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Loading meter calculator (LDM)
Enter each piece size, quantity and how many layers high it can be stacked. You get the loading metres, how much of a 13.6 m trailer that is, pallet places and the chargeable weight.
Your cargo
- Row 113.20 LDM
Trailer and rate
Results
Loading metres
13.20 LDM
97 % of a 13.60 m trailer
EUR pallet places
33.0
1 place = 0.4 LDM
Chargeable weight
24,420 kg
LDM × 1,850 kg = 24,420 kg; actual weight 0 kg
Your cargo is copied into the planner, which arranges every piece in 3D.
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How it is calculated
A loading metre (LDM) is one metre of trailer length used across the full width of the trailer. Carriers price part loads by it because a pallet blocks the floor in front of and behind it, whatever its height.
Formula
- LDM = length (m) × width (m) ÷ 2.4 × floor stacks
- floor stacks = quantity ÷ stack layers, rounded up
- chargeable weight = max(actual weight, LDM × rate)
- 2.4 m is the usable width of a standard European trailer; change the trailer width if your carrier uses another divisor.
- The rate (kg per LDM) differs by carrier and country; 1,750 to 1,850 kg is common in Europe.
- Items too wide to stand side by side are often charged at full width (LDM = length × 1). Check your carrier’s terms.
Worked example
- 33 EUR pallets (1.2 × 0.8 m), not stacked: 1.2 × 0.8 ÷ 2.4 = 0.4 LDM each, so 33 × 0.4 = 13.2 LDM, 97 % of a 13.6 m trailer.
- Stack them two high and only 17 floor stacks remain: 17 × 0.4 = 6.8 LDM.
- At 1,850 kg per LDM, 6.8 LDM is charged as 12,580 kg unless the real weight is higher.
Questions and answers
What is a loading metre?
One metre of the trailer’s length at its full width, about 2.4 m² of floor. It measures floor space, not volume: a low pallet blocks the same metre as a tall one unless something can be stacked on it.
How many loading metres is a EUR pallet?
0.4 LDM (1.2 × 0.8 m ÷ 2.4). An industrial pallet (1.2 × 1.0 m) is 0.5 LDM, a half pallet (0.8 × 0.6 m) 0.2 LDM.
How many loading metres does a full trailer have?
A standard 13.6 m semitrailer has 13.6 LDM: 33 EUR pallets or 26 industrial pallets on the floor. A 7.2 m swap body has 7.2 LDM.
How does stacking change the loading metres?
Stacked pieces share one floor position, so the LDM is divided by the number of layers. 10 pallets stacked two high take 5 floor positions, 2 LDM instead of 4.
How is chargeable weight by LDM worked out?
Multiply the LDM by the carrier’s rate, often 1,750 to 1,850 kg per metre, and compare it with the real weight. You pay for the higher of the two.
Is the top view an exact load plan?
No, it is a quick sketch that puts floor stacks in rows. For a real plan with mixed sizes, stacking rules and axle loads, open the cargo in the 3D planner.
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