Decide which change the comparison is testing
A useful comparison keeps the equipment, units and constraints identical except for the specific variable being tested. Otherwise a higher count may be caused by a different footprint, a smaller gap or an omitted weight requirement rather than the proposed arrangement. Start with a locked input record and name the changed variable. Save both results together, including their modes and status. Two screenshots with different large counts do not provide enough information to attribute the difference. If one reviewer uses inches and another millimetres, verify the exact converted dimensions before comparing their records. A nearby regional preset can look equivalent while changing the geometry, so preserve the restored numeric fields as well as the preset label.
This fictional example compares Mixed and Uniform layer modes for cartons of 600 by 400 by 250 mm on a 1200 by 1000 mm pallet. The assumed base height is 144 mm, maximum total height 1500 mm, gap zero and edge clearance zero. Horizontal rotation is permitted. Packed-case mass is assumed 6 kg, empty tare 25 kg and protection 3 kg per loaded carrier. Those measured-looking numbers are exercise inputs, not a claim about every industrial pallet or retail load.
Change only the layer mode in the first comparison
The best uniform grid holds four cases: two 600 mm lengths along 1200 mm and two 400 mm widths across 1000 mm. Rotating the entire grid gives three along the length and one across the width, or three. The Mixed search returns five with optimal status for this exact supported geometry. Its area upper bound is also five because 1,200,000 / 240,000 = 5. In this case the ceiling is realized; that cannot be assumed for every other input.
Both plans allow floor((1500 − 144) / 250) = 5 complete layers. Uniform therefore has twenty cases per full pallet and Mixed twenty-five. Both nominal heights are 1394 mm because layer count and case height are unchanged. Their full-unit gross weights differ: 20 times 6 + 28 = 148 kg, versus 25 times 6 + 28 = 178 kg. A denser layer makes the full unit heavier, even when it reduces shipment carrier count.
| Record item | Value or interpretation |
|---|---|
| Identical inputs | 1200 × 1000 × 144 mm pallet; 600 × 400 × 250 mm case; zero allowances |
| Changed variable | Uniform versus Mixed layer mode |
| Uniform layer / full capacity | 4 cases / 20 cases at HI 5 |
| Mixed layer / full capacity | 5 cases, optimal, upper bound 5 / 25 cases at HI 5 |
| Full-unit gross | Uniform 148 kg; Mixed 178 kg |
| Nominal loaded height | 1394 mm in both plans |
Keep the two reproducible links explicit
Open the Uniform record and the Mixed record. Check the restored fields before saving the results. Keep the returned placements for Mixed, since the count alone does not explain how the fifth case is accommodated.
Do not confuse Uniform's grid result label with a proof about all allowed mixed arrangements. Likewise, a best-found result in a different scenario remains a returned candidate rather than a proven optimum. Save count, area ceiling where shown and proof status in separate columns. A larger ceiling does not create additional usable positions. The methodology explains what those labels mean, so another reviewer can assess the strength of the comparison.
Compare the actual order, not only a full pallet
For an invented order of forty-three cases, Uniform's capacity twenty requires three carriers with quantities twenty, twenty and three. Gross values are 148, 148 and 46 kg, total 342 kg. Mixed's capacity twenty-five requires two carriers with twenty-five and eighteen cases. Gross values are 178 and 136 kg, total 314 kg. Goods mass is 258 kg in both. The 28 kg total difference is one eliminated carrier-and-protection allowance, not a change in goods weight.
At forty-one through forty-three cases the same carrier-count distinction holds under these capacities, but at forty cases both plans need two carriers. The benefit depends on order quantity. Do not generalize one saved carrier to every shipment. If different destinations create separate tails, calculate those destinations separately. The weight calculator can reproduce each selected capacity record without deciding whether its layer is physically acceptable.
One-variable comparison record
Locked inputs: equipment and carton dimensions, units, rotation permission, gap, clearance, height and mass definitions. Variable: selected layer mode only. Save both counts, status and coordinates. Derived comparison: HI 5; capacity 20 versus 25; hypothetical order 43; carriers 3 versus 2; gross 342 versus 314 kg. Record practical orientation or receiving requirements separately before selecting a plan.
Run a new controlled comparison for a new requirement
If the operation requires every label to face one direction, the Mixed candidate may not answer that requirement. If a gap becomes necessary, revise only that allowance first and preserve the new coordinates and status. If case mass changes, revise the mass record and any actual weight constraints before carrying forward HI. A single revised comparison should say exactly which variable changed instead of presenting a collection of unrelated favorable inputs.
The final decision may value handling consistency over maximum count. This page does not score those tradeoffs or approve either arrangement. Its purpose is to make the numerical contribution visible: the layer change, its stack consequence and its order-level tare consequence. A reviewer can then add the actual operational evidence without mistaking a denser geometric plan for an automatically better shipment.