Loading Metre (LDM) Calculator
Work out the loading metres of your pallets, the share of a standard trailer they take and the weight your road freight is likely to be charged on.
A loading metre (LDM) is the metre of the trailer's length that your cargo occupies. In road part load it is the main unit of space: the quote is made on the loading metres or on the chargeable weight, whichever is greater. Enter the pallet size, the number of pallets and, if you know it, the gross weight; the calculator shows the LDM, the share of a standard 13.6-metre trailer and the weight equivalent that the industry convention applies.
How it is calculated
Formula: LDM = floor area occupied (m²) ÷ 2.40. The 2.40 m is the trailer width accepted in the sector as the base of the calculation, although the real inner width can reach 2.45 m. The floor area is the length × width of a pallet in metres, multiplied by the number of floor positions. Example: a euro pallet is 1.20 × 0.80 m = 0.96 m², so one pallet is 0.96 ÷ 2.40 = 0.4 LDM, and 16 euro pallets are 15.36 m² ÷ 2.40 = 6.4 LDM. An industrial pallet of 1.20 × 1.00 m is 1.20 m², or 0.5 LDM. For the chargeable weight, the actual gross weight is compared with the weight equivalent of the LDM, roughly 1,750 kg per LDM: 6.4 LDM is therefore about 11,200 kg, and if the 16 pallets weigh less than that, the charge is made on 11,200 kg.
What is a loading metre, and why is it used?
On the road the unit of measure is the loading metre (LDM): the metres of the trailer's 13.6-metre length that your cargo occupies. It is what a part-load price is built on: the vehicle is shared, and each load is measured by the floor it takes. Pallets placed side by side take the LDM values below, and a whole standard trailer is 13.6 LDM.
- Euro pallet, 120 × 80 cm: about 0.4 LDM
- Industrial pallet, 120 × 100 cm: about 0.5 LDM
- A standard trailer: 13.6 LDM
- The base width for the calculation: 2.40 m
How is the chargeable weight found?
In pricing, the actual weight is compared with its space equivalent, and whichever is greater is used. The conversions common in the industry are roughly 1,750 kg per LDM and roughly 333 kg per m³. A part load of 16 euro pallets is 6.4 LDM, which is about 11,200 kg: if the pallets weigh 8,000 kg in total, the LDM equivalent is greater and the charge is on 11,200 kg; if they weigh 14,000 kg, the actual weight is greater and the charge is on 14,000 kg. For the same logic applied to air and road by volume, see the volumetric weight calculator and volumetric weight.
Stackable and non-stackable pallets
For loads that cannot be stacked on, the carrier counts the loading metres in full, without regard to height, so a tall pallet that nothing may be put on blocks the whole floor position. If the pallets can be stacked two high, they occupy half as many floor positions: the 16 euro pallets above would take 8 floor positions, or 3.2 LDM, instead of the 6.4 LDM they take unstacked. Whether your pallets are stackable is agreed with the carrier before booking, because the answer changes the figure that the quote is built on.
- Non-stackable: every pallet takes its own floor position
- Stackable two high: half as many floor positions
- Say so before booking, so the difference is not a surprise later
How many pallets does a standard trailer take?
A standard 13.60-metre curtain-sided truck usually takes 33 pallets in euro-pallet size, or 26 industrial pallets. Because the internal dimensions vary by a few centimetres with trailer type and manufacturer, the pallet count is quoted as a range, not an exact figure. In load planning the volume and the weight limit must hold at once: on most curtain-siders the net payload stays in the 22–25 tonne band, and cargo that fits 33 pallets but runs into the weight limit is very common.
- Standard curtain-sider: about 13.60 × 2.40–2.45 × 2.70 m inside, 82–90 m³, 33 euro or 26 industrial pallets
- Mega trailer: inside height up to 3.00 metres, about 100 m³; for light, bulky cargo
- Refrigerated: insulation narrows the interior, so volume and pallet capacity drop somewhat
- Open / platform: for out-of-gauge, heavy or crane-loaded pieces
From what size does a full truck make sense?
There is no exact threshold; the decision falls at the point where the part-load unit price approaches the full-truck freight. In practice, a part-load total of about 12–14 euro pallets, around 5–6 LDM, starts to approach a full-truck freight, and for heavy and dense cargo the threshold comes earlier. The sound approach is to price both options on the same day and compare; the difference between the two is explained on the FTL and LTL page, and the whole service is described under road freight.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 LDM always 1,750 kg?
No. Roughly 1,750 kg per LDM is the conversion common in the industry, not a fixed rule. Your carrier's own tariff and the vehicle used decide the figure that applies, and for heavy, dense cargo the weight threshold comes earlier. Treat the result of the calculator as a guide for comparing offers, and ask which conversion the quote is built on.
Why is the width 2.40 m when a trailer can be 2.45 m wide inside?
The real inner width can reach 2.45 m depending on the trailer type, but the base of the LDM calculation is accepted in the sector as 2.40 m, so that every carrier counts in the same way. The extra centimetres are not sold as extra loading metres.
Does the pallet height matter?
Not for the LDM itself, which works on floor area. Height matters for two other questions: whether the pallets can be stacked, and the volume of the load. For the volume of cargo including the pallet height, use the CBM calculator.
Can I use it for cargo that is not on pallets?
Yes. Choose the custom footprint and enter the length and width of the space the cargo takes on the floor, in centimetres. The calculator then counts the floor area in the same way as for pallets.
Does the calculator give me a price?
No. The loading metres and the weight are the basis of a road quote, not the price itself. Freight depends on several variables: route and distance, the LDM and weight value of the cargo, vehicle type, the number of loading and unloading points, expected waiting time at the border, availability of a return load, fuel and toll charges, and the season. Because these combine differently on every shipment, the price is given by quote.