Decide whether another complete layer fits
A planner sees unused height above a stack and asks whether one more layer can be added. The decision depends on a complete layer threshold, not on the percentage of headroom remaining. With case height h, pallet base height p, and total loaded-height budget H, the height-only maximum is floor((H minus p) / h), bounded below by zero. H includes the base; it is not simply the height of cartons above the deck.
Use fictional cases 400 by 300 by 250 mm on a 1200 by 800 mm base that is 144 mm high. Horizontal rotation is allowed and added case gap and edge clearance are zero. The uniform layer holds eight cases. All height budgets in this guide are hypothetical comparison inputs, not permitted stacking levels or equipment specifications. Physical packaging approval is separate.
Write the threshold before comparing a rounded result
One layer needs 144 + 250 = 394 mm. Two need 644, three 894, four 1144, and five 1394. A 1393 mm total budget permits four complete layers, even though it misses the five-layer threshold by only one millimetre. A 1394 mm budget permits five exactly in this rectangular arithmetic. An operational requirement for added thickness or clearance would need its own explicit input.
| Total height budget | Whole HI | Cases at TI 8 | Calculated loaded height | Remaining headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 393 mm | 0 | 0 | 144 mm base only | No case layer fits |
| 394 mm | 1 | 8 | 394 mm | 0 mm |
| 1393 mm | 4 | 32 | 1144 mm | 249 mm |
| 1394 mm | 5 | 40 | 1394 mm | 0 mm |
The 249 mm in the third row looks substantial, but it is still one millimetre below the next complete 250 mm layer. The tool does not count a fractional HI of 4.996. It also does not fill unused height with another carton orientation. The case height remains vertical while its footprint may turn horizontally.
Reproduce the two sides of the five-layer boundary
Open the 1393 mm comparison and the 1394 mm comparison. Both select maximum-constraint mode and apply height only. No case weight, tare, or mass limit is supplied, so the examples establish no gross-weight check.
Confirm TI eight, HI four versus five, and total thirty-two versus forty. Record the total-height field rather than copying the calculated loaded height into a different kind of height requirement. A supplier instruction limiting cargo height above the base needs translation to a total loaded-height input using the actual base.
Use measurement precision honestly at a threshold
A budget shown as 1394 after display rounding may originate from a smaller underlying value. Likewise, a case nominally 250 mm high may have a different measured outside height. Keep source measurements and unit conversions through the calculation. Rounding toward a desired count can change the physical question. Software comparison tolerance is not a manufacturing allowance or approved physical clearance.
An exact arithmetic fit leaves no additional modeled headroom. If a top cap, separators, or other components add height, the five-layer threshold changes. Do not assume their thickness is included just because an ancillary weight field exists. That field counts mass, not height. Obtain actual component dimensions and describe the stack-height model used to incorporate them.
Update every threshold when the base changes
If the actual base is 150 mm high instead of 144, five 250 mm layers need 1400 mm rather than 1394. The sixth-millimetre base change shifts every complete-layer threshold by six; it does not change TI. A reused height record with the old base could therefore admit a layer that the newly measured assembly cannot fit. Keep base measurement separate from case height and identify the carrier used, rather than treating a nominal base height as a permanent conversion constant.
Connect the boundary to an order without confusing quantities
For a fictional eighty-case order, thirty-two cases per full pallet imply ceil(80 / 32) = 3 carriers: thirty-two, thirty-two, and sixteen. Forty per pallet imply two complete carriers. The extra layer therefore changes carrier count for this order. Another order quantity may need the same number of carriers under both plans, so use the actual release quantity.
The sixteen-case tail under the lower budget could represent two complete eight-case layers if the accepted physical plan repeats that pattern. Its measured loaded height still needs its own record. A full-pallet threshold does not force every carrier in the order to use the maximum HI. Keep the complete specification and actual case distribution separate.
Check the next layer directly
A useful review asks for the current loaded height and the height required by the next complete layer. At four layers, current height is 1144 and the next threshold is 1394. This makes the one-millimetre difference at 1393 visible without relying on a rounded utilization percentage. It also identifies which measurement or additional component could change the result.
Height-boundary input record
Units mm; base 1200 by 800 by 144; packed case 400 by 300 by 250; zero gap and clearance; horizontal rotation allowed; Uniform TI 8. Constraint mode. Compare total height 1393 and 1394. Returned HI 4 and 5, cases 32 and 40, heights 1144 and 1394. Mass constraints unset. Additional sheet or cap thickness not modeled. Preserve the confirmed total-height source and the actual packed-case measurement.
The methodology explains the geometric model. A boundary result is most useful when its exact whole-layer threshold, measurement basis, and unmodeled components accompany the count. The remaining headroom then has a clear meaning rather than becoming an implied authorization for another layer.