Linear feet calculator for freight
This linear feet calculator estimates how many feet of trailer floor your pallets take, front to back. Enter the pallet size and count, say whether they stack, and pick a 48 or 53 ft trailer to see the linear feet and the share of the trailer used.
- Pallets placed two across where they fit
- Stackable or not, 48 or 53 ft trailer
- Linear feet, rows and percent of the trailer
Last updated
How to use the linear feet calculator
- Enter the pallet footprint in inches. A common US pallet is 48 × 40.
- Enter how many pallets ship, and whether they can be stacked 2 or 3 high.
- Pick the trailer length and check the inside width. A 102 in wide van is usually about 100 to 101 in inside; measure if you know your trailer.
- Read the linear feet. The calculator tries both ways of turning the pallet and shows the shorter one, plus the other for comparison.
How trailer linear feet are worked out
Linear feet measure trailer floor from the nose to the doors, ignoring width and height. Pallets go side by side across the trailer where they fit, so the length used depends on how many fit in each row.
pallets per row = inside width ÷ pallet side across (rounded down)
rows = floor spots ÷ pallets per row (rounded up)
linear feet = rows × pallet side along ÷ 12
Floor spots are the pallet count divided by the stacking height, rounded up. The calculator tries the pallet both ways round and shows the shorter result. A carrier may load differently, so treat the answer as an estimate.
Worked example
Ten 48 × 40 in pallets, not stackable, in a 53 ft trailer that is 100 in wide inside.
- Turned with the 48 in side across: 100 ÷ 48 = 2 pallets per row. 10 ÷ 2 = 5 rows × 40 in = 200 in, or 16.7 linear feet.
- Straight with the 40 in side across: 100 ÷ 40 = 2 per row. 5 rows × 48 in = 240 in, or 20.0 linear feet.
- The shorter plan is 16.7 ft, about 31% of a 53 ft trailer (16.7 ÷ 53).
Stack them 2 high and there are only 5 floor spots: 3 rows, 120 in, or 10.0 linear feet.
Pallets per trailer at a glance
Single-stacked 48 × 40 pallets, two across, assuming 100 in of inside width. Lengths are nominal; the inside length is a little shorter, so a tightly loaded trailer can lose a row.
| Trailer | Loaded straight (48 in along) | Turned (40 in along) |
|---|---|---|
| 48 ft (576 in) | 24 pallets | 28 pallets |
| 53 ft (636 in) | 26 pallets | 30 pallets |
Federal rules allow trailers up to 102 in wide outside and require states to allow 48 ft semitrailers; many states also allow 53 ft trailers. Walls and liners take an inch or two, so check the inside width of the trailer you are booking.
Why linear feet matter for LTL pricing
LTL rates assume freight shares the trailer. When a shipment takes a long stretch of floor, many carriers price it by the space it fills instead, under a linear foot or cubic capacity rule in their rules tariff. The threshold and the charge differ by carrier, so check your carrier's tariff, or ask for a volume quote, once a shipment fills more than a few rows.
Stackable freight saves the most space. Marking pallets do-not-stack doubles the floor they take if they could otherwise go two high.
Linear feet of lumber and trim
For wood, trim, fencing or pipe, a linear foot is simply 12 inches of length, whatever the width or thickness. Add up the lengths: 8 boards that are each 12 ft long make 8 × 12 = 96 linear feet. To turn inches into linear feet, divide by 12.
Board feet are different: they measure volume. One board foot is 144 cubic inches, so board feet = thickness × width × length in inches ÷ 144. A 2 × 6 board 8 ft long (96 in) is 2 × 6 × 96 ÷ 144 = 8 board feet, using nominal sizes.
Common questions
How do I calculate linear feet for freight?
Work out how many pallets fit across the trailer, divide the floor spots by that to get rows, and multiply rows by the pallet length along the trailer. Ten 48 × 40 pallets, two across with the 40 in side along, take 5 × 40 = 200 in, or 16.7 linear feet.
How many feet is 1 linear foot?
One linear foot is 1 foot, or 12 inches, measured in a straight line. Width and height do not count.
How many pallets fit in a 53 ft trailer?
With 48 × 40 pallets two across and single-stacked, about 26 loaded straight or 30 turned with the 40 in side along the trailer. Stacking 2 high doubles that if the freight and weight allow.
How many linear feet is one pallet?
A 48 × 40 pallet alone takes 4 linear feet loaded straight, or about 3.3 ft turned. Two pallets side by side take the same length, so each uses about half that.
How do you convert square feet to linear feet?
Divide the square feet by the width of the material in feet. For freight, divide the floor area by the trailer width: 133.3 sq ft of pallets in a trailer 100 in (8.33 ft) wide is 16 linear feet, before allowing for gaps.
Sources
- FHWA: Commercial vehicle size and weight regulations. 102 in federal width limit; states must allow 48 ft semitrailers, and 53 ft semitrailers run on many routes.
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9 (conversion factors). 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly; 1 lb = 0.4535924 kg; 1 cu ft = 0.02831685 m³.
See the methodology page for how LTL Math builds and checks its calculators.