How do you calculate pallet weight?

Add the product, the case packaging, the empty pallet and the dunnage and wrap. 1,000 lb of product with 60 lb of packaging on a 45 lb pallet with 8 lb of wrap is 1,113 lb, 387 lb under a 1,500 lb limit, the Pallet Weight calculator's own example.

How many cases fit under a weight limit?

Take the pallet deck and dunnage off the limit and divide by the weight of one case with its packaging, rounding down. Under 1,500 lb with a 45 lb pallet, 8 lb of wrap and 21.2 lb cases that is 68 cases. The pattern, height and stacking strength may allow fewer.

What weight limit should I use?

The one the pallet ships under: the carrier's per-pallet rule, the customer's routing guide or rack rating, or your own equipment limits. List them on Setup and pick one per configuration.

Packaging, pallet and wrap as a share of the gross weight: weight you ship that is not product. Lighter pallets or packaging lower it and can leave room for more product under the same limit.

Does it check truck or axle limits?

No. It works pallet by pallet. Add up the pallets on each load and check the vehicle's gross and axle limits separately.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test pallets and shows Self-check: PASS.

Packaging and Warehouse

Pallet Weight Excel Template

Gross pallet weight = product + case packaging + pallet deck + dunnage and wrap. Give every SKU's pallet configuration a row and see its gross weight against the limit of the lane it ships on, its tare, and the most whole cases that fit under that limit.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This pallet weight template is a working Excel workbook for packaging engineers, shipping and logistics coordinators and warehouse managers. Each SKU's pallet configuration is one row with its cases per pallet, the product and packaging weight of a case, the pallet type, the dunnage and stretch wrap, and the limit of the lane it ships on. The pallet types and limits are lists on Setup, so a heavier pallet or a new customer rack rating changes every configuration that uses it. Weights are in pounds, as in the calculator. It ships with ten configurations at a fictional food and drink packer, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example a syrup pallet of 60 cases at 37.7 lb on a heavy block pallet weighs 2,332 lb against a 2,200 lb customer racking limit: 132 lb over, and 56 cases is the most that fits. A bottled water pallet moved to plastic pallets carries 72 cases at 2,010 lb, 10 lb over the carrier's 2,000 lb limit, so it needs one case fewer. A cooking oil pallet is within 2% of its export limit. Packaging, pallets and wrap are 8% of the gross weight across the ten.

The workbook adds weights; it does not check pallet height, overhang, stacking strength or racking ratings. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Setup sheet with your site and near-limit threshold, the pallet types with their deck weight, and the gross weight limits you ship under (carrier, customer racking, export)
Pallets table, one row per SKU configuration: cases per pallet, product and packaging weight per case, pallet type, dunnage and wrap, and the limit, with a Check column
Per pallet: product and packaging weight, gross weight, tare and tare share, margin to the limit, the most whole cases that fit, and a status in words
Dashboard with four tiles (configurations, over their limit, smallest margin, tare share), what each pallet weighs split into product, case packaging and pallet with wrap, gross against limit, and the pallet table
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Pallet Weight calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Pallets table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to check new pallet patterns against carrier and customer limits before they ship, to find configurations with room for more cases, or to see how much of each pallet's weight is packaging and pallet rather than product.

How to use it

On Setup, list your pallet types with their deck weight and the weight limits you ship under.
On Pallets, give each SKU's pallet configuration a row: cases, product and packaging weight per case, pallet type, dunnage and wrap, and the limit.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: gross weight against limit for every pallet, what each weighs, and the most cases that fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate pallet weight?: Add the product, the case packaging, the empty pallet and the dunnage and wrap. 1,000 lb of product with 60 lb of packaging on a 45 lb pallet with 8 lb of wrap is 1,113 lb, 387 lb under a 1,500 lb limit, the Pallet Weight calculator's own example.
How many cases fit under a weight limit?: Take the pallet deck and dunnage off the limit and divide by the weight of one case with its packaging, rounding down. Under 1,500 lb with a 45 lb pallet, 8 lb of wrap and 21.2 lb cases that is 68 cases. The pattern, height and stacking strength may allow fewer.
What weight limit should I use?: The one the pallet ships under: the carrier's per-pallet rule, the customer's routing guide or rack rating, or your own equipment limits. List them on Setup and pick one per configuration.
What is tare share?: Packaging, pallet and wrap as a share of the gross weight: weight you ship that is not product. Lighter pallets or packaging lower it and can leave room for more product under the same limit.
Does it check truck or axle limits?: No. It works pallet by pallet. Add up the pallets on each load and check the vehicle's gross and axle limits separately.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test pallets and shows Self-check: PASS.