns, doors, loading docks, fire exits and escape routes.
- Clear height to the lowest obstruction, and where the sprinkler heads, lights and heaters are.
- The lift truck you use or plan to buy, its lift height and the aisle width its supplier specifies.
- Pallet sizes, loaded heights and the heaviest loaded weight for each type.
- How many pallet positions you need, how fast stock moves, and whether you pick by the pallet or by the case.
- Any information you have about the floor slab.
- Your calculator result and the link to it, so the designer can see your starting assumptions.
Ask the designer to show the pallet positions on the drawing, which standard they designed to, the load per beam level and per bay, and what clearances they've allowed.
How do you share or cite a pallet positions result?
Every result has a link that reproduces it. The figures are stored in the web address, so anyone who opens it sees the same inputs and the same answer.
You can also build a link yourself. Parameters: l, w, h and aisle in metres; pallet = uk (1200 × 1000 mm), euro (1200 × 800 mm) or custom with along and depth in mm; load in mm; ppb = 2 or 3; runs = length or width. Allowances in mm: upright, gap, beam, lift, top, flue (back-to-back gap), wall; end space in metres: ends. Any allowance you leave out uses the assumed default.
Related guides
Pallet positions calculator: frequently asked questions
How many pallets fit in a warehouse?
It depends on the usable floor area, the clear height, the aisle width your truck needs and your load heights. For example, a 40 m × 25 m floor with 8 m clear height, 3 m aisles and 1,500 mm loads gives about 1,056 to 1,176 pallet positions in adjustable racking, depending on which way the runs go, on this calculator's assumed allowances. A designer's layout will usually be lower once columns, doors and escape routes are allowed for.
What is a pallet position?
A pallet position is a space in the racking for one pallet. In adjustable pallet racking every position can be reached directly by a lift truck. The floor level under the first beam usually counts as positions too.
Does the calculator count the floor level?
Yes. Pallets standing on the floor under the first beam count as one level. If you won't use the floor level, take one level off the result: divide the total by the number of levels and multiply by one fewer.
What aisle width should I use?
Use the figure your lift truck supplier gives for your truck and pallets. HSE's guide HSG76 says aisle widths depend very much on the type of equipment, so we don't build in widths for truck types. The 3 m in our examples is only an example input.
Where do I measure the clear height to?
To the underside of the lowest obstruction above where the racking will stand: sprinkler heads and pipes, lights, heaters, ducts or the roof steel. Then ask your sprinkler installer and racking designer how much space they need below it.
Are the clearances in the calculator the right ones?
Not necessarily. They're assumptions we've chosen so the sums work, and they're labelled that way. Clearances and tolerances for pallet racking are covered by EN 15620 and set by your racking designer, who uses information about your truck and floor.
Is 1200 × 1000 mm or 1200 × 800 mm right for my pallets?
Measure your own pallets. The European Pallet Association lists its Euro pallet as 1200 × 800 mm and its EPAL 3 pallet as 1200 × 1000 mm. If yours are different, or you load them the other way into the rack, choose 'Another size' and enter your own.
Why does turning the runs change the answer?
Runs along one direction set how many bays fit in each run, and the other direction sets how many runs and aisles fit. Because both round down to whole bays and whole runs, one way round often wastes less space. Doors, docks and columns may decide it in practice.
Can I rely on this to buy racking?
No. It's an estimate for planning and comparing options. Before buying, get a layout drawing from a racking designer, designed to the SEMA design code or EN 15512, with the load notice and clearances it allows.
Does the calculator save or send what I enter?
No. It runs in your browser and nothing you type into the calculator is sent to us. Only the separate enquiry form, if you choose to fill it in, sends details.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 12 November 2026:
- HSE: HSG76 Warehousing and storage: a guide to health and safety
- BSI: BS EN 15620:2021 Tolerances, deformations and clearances
- BSI: BS EN 15512:2020 Adjustable pallet racking systems, principles for structural design
- BSI: BS EN 15635:2008 Application and maintenance of storage equipment
- SEMA: Racking design code
- European Pallet Association: EPAL Euro pallet (1200 × 800 mm)
- European Pallet Association: EPAL 3 pallet (1200 × 1000 mm)