How many banana boxes fit in a 53ft trailer?
Banana boxes of 500 × 400 × 250 mm (also called fruit trays, produce cartons) in a 53-foot dry van trailer (US) — inner dimensions 16,000 × 2,540 × 2,790 mm. Calculated by the Cubestow engine on 2026-09-08.
Boxes kept this-side-up (turned on the floor plane only). 47% of the space used, 11 layers high, about 20,387 kg (100% of payload). Payload-limited: 2,200 would fit by space alone. Open this load in the 3D planner →
Top view — floor layer (100 on the floor)
Side view — first row along the wall (11 layers)
The answer in detail
The standard banana carton is about 500 × 400 × 250 mm and weighs roughly 19 kg loaded (18.14 kg of fruit). Bananas travel palletised in reefers with the boxes always upright; the loose-box count here is the theoretical maximum for the space.
The standard North American dry van. Inner width around 100 in (2,540 mm) fits two 48 × 40 in pallets side by side either way round; legal gross weight, not space, usually caps the load.
The simple grid estimate is 32 along the length × 6 across × 11 high = 2,112, or 40 × 5 × 11 = 2,200 with every piece turned. The engine's validated plan holds 1,073, below the raw grid because the payload limit cap the load.
Variants
| Loading rule | Fits | Layers | Volume used | Total weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxes kept this-side-up (turned on the floor plane only) (headline figure) | 1,073 | 11 | 47% | 20,387 kg (100% of payload) |
How many 53ft trailers for a given order?
| Banana boxes | 100 | 250 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53ft trailers needed | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Last one filled to | 9% | 23% | 47% | 93% | 33% | 66% |
Mixed cargo, different carton sizes or delivery stops? Plan the exact shipment in 3D — free, in the browser, nothing uploaded.
Frequently asked
How many banana boxes fit in a 53ft trailer?
1,073 banana boxes of 500 × 400 × 250 mm fit in a 53ft trailer (inner dimensions 16,000 × 2,540 × 2,790 mm), boxes kept this-side-up (turned on the floor plane only). That uses 47% of the 113.4 m³ available and weighs about 20,387 kg.
What are the inner dimensions of a 53ft trailer?
Typical inner dimensions are 16,000 mm long, 2,540 mm wide and 2,790 mm high (629.9 × 100.0 × 109.8 in), giving 113.4 m³ of space and a rated payload of about 20,400 kg. Individual units vary by a few centimetres, so check the actual box for tight loads.
Why does the payload limit matter for banana boxes?
Geometrically 2,200 banana boxes would fit, but at about 19 kg each the 53ft trailer's 20,400 kg payload is reached at 1,073. Heavy cargo fills the weight allowance before the space.
How was this number calculated?
By running the Cubestow 3D load-planning engine on the exact dimensions above, allowing rotation on the floor plane only, stacking with at least 80% base support and the container's payload limit, then re-validating the plan for overlaps, support and weight. Real loads leave room for dunnage, door clearance and uneven cartons, so treat the figure as the practical maximum.