Aggregation and pallet calculator
Enter your unit and case dimensions, the pallet type and your limits, and see how many cases fit in a layer, how many units on a pallet, and a top view of the pattern. Add the batch size and we calculate how many case and pallet labels aggregation needs.
- Units per case
- 100
- Pattern in case (L × W × H)
- 5 × 4 × 5
- Case outer size
- 506 × 246 × 206 mm
- Full case weight
- 12.6 kg
- Cases per layer
- 6
- Number of layers
- 8
- Cases per pallet
- 48
- Units per pallet
- 4,800
- Pallet gross weight
- 626.8 kg
- Height incl. pallet
- 1,792 mm
- Surface utilisation
- 78%
- The height limit sets the number of layers.
- Single-orientation pattern.
The calculation is for planning; it does not replace stacking strength, case load capacity or packaging engineering. Verify the result by building a real pallet. The pattern is a heuristic and does not guarantee the best possible arrangement.
If you would like to design aggregation labels, case and pallet SSCC generation and line integration together, get in touch.
Request a callLayer pattern (top view)
- A: 506 × 246 mm (L along the pallet length)
Aggregation hierarchy
Batch: 50,000 units
| Level | Count | Label data |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | 50,000 serial numbers | (01) GTIN · (17) expiry · (10) lot · (21) serial no. |
| Case | 500 case labels | (00) SSCC or (01) case GTIN + (21) case serial no. |
| Pallet | 11 pallet SSCCs | (00) SSCC; optionally (02) and (37) for contents |
- All cases are full.
- Last pallet is incomplete: 20 cases (full pallet 48 cases).
01
How to use it
A
Enter the unit dimensions and weight; type the pattern inside the case or let it be calculated from the case inner size.
B
Choose the pallet type; enter pallet height, maximum height and weight and, if any, the overhang and maximum number of layers.
C
Review the results and the pattern drawing; enter the batch size to get case and pallet label counts.
02
What is an aggregation hierarchy?
In serialised products every unit has an identity (for example a GTIN and a serial number). Aggregation records which units went into which case and which cases onto which pallet: a parent-child relationship is kept between the identity of the case or pallet label and the identities of its contents. When a pallet or case is scanned, its contents are known from the system without opening it.
Cases and pallets usually use an SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code, 18 digits, application identifier 00); if a case is also sold as a trade item, a GTIN and serial number can be used too. Which one is needed depends on your market and customer; verify the relevant requirements separately.
03
How is the layer pattern calculated?
The tool places the outer footprint of the case on the pallet area (extended by the overhang you allow): first it fills the area with blocks in one of two orientations, then it splits the pallet with a single cut into two zones, fills each zone in its own orientation and keeps the arrangement with the most cases. This is a heuristic; for more complex (for example interlocked or multi-zone) patterns it does not guarantee the best possible result.
The number of layers is the smallest of three limits: the maximum total height (pallet included), the maximum gross weight and the maximum number of layers you enter. Surface utilisation is the case footprint of one layer divided by the pallet area; with an overhang it can exceed one hundred percent.
04
Checking the result on the floor
Overhang can reduce the stacking strength of the cases, and many carriers or receivers limit or forbid it; set the overhang to your own conditions. Production tolerance of case dimensions and stretch-wrap can add a few millimetres that the calculation does not show; for borderline patterns build a trial pallet.
If the batch is not divisible by the case or pallet quantity, the last case and the last pallet are incomplete. In the serialization system, incomplete cases and pallets must be recorded in aggregation with their actual contents; this is why the tool shows the incomplete case and pallet quantities separately.
FAQ
- Are the dimensions I enter sent anywhere?
- No. The calculation runs entirely in code inside your browser; the values you enter are neither transmitted to a server nor stored.
- Can the tool find the pattern inside the case itself?
- Yes. With "Automatic from the case inner size" the six orientations of the unit are tried and the one that fits the most units is chosen. If "Keep the unit upright" is ticked only two orientations are tried; keep it on for fragile products or products marked "this side up".
- Does the maximum height include the pallet?
- Yes. The maximum total height is measured from the bottom of the pallet to the top of the highest layer; the number of layers is (maximum height − pallet height) ÷ case outer height.
- Is the pattern found the best one?
- Not always. The tool tries single-orientation blocks and two-zone patterns with one cut. More complex patterns may fit a few more cases; treat the result as a lower bound.
- How is the pallet gross weight calculated?
- Unit weight × units per case plus the case tare, multiplied by the number of cases on the pallet, plus the pallet weight. Pallet weight and case tare are example values; enter your own.
- Should the case label carry an SSCC or a case serial number?
- If the case moves as a logistic unit, an SSCC; if it is sold as a separate trade item, a GTIN and serial number. Verify the requirements of your customer and market separately.
From calculation to the line: how does aggregation work?
In our serialization projects we connect case and pallet labelling, SSCC generation and the aggregation record to the packaging line; incomplete cases and pallets are recorded with their actual contents too.