July 17, 2025

Truck transport

How to calculate LDM? Formula and LDM calculator

LDM is a popular unit of measurement in road transport, indicating the space a load will occupy on a trailer. Transport costs are often calculated based on it. In this article, we’ll explain how to calculate LDM and show you how to use a loading planner as an ldm calculator.

What is LDM in transport?

LDM, or loading meters, is a unit of measurement used in road transport to determine the length of the loading area occupied on a trailer. One loading meter corresponds to one running meter of loading space with the standard trailer width, which is usually around 2.4 meters. LDM simplifies load planning, transport service valuation, and space accounting in trucks.

How to calculate LDM? The formula

Here’s the basic formula for how to calculate LDM:

In practice, we most often use a simplified calculation, assuming a standard trailer width (approx. 2.4 m). In this case, the LDM for a single pallet or package is calculated as the product of the length and width of the goods, divided by the width of the trailer.

Example: If you are transporting a Euro pallet with dimensions of 1.2 m (length) x 0.8 m (width):

It’s worth noting that for goods that can be stacked, LDM is calculated based on the base area occupied by the goods, not their volume.

1 LDM: How many pallets?

A common question is: 1 LDM, how many pallets is that? This depends on the type of pallets. The most common are euro pallets with dimensions of 120 cm x 80 cm. A standard trailer, 13.6 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, typically accommodates 33 EURO pallets.

To calculate how many euro pallets correspond to 1 LDM: A standard EURO pallet (120 cm x 80 cm) occupies 0.4 LDM. Therefore, 1 LDM corresponds to 1 / 0.4 = 2.5 euro pallets.

Check also: Pallet dimensions – the most popular pallet types in transport

goodloading-road-transport

Using Goodloading as an LDM calculator

Manually calculating LDMs for many different loads can be time-consuming and prone to errors. This is where modern tools like Goodloading come in handy. While Goodloading isn’t a traditional LDM calculator, when you plan a load using it, you can continuously check the number of free and occupied loading meters.

Using Goodloading as both a load planner and an ldm calculator offers many benefits:

  • Time-saving: Quickly check LDM without needing formulas or additional calculators.
  • Precision: Eliminate human errors thanks to automatic LDM calculation based on the entered load.
  • Space Optimization: Helps effectively plan loading, maximizing the use of available trailer space by visualizing occupied and free LDMs.
  • Transport Valuation: Enables quick estimation of transport costs, as many forwarding companies base their pricing on LDM values.
¿Cómo calcular LDM? Fórmula y calculadora LDM

2025-08-28

Transporte por terrestre

¿Cómo calcular LDM? Fórmula y calculadora LDM

LDM es una unidad popular de medida en el transporte por carretera, que indica el área que las mercancías ocuparán en un semirremolque. A menudo se utiliza como base para calcular los costes de transporte. En este artículo, vamos a explicar cómo calcular el LDM y mostrar cómo usar un planificador de carga como un… Read more »

Calculate your freight rate with the Goodloading load planner

2024-07-03

Truck transport

Calculate your freight rate with the Goodloading load planner

Carriers have an increasing number of advanced tools at their disposal to facilitate transport management. One of them is the Goodloading platform, which not only supports loading planning, but also allows for better cost estimation. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can use Goodloading’s capabilities to determine transport costs.

 Free transport cost calculator

2021-05-05

Truck transport

Free transport cost calculator

Fuel is the biggest cost of running a transport business. It can account for up to 40% of total company expenses. Every logistician or owner of such a company is aware that the profitability of the service provided depends on a number of factors, some of which you may hardly think about on a daily… Read more »

Pallet loading calculator: how to optimize cargo space?

2025-03-18

New Technologies

Pallet loading calculator: how to optimize cargo space?

Manual load planning can be time-consuming and prone to errors, which is why more and more companies are using tools to support this process. One of them is a pallet loading calculator, which allows you to quickly and accurately plan the layout of cargo in vehicles or containers. How does this tool work and what… Read more »

What will the transport industry look like after the coronavirus pandemic?

2021-08-26

Truck transport

What will the transport industry look like after the coronavirus pandemic?

The world is slowly coming back to reality from before the pandemic, although it is easy to see its significant impact on almost all elements of our lives. Shortages of increasingly expensive materials and delays in production are everyday issues that affect costs and prices. This also applies to transport, which has had to increase… Read more »

Axle weight limits in Europe

2025-01-23

Truck transport

Axle weight limits in Europe

The axle weight limit is an essential component of traffic regulations. These limits are designed to protect road infrastructure from excess weight and ensure traffic safety.

Recent Posts :

2025-12-04New TechnologiesIn the age of automation and growing competition, companies are increasingly moving away from “eyeballing” their load planning and adopting modern technology. Optimization systems, such as Goodloading, allow for the maximum utilization of trailers and and containers, which translates into tangible savings. Below, we present a ready-made, practical course outline that will ensure future logistics… Read more » [...]
2025-11-21Truck transportLoading docks are high-risk zones where the intense flow of people, forklifts, and heavy loads requires iron discipline. It is not just about adhering to regulations. Following these rules primarily serves to minimize the risk of accidents and damage to cargo. [...]
2025-11-17New TechnologiesInvestments in systems such as WMS and TMS have enabled the logistics industry to effectively automate warehouse and transport processes. However, in an environment full of variables, traditional systems—while supporting human involvement in repetitive tasks—lack the ability to make decisions or act proactively on their own. This is where the AI Agent emerges. AI Agents… Read more » [...]
2025-11-06Truck transportThe double deck trailer is a practical answer to two key challenges in road transport: the necessity to carry a large volume of non-stackable goods and the need to maximize cubic capacity when transporting light, voluminous cargo. [...]
2025-10-24Air freightImagine this scenario: a critical component for your production line is stuck thousands of miles away, and every day of downtime is costing you a fortune. This is where air freight enters the conversation. For many logisticians, the mere thought of the price tag is enough to dismiss this option immediately. That’s a mistake. Air… Read more » [...]
2025-11-03New TechnologiesLet’s not be afraid to say that with the rise of automation, AI agents, and integration of multiple solutions in one ecosystem, UX will become less and less important. But if Amazon, with its archaic appearance, entered the market now, it would remain a niche bookstore. The entry threshold, ease of navigation, avoidance of unnecessary… Read more » [...]