Pallets
Packing Patterns

Packing Patterns

Packing patterns control how items are arranged on the pallet surface within each layer. LOP offers four patterns, each suited to different cargo types and stability requirements.

Best Fit (Auto)

The default pattern. LOP's skyline packing algorithm places items wherever they fit best, using the same solver logic as container loading. Items are not forced into a regular grid — the algorithm finds the densest arrangement considering each item's specific dimensions.

Best for: Mixed-size items, irregular assortments, shipments where items vary significantly in length and width.

Top view (example):
┌────────┬──────┬────┐
│        │      │    │
│   A    │  B   │ C  │
│        │      │    │
├───┬────┼──────┤    │
│ D │ E  │  F   ├────┤
│   │    │      │ G  │
└───┴────┴──────┴────┘

Column (Block)

All items are placed in the same orientation, forming a simple grid of rows and columns. Every item faces the same direction. This produces the most predictable, uniform arrangement.

Best for: Uniform items (all the same size), maximum density, simple loading instructions.

Top view:
┌────┬────┬────┬────┐
│    │    │    │    │
│ A  │ A  │ A  │ A  │
│    │    │    │    │
├────┼────┼────┼────┤
│    │    │    │    │
│ A  │ A  │ A  │ A  │
│    │    │    │    │
├────┼────┼────┼────┤
│    │    │    │    │
│ A  │ A  │ A  │ A  │
│    │    │    │    │
└────┴────┴────┴────┘

Interlock (Brick)

Every other row is offset by half the item width, similar to how bricks are laid in a wall. Items in adjacent rows overlap each other's seams, creating a mechanical lock between rows.

Best for: Moderate stability improvement over Column, rectangular items where one dimension is roughly half the other.

Top view:
┌────┬────┬────┬────┐
│    │    │    │    │
│ A  │ A  │ A  │ A  │
│    │    │    │    │
├──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┤
│  │    │    │    │  │
│  │ A  │ A  │ A  │  │
│  │    │    │    │  │
├──┴─┬──┴─┬──┴─┬──┴─┤
│    │    │    │    │
│ A  │ A  │ A  │ A  │
│    │    │    │    │
└────┴────┴────┴────┘

Pinwheel (Windmill)

Items are arranged in groups of four, each rotated 90 degrees from its neighbor, forming a windmill pattern. This creates interlocking in both the X and Z directions simultaneously — the strongest single-layer pattern for stability.

Best for: Maximum stability, stretch-wrap-friendly arrangements, rectangular items (non-square). Requires items where length and width are different.

Top view:
┌──────┬───┬──────┐
│      │   │      │
│  ──  │ | │  ──  │
│      │   │      │
├───┬──┴───┴──┬───┤
│   │         │   │
│ | │  center │ | │
│   │         │   │
├───┴──┬───┬──┴───┤
│      │   │      │
│  ──  │ | │  ──  │
│      │   │      │
└──────┴───┴──────┘

Pinwheel works best with rectangular items where the length-to-width ratio is close to 2:1. With square items, Pinwheel degrades to the same arrangement as Column since rotating a square 90 degrees produces the same footprint.

Pattern Comparison

PatternDensityStabilityComplexityBest Item Type
Best FitHighVariesAutomaticMixed sizes
ColumnHighestLowSimpleIdentical items
InterlockHighMediumModerateRectangular items
PinwheelMedium-HighHighestComplexRectangular, non-square

Choosing a Pattern

Use this decision guide:

  1. Are all items the same size?

    • Yes → Column for density, Interlock or Pinwheel for stability
    • No → Best Fit

  2. Is stability more important than density?

    • Yes → Pinwheel (strongest) or Interlock (good balance)
    • No → Column (densest)

  3. Will the pallet be stretch-wrapped?

    • Yes → Pinwheel holds wrap tension best
    • No → Any pattern works

  4. Are items square (L = W)?

    • Yes → Column or Interlock (Pinwheel adds no benefit)
    • No → All patterns available

You can combine any packing pattern with layer rotation for additional cross-layer interlocking. Column + layer rotation every 2 layers is a common warehouse configuration.

Next Steps

Palletize AllLayer Rotation