HDPE Pipe Container Loading Calculator

We pack the circular pipe cross-section (diameter = DN, since DN is the outer diameter for PE pipe) into the ISO container interior using hexagonal close-packing — the tightest real arrangement of equal circles. That gives the number of pipes per cross-section, multiplied by the usable tier length — about 11.8 m in a 40ft container, or 5.8 m in a 20ft. We then apply a 55–70% loading efficiency, because real pipe is bundled, needs dunnage and strapping, and cannot be stacked to the full container height without deforming.

Idealised circle-packing assumes every pipe nests perfectly against its neighbours from floor to ceiling. In practice pipe ships in bundles with gaps, the top of the container is left clear to avoid crushing, and cradles and strapping take space. Across straight-length HDPE loads, 55–70% of the geometric maximum is a realistic band. Coiled small-diameter pipe behaves differently.

No. For PE pipe, DN is the outer diameter, and SDR only changes the wall thickness inward. The outer size — and therefore how many metres fit per container — is the same across SDR classes. SDR changes the weight of the pipe, not the metres loaded.

Volume. HDPE is light — even a fully packed 40ft container of pipe weighs well under the container payload limit. The container fills up on space long before it reaches any weight cap, so pipe diameter is what governs how many metres you can ship.