Ask which rotations the actual package permits
The layout setting for rotation concerns a horizontal right-angle turn of the footprint. It changes which case side lies along the pallet while keeping the entered case height vertical. It does not permit tipping a case, swapping height with length or turning cargo upside down. Establish package-specific restrictions from the supplier or responsible operation before enabling the setting. This guide does not invent orientation requirements from a product category or from a label’s appearance.
A case may have an agreed display direction, handle access, opening position or other handling restriction. Record the actual instruction and its source, then translate only the supported horizontal options into the model. If an instruction is unclear, keep it unresolved and request clarification. The absence of a copied note in a spreadsheet is not evidence that every turn is permitted. Numeric fit cannot decide the allowable orientation of the contents.
Compare a fixed orientation with horizontal rotation
For an illustrative 1200 × 800 mm deck and 400 × 300 × 250 mm cases, fixed orientation with 400 mm along the deck gives 3 × 2 = 6 cases per uniform layer. A horizontal ninety-degree turn gives 4 × 2 = 8 because the 300 mm side runs along 1200 and the 400 mm side across 800. The height remains 250 mm in both scenarios. The eight-case pattern is available only if the actual instruction allows that horizontal turn.
If the operation requires the 400 mm side to lie along the deck, enter the fixed orientation and disable rotation. Do not preserve the eight-case result and claim the instruction was implicitly satisfied. On the other hand, if horizontal rotation is permitted, retain the permission with the input record so another planner can reproduce the comparison. The relevant decision is a specific instruction for this package and process, not whether rotation is generally good.
| Action | What changes | Covered by footprint rotation? |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal 90-degree turn | Length and width directions swap | Yes, when permitted |
| Case laid on another face | Height changes | No |
| Pallet turned during entry | Handling path and equipment motion | No |
| Opposing labels in a mixed pattern | Package-facing details | Not modeled by rectangle identity |
| Changing actual load footprint | Dimensions themselves | Requires new measurements |
Carry the orientation choice into quantity planning
With five separately accepted complete layers, six cases per layer give thirty cases per pallet, while eight give forty. An order of ninety-five cases therefore needs ceil(95 / 30) = 4 pallets under the fixed six-case pattern, or ceil(95 / 40) = 3 with the permitted rotated pattern. The fewer-pallet result does not authorize rotation. It describes the operational effect of a permission that must be established before using the layout.
The four-pallet scenario has three full thirty-case pallets and a last five-case pallet. The three-pallet scenario has two forty-case pallets and a last fifteen-case pallet. Keep partial-unit geometry and mass separate. A pattern’s case count does not establish stability, label readability or a suitable partial top layer. Height and verified weight conditions also need review; five layers here are an example assumption held constant for comparing the two orientations.
Resolve instructions before a handoff
When a restriction is unresolved, keep the fixed-orientation scenario as a labeled comparison rather than recording permission as assumed. Give the recipient the supplier instruction reference so a later permission change can be traced to evidence.
Mixed geometric orientation is not a detailed package-facing plan
The configuration engine can search candidates containing identical rectangles at zero and ninety degrees. It has no representation of which face has a handle, barcode or opening, and it does not understand that two cases with identical dimensions may have different orientation rules. If every case in the group does not share the same permitted directions, one identical-rectangle run is an incomplete model. Describe the restricted groups explicitly or use a separate reviewed drawing.
The finite strip and MaxRects search also has a limited optimization scope. Best found means the best valid candidate discovered by its rules, not a mathematical guarantee. The reported optimal status applies only when a supported condition proves that rectangle scenario. Neither status establishes that operators can place cases or pallets in the illustrated sequence. Final coordinates and operational handling permission remain separate evidence.
Create an orientation permission record
Write package identifier, outside dimensions, designated vertical side, permitted horizontal turns, instruction source and date, and any face-access requirements. Mark unresolved directions as unresolved. For the example compare fixed 400 × 300 with rotation enabled without changing height. Save the chosen count, layers and ninety-five-case order calculation together with the actual permission.
Use the setting that represents the permitted movement
Open the horizontal-rotation example and confirm the case height remains 250 mm. Compare with rotation disabled in the interface. Use the configuration tool for spacing and mixed candidates, and save its status alongside the layout. The query starts the stated numeric scenario; it does not carry an approval document.
If a packaging change alters handles, labels or permitted movement, revisit the instruction before reusing the saved plan. Sharing only the larger count can conceal the permission on which it depends. Keep a written input record with the numerical fields so the recipient knows why rotation was allowed or disabled. Do not put supplier instructions or confidential cargo identifiers into unsupported query fields.
Reference and example scope
EPAL 1 specification supports the example deck dimensions only; package orientation permission must come from the actual package or operation. The examples use explicitly stated measurements or assumptions; they are not instrument standards, tolerance rules or approval of your load.