HVAC Ductwork, Air Handling & Mechanical Products worked example

Crating Volume at 59% trailer packing efficiency: a worked example

Suppose trailer packing efficiency falls to 59%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate total shipping crate volume for air handling units, duct sections, or packaged HVAC equipment. Enter the number of units, volume per unit including packaging clearances, and a crating efficiency factor to calculate total crate volume for freight planning.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Number of crated units or modules: 6 units (held at the documented default)
  • Crate volume per unit including clearances: 320 cu ft / unit (held at the documented default)
  • Trailer packing efficiency: 59 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 82)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total crate volume = number of units × crate volume per unit.
  • Required quantity works out to 3,254 cu ft at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical amount works out to 1,920 cu ft at these inputs.
  • Loss allowance works out to 1,334 cu ft at these inputs.
  • Efficiency works out to 59 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where trailer packing efficiency sits at 82% and the headline result is 2,341 cu ft, this scenario comes in 38.98% above the baseline at 3,254 cu ft.
  • It multiplies your crate count by per-unit crate volume to get theoretical cube, then divides by packing efficiency to get the trailer space you must actually reserve. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Required quantity: 3,254 cu ft (headline result)
  • Theoretical amount: 1,920 cu ft
  • Loss allowance: 1,334 cu ft
  • Efficiency: 59 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Crating Volume calculator, set trailer packing efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.