Order
Cartons (UN) or eaches (EA). Duplicate SKUs are added together. Imports the Sunny Solar open order report or a build sheet.
Mixed pallets
A pallet of assorted products, usually about half full. Mixed pallets always ride on top of a full pallet and nothing goes on them.
Saved orders
Shared with everyone who has this page.
Results
Products
Pallet counts are cartons per pallet. Bottom = Base STD, Top = Top STD. Leave Top empty or tick "Bottom only" for heavy items. EST marks placeholder values to replace with real data. Carton L/W/H (inches) are optional: when filled in, the 3D view draws real box sizes and checks the stack fits under the ceiling. Changes save automatically.
Settings
Shared with everyone. Defaults are assumptions until the factory confirms them.
How the calculator decides
The rules
- Each pallet holds one product, built to that product's bottom (Base STD) or top (Top STD) count.
- A pallet can only carry another pallet on top when it is completely full, so the top surface is flat. Partial pallets never support anything.
- Products with no top count, or ticked "Bottom only", never go on top (transformers today).
- Tiny leftovers (under the "mix leftovers" % below) ride on another partial pallet, like the 4 Under Rail units on the 10/6 build. Set it to 0 to turn this off.
- A 20' has 10 floor spots, a 40' has 20. Each floor spot can carry one pallet on top.
How it builds the load
- Tries every way of splitting each product between full bottom-size pallets and top-size pallets, and works out the fewest floor spots any split needs.
- Picks the fewest containers that hold that, then the densest split that still fits, so goods stay dense and the "room left" is as large as possible ("Why this plan" on the Order tab shows the options it compared).
- Pallets you pinned in the Load Builder go where you put them; the rest are arranged around them.
- Pairs the heaviest top pallets with the heaviest bottom pallets and puts the heaviest stacks near the middle of each container (front-to-back balance), or keeps each product together if you choose that.
"Room left"
Open floor spots must be filled with full bottom pallets. Open top spots sit on full pallets that have nothing above them yet. "+ Fill" adds the number of cartons of one product that would fill all remaining space; "+ Add" completes a partial pallet.
Weights
Carton weights are placeholders until real ones are entered. They drive which pallets go on top and the road-weight warning (cargo over about 37,500 lb in a 20' or 43,500 lb in a 40' usually needs an overweight permit in the US).