Packaging & Logistics worked example

Rack Capacity at 68% positions usable: a worked example

Suppose positions usable falls to 68%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate usable pallet rack capacity from positions per bay and bay count, after honeycomb and occupancy losses.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Pallet positions per bay: 21 positions / bay (held at the documented default)
  • Rack bays: 40 bays (held at the documented default)
  • Positions usable: 68 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 95)
  • Target occupancy: 90 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross rack positions = pallet positions per bay × rack bays.
  • Usable rack capacity works out to 514 pallets at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross rack positions works out to 840 pallets at these inputs.
  • Unusable position loss works out to 269 pallets at these inputs.
  • Honeycomb and occupancy loss works out to 57.12 pallets at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where positions usable sits at 95% and the headline result is 718 pallets, this scenario comes in 28.42% below the baseline at 514 pallets.
  • It computes usable rack capacity in pallets by taking gross positions and derating for usable percentage and target occupancy. 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

  • Usable rack capacity: 514 pallets (headline result)
  • Gross rack positions: 840 pallets
  • Unusable position loss: 269 pallets
  • Honeycomb and occupancy loss: 57.12 pallets

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Rack Capacity calculator, set positions usable to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.