Decide what an empty or zero-looking output actually means
An unset stack limit and a limit too small for one layer are different states. In the first, the maximum HI has not been established. In the second, a valid supplied constraint excludes any complete case layer under the model. Do not treat a blank limit as unlimited capacity, or a zero-fit result as missing data. The numeric record must identify which state produced the display.
Use hypothetical cases 400 by 300 by 250 mm and a 1200 by 800 by 144 mm base. Rotation is allowed with zero gap and clearance, so Uniform TI is eight. One complete layer needs 394 mm total height. No packed-case mass or tare is supplied in this exercise, so gross quantities remain uncalculated throughout the height-only comparison.
Compare unknown, valid infeasible, and exact fit
In TI-only mode with no height, gross, or payload constraint, the dedicated tool can calculate TI eight but leaves HI and stack total unknown. If maximum-constraint mode is selected without any applicable constraint, its input validation asks for a height, gross, or payload constraint rather than deriving a maximum from nothing.
| Input state | Mode | HI | Stack cases | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height and mass limits blank | TI only | Not calculated | Not calculated | Footprint known; maximum stack unknown |
| Limits blank | Maximum constraints | No valid constraint calculation | No valid constraint calculation | Input needs a constraint |
| Total height 393 mm | Maximum constraints | 0 | 0 | No complete case layer fits |
| Total height 394 mm | Maximum constraints | 1 | 8 | One layer fits the stated height |
A zero maximum-height field is another state: the dedicated interface rejects a set nonpositive maximum. It is not a shortcut for an absent height restriction. Negative limits are likewise invalid. Keep an unknown field blank and describe what still needs confirmation; enter a positive limit only when it represents the intended constraint.
Reproduce a known footprint and the one-layer boundary
Open the unconstrained TI-only record. Then open the 393 mm no-layer comparison and the exact one-layer height. TI remains eight while the stack state changes.
The zero-layer core calculation retains the base height as 144 mm with no cases. It is not a proposal to ship an empty pallet as a loaded order. It identifies an infeasible complete-layer stack under the height budget. Review the input meaning and physical dimensions before treating that result as a capacity.
Know which basic-tool behavior you are comparing
The English basic calculator uses a one-layer preview when no height limit is supplied. With these dimensions that preview has eight cases and 394 mm total height. It is not a validated maximum. The current German basic calculator instead leaves HI and stack total unset when maximum height is absent, while still showing the layer TI. These implementations must not be described as having identical blank-height output.
Use the English basic calculator for its preview and the dedicated TI-HI calculator for explicit mode selection. Record the page and locale as well as the fields. A screenshot with eight cases could represent a footprint-only answer, a one-layer preview, or a height-limited one-layer stack; the count alone does not distinguish them.
Distinguish a bad dimension from a valid no-fit geometry
A nonpositive case dimension is invalid input, while a positive case that is larger than the available base can yield a known infeasible footprint. Those states differ from an unknown stack height as well. Correct a missing or mistyped measurement before reading capacity; for a genuinely oversized case, changing the height budget cannot make its footprint fit. Preserve the error or infeasibility reason with the input rather than reporting every unsuccessful calculation as a zero-capacity shipment.
Preserve the difference in downstream order records
An order cannot be assigned a complete-pallet capacity from TI alone without an accepted HI or another appropriate packing specification. Using eight as cases per pallet because a preview displays one layer may be a deliberate selected plan, but it must be identified as such and physically reviewed. It is not the maximum established by a blank constraint.
A zero-fit capacity is also unsuitable as a denominator for an order split. Do not divide cases by zero or quietly replace zero with one. Resolve the constraint or choose a different accepted packaging plan. If the height field represented cargo-only space but was entered as total height, correct its component meaning and retain the revised input record.
Check mass unknowns independently
A height-derived HI does not provide case mass, tare, or equipment gross limits. Conversely, a supplied payload constraint can derive HI when height is unknown, but still does not establish a height check. Preserve each active and unset constraint separately. The presence of one valid limit is not permission to infer all the others.
Validation of a selected HI with no limits can calculate its height and case quantity, but its constraint checks remain not set. A numerical status meaning that arithmetic was calculated should not become a statement that the load meets unknown operational limits. Label the chosen stack and the unanswered checks in the handoff.
Unknown versus infeasible record
Tool and locale recorded explicitly. Case 400 by 300 by 250 mm; base 1200 by 800 by 144; Uniform TI 8; rotation allowed; zero spacing. TI-only with blank constraints: HI unset. Constraints with height 393: HI zero, cases zero, infeasible. Height 394: HI one, cases eight. Gross and payload fields absent. English basic blank-height behavior is a one-layer preview; German basic leaves HI and total unset.
The methodology clarifies the model boundary. A useful result explains whether information is missing or a supplied constraint has ruled out a layer, so the next action targets the actual problem.