Container Loading Optimizer: Distribute Your Orders and Make Better Use of Available Space

Imperia’s Container Loading Optimizer is an online tool that helps you create a plan for distributing orders across available containers. It takes product dimensions and weight into account, along with each container’s physical limits.

Using your product master data, the quantities you need to transport, and the available capacity, the tool calculates how to distribute the units and generates a 3D view of the results.

You can see how many containers you need, assess how much of their capacity is used, and identify any items left out because of space or weight limits.

What Is a Container Loading Optimizer For?

Planning a container load involves more than adding up product volumes and comparing them with the total available capacity.

Each item’s shape, dimensions, orientation, and weight affect how much of the available space you can actually use.

A container may have unused volume on paper but still be unable to accommodate certain units. The opposite can also happen: physical space may remain available even though the maximum weight limit has been reached.

The Container Loading Optimizer accounts for these constraints in a single simulation.

You can use it to:

• Calculate how many containers you need.
• Distribute different items across containers.
• Analyze how much of the available space is used.
• Check how much of the maximum weight capacity is used.
• Identify units that cannot be loaded.
• Compare different container types.
• Evaluate different shipping configurations.
• View the proposed load in 3D.

Define Your Product Specifications

First, set up your product master data.

For each item, enter:

• Name.
• Length.
• Width.
• Height.
• Unit weight.

Enter dimensions in centimeters and weight in kilograms.

Use the measurements of the unit that will actually be shipped. If the product will be packaged, enter the package dimensions rather than the dimensions of the unpackaged product.

Each item also has an identifying color.

The tool uses this color in the 3D visualization to help you distinguish between the products loaded into each container.

You can include up to 10 different products in a single simulation.

Enter the Orders You Need to Ship

After setting up your product master data, enter the purchase orders.

For each order, select an item and specify the quantity you want to ship.

You can also add a description.

The item in the order must already exist in your product master data. The tool needs its dimensions and weight to run the simulation.

You can enter up to 10 orders in the same calculation.

This lets you combine different items and quantities to see how they could be loaded together.

Configure the Available Containers

Next, define the shipping capacity available.

For each container type, you can enter:

• Type.
• Name.
• Quantity available.
• Interior length.
• Interior width.
• Interior height.
• Maximum weight.

You can include different container formats in the same simulation.

For example, you might have several 40-foot High Cube containers and combine them with standard 20-foot containers.

By entering both the interior dimensions and maximum weight, the tool can assess the two main constraints on a load: space and weight.

Automatically Generate a Loading Plan

Once you have entered the details, select Calculate Loading Plan.

The tool analyzes the requested units and attempts to place them in the available containers.

It considers each product’s dimensions and tests different possible orientations to find a position that fits the available space.

Every placement must also comply with the container’s maximum weight limit.

The result is a proposed distribution showing which container each unit could be placed in.

See How Many Containers You Need

The Loading Plan tab displays a summary with four main metrics:

• Containers used.
• Units loaded.
• Units not loaded.
• Load rate.

These figures help you quickly check whether the available capacity is sufficient to ship the entire order.

For example, if you enter 500 units and only 460 can be assigned to a container, the tool shows the remaining 40 as cargo not loaded.

You can then change the number or type of containers and run the simulation again.

Check How Much of the Available Space Is Used

Each container used has its own details.

The tool calculates the percentage of space occupied to help you assess how much of its capacity is being used.

This metric is useful for identifying containers with low space utilization and comparing different configurations.

However, space utilization is not the only factor to consider.

Analyze Weight Capacity, Too

In addition to space utilization, the tool calculates the percentage of weight capacity used.

This matters because different types of cargo have different constraints.

Bulky, lightweight products may fill the available space before reaching the weight limit.

By contrast, compact, heavy cargo may reach the container’s maximum weight while physical space remains available.

Looking at both percentages together helps you understand which constraint is limiting the load in each case.

Automatically Identify Units That Cannot Be Loaded

When there is not enough capacity, the tool identifies the units left out of the plan.

The alert shows:

• Total number of units not loaded.
• Affected products.
• Remaining quantity for each product.

Available capacity may be insufficient because there is not enough physical space or because the containers have reached their weight limits.

This information helps you see immediately whether you need to add capacity or adjust the distribution.

View the Cargo Distribution in 3D

One of the optimizer’s key features is its 3D visualization.

After generating the plan, you can select each container to see how its products have been distributed.

Each item retains the color assigned in the product master data, making it easier to identify.

The visualization lets you:

• Rotate the container.
• Zoom in and out.
• Move around the scene.
• Switch between containers.
• View the products and quantities included.

This turns numerical results into a much more intuitive view of the proposed load.

Compare Different Shipping Configurations

You can also use the optimizer to analyze different scenarios.

You can change:

• The product mix.
• Order quantities.
• Item dimensions.
• Item weights.
• Container types.
• The number of containers available for each format.
• Interior dimensions.
• Maximum weight limits.

For example, you can compare the results of replacing several standard containers with a different combination, increasing available capacity, or changing the volume of an order.

Each new calculation shows how the number of units loaded and the use of available capacity change.

Space and Weight: Two Constraints to Analyze Together

One common mistake when planning a load is to use total volume as the only measure.

Two orders with exactly the same total volume may need very different configurations, depending on the dimensions of each individual unit.

The products’ shape and orientation determine whether the gaps between them can actually be used.

Weight is another constraint to consider.

That’s why the Container Loading Optimizer works with both the cargo’s three-dimensional dimensions and the containers’ weight limits.

The goal is not simply to check how much volume is available, but to generate a plan that physically fits within the constraints you set.

Get an Initial Plan Before Preparing Your Shipment

The Container Loading Optimizer turns your order data into a visual distribution plan.

You can use it to check:

• • Which containers are used.
• • How the items are distributed.
• • What percentage of each container’s space is occupied.
• • What percentage of its weight capacity is used.
• • How many units can be loaded.
• • Which cargo is left out.
• • How the distribution looks in three dimensions.

Use the tool to compare scenarios, identify capacity issues, and get an initial reference for improving your load planning.