Floor loading

A floor-loaded container is packed with loose cartons stacked directly on the container floor, no pallets. It maximizes cube — typically 20–30% more cartons than palletized loading, since pallets consume roughly 6 inches of height and impose grid gaps — and saves the cost of the pallets themselves.

The trade-off is labor and time at both ends: floor loads are hand-stacked and hand-unloaded, which warehouses charge for and schedule around. Fragile goods also fare worse. Amazon FBA accepts floor-loaded containers at some fulfillment centers but requires booking that way in advance; many 3PLs charge meaningful per-carton fees to receive floor loads.

Rule of thumb: high-volume, robust cartons on long ocean lanes favor floor loading; anything time-sensitive or fragile favors pallets.