Pallet shipping guide

Reviewed October 25, 2026. Packaging guidance follows XPO’s Freight Packaging Guide (PDF); confirm requirements for your goods and carrier.

1. Choose the pallet and plan the cartons

Start with the actual pallet’s footprint, condition and applicable load rating. XPO advises against using damaged or deteriorated pallets. The pallet dimensions reference separates named product specifications from assumptions about any pallet with the same base size.

Use the pallet calculator to compare two uniform upright-carton layouts. Its count answers a geometric question: how many cartons fit within the entered footprint, height and payload limits. It does not establish compression strength, safe handling or stability.

Keep carton edges within the pallet footprint. XPO’s guide describes how overhang exposes edges and interferes with handling. Leave room for the protection the goods need; do not remove it merely to improve a density result.

2. Protect the contents and secure the load

XPO distinguishes internal protection from external packaging. Suitable filling or cushioning can limit movement inside a package. Outside it, aligned cartons, layer protection and edge boards can protect the load during handling. The right arrangement depends on the product and carton construction.

The guide describes bands and wrapping that connect the freight to its pallet, with edge boards protecting corners from pressure. Wrapping loose cartons together without securing the assembly to the pallet does not answer the whole securement question. Keep the pallet accessible to the handling equipment.

This matters in LTL shipping, where freight can transfer between trailers and terminals. A load should be prepared for that handling, not just for standing in the warehouse.

3. Label the freight and record the packed measurements

XPO’s labeling guidance calls for clear shipper and consignee information on packages or loose pieces. Use special handling labels where the goods require them, and follow your carrier’s shipment-label instructions.

Once packed, record the full outside length, width and height and the gross weight. Include the pallet, goods and packaging. Follow the measurement guide for a repeatable record. Product specifications alone may omit the space and weight added by preparation.

Worked example: from cartons to gross weight

For a hypothetical load, 12 × 10 × 10 in cartons fit in a 4 × 4 uniform grid on a 48 × 40 in pallet. Four layers give 64 cartons. Assume each carton weighs 12 lb, the pallet is 6 in high and weighs 30 lb, and other packaging adds 10 lb without extending the outside dimensions.

The carton weight is 768 lb; the complete unit weighs 808 lb. Entering 768 lb would omit 40 lb of pallet and packaging. The final load also needs a physical check: a layout calculation does not verify whether four layers suit those cartons or goods.

4. Confirm classification and both ends of the journey

Use the finished measurements in the freight class calculator, then confirm the applicable commodity provision. The NMFC lookup guide explains how to collect the product details for that check; what NMFC means explains why dimensions alone cannot identify the item.

XPO’s pickup guidance asks for contacts, destination, quantity, total weight, ready time, closing time and special requirements. Confirm whether the receiver has unloading equipment, suitable access and staff available. A liftgate, appointment or restricted delivery location may change the service needed; see accessorial definitions.

Keep the quote assumptions and final measurements together. Photographs of the packed load and a weighing record can help you investigate a later difference; the reclassification guide covers that review.