Decide whether a denser layer improves the complete-pallet quantity
A mixed layout can increase TI while reducing the number of whole layers allowed by a weight budget. Because the tool repeats complete layers, the product TI times HI need not increase with TI. Compare the complete-pallet quantities under the same height and mass definitions rather than selecting the largest layer count in isolation.
Use fictional 600 by 400 by 250 mm cases on a 1200 by 1000 by 144 mm base. Allow horizontal rotation and use zero gap and edge clearance. Uniform holds four cases per layer, while Mixed holds five and reaches its area ceiling. Each packed case weighs 10 kg, tare is 25 kg, and ancillary materials add 3 kg. Total-height budget is hypothetically 1500 mm, permitting five layers.
Compare the first gross budget at full-layer granularity
A gross budget of 188 kg leaves 160 kg for cases after the 28 kg non-case components. The uniform four-case layer weighs 40 kg, so four layers fit: sixteen cases and 188 kg gross. The mixed five-case layer weighs 50 kg, so only three complete layers fit: fifteen cases and 178 kg gross. The denser layer delivers one fewer case in a complete-layer plan.
Mixed has ten kilograms left in the budget, enough for one case by mass alone. The current complete-HI result does not insert that case into a partial top layer. Such a sixteen-case mixed proposal needs separate partial arrangement and envelope review. Do not silently combine a maximum complete-layer result with a manually added case and present it as the tool's output.
| Gross budget | Uniform TI 4: HI / cases / gross | Mixed TI 5: HI / cases / gross | Complete-case comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 188 kg | 4 / 16 / 188 kg | 3 / 15 / 178 kg | Uniform has one more |
| 228 kg | 5 / 20 / 228 kg | 4 / 20 / 228 kg | Same quantity |
| 278 kg | 5 / 20 / 228 kg | 5 / 25 / 278 kg | Mixed has five more |
Reproduce the counterexample with actual layout selections
Open Uniform under 188 kg and Mixed under the same budget. Confirm that the only pattern change is Uniform versus Mixed.
Uniform returns TI four, HI four, sixteen cases, height 1144 mm, and gross 188. Mixed returns TI five, HI three, fifteen cases, height 894, and gross 178. Both are gross-limited numerically. Their different heights follow from the selected number of layers, not a change in case height.
Explain why the comparison changes at other budgets
At gross 228, available case mass is 200 kg. Uniform permits five layers and Mixed four, but both contain twenty cases. The uniform result also reaches its height-limited five, whereas mixed still has geometric room for another layer but not enough mass budget. Equal total quantity does not imply equal layer structure or loaded height.
At gross 278, available case mass is 250. Uniform would permit six weight-based layers, but the height constraint caps it at five and twenty cases. Mixed permits five layers by both height and weight, giving twenty-five. The denser layer now helps because the mass budget supports its fifth complete layer. The correct comparison depends on both limits, not a universal ranking of pattern families.
Check the definition of a complete layer
The tool assumes each selected complete layer repeats the chosen TI. It does not alternate four-case and five-case patterns to use a remaining mass budget, or choose an irregular final layer. A manually designed hybrid stack can be another valid proposal if its actual footprints, support, height, and mass are checked. It is not the current maximum-HI calculation's hidden result.
Do not enter a fictitious TI merely to obtain a desired total. The dedicated interface derives TI from the footprint and selected family. Preserve the coordinates and rotation permission for the candidate being used. A better geometric count may also be unsuitable if the package or receiver requires a uniform orientation.
Test an exact-mass assumption near the boundary
If measured case mass is 10.01 kg instead of 10, the same 188 kg budget permits only three uniform four-case layers: twelve cases and 148.12 kg gross. Mixed still permits three five-case layers: fifteen cases and 178.15 kg. The ranking changes because the original uniform four-layer result sat exactly on its mass boundary. This is a sensitivity comparison, not a reason to round measurements toward a preferred count. Preserve the actual packed-case mass when reviewing the alternatives.
Apply the selected complete capacity to the actual order
For a thirty-two-case order at the 188 kg budget, uniform capacity sixteen implies two complete carriers. Mixed capacity fifteen implies three: fifteen, fifteen, and two. Under the same 28 kg carrier components, uniform shipment gross is 376 kg and mixed shipment gross is 404. The difference is one additional carrier and extras group, while packed-case mass remains 320 kg.
This example does not declare Uniform the preferred physical arrangement. It identifies a specific order consequence worth reviewing. For another budget or order quantity, the result can change. Confirm the source of every limit, the actual packed components, and the accepted pattern before using its capacity in an order release.
TI and weight-granularity record
Cases 600 by 400 by 250 mm at 10 kg. Base 1200 by 1000 by 144, tare 25; ancillary 3. Rotation allowed, zero spacing. Height 1500. Uniform TI 4 versus mixed TI 5. At gross 188: complete HI 4 versus 3, cases 16 versus 15, gross 188 versus 178. At 228 both contain 20; at 278 uniform contains 20 and mixed 25. Partial extra cases are separate proposals.
The useful comparison multiplies each geometrically valid TI by the HI actually allowed under the same constraints. That reveals full-layer granularity and prevents a denser footprint from being mistaken for an automatic increase in complete-pallet capacity.