Air Cargo ULDs: dimensions & payload capacity
Dimensions and maximum gross weight for the IATA unit load devices air freight actually moves on: LD-series lower-deck containers and PMC, PAG, PLA, and PGA pallets.
Interior cargo dimensions in inches; payload is maximum cargo weight, not gross vehicle or gross container weight. Figures are the published specifications of the manufacturer, carrier, or standards body linked on each row, and vary by make, model, and year. Treat them as planning numbers and confirm the specific unit before you load it.
About these numbers
Air freight does not move as loose cargo. It moves in unit load devices, the aluminium containers and pallets that slot into an aircraft hold on rollers and lock into the floor. Each one is identified by a three-letter IATA code that encodes its shape, base size, and whether it is a container or a pallet, and most also have an older LD number the industry still uses in conversation. The AKE, better known as the LD-3, is the one you will meet most often: a contoured lower-deck container on a 60.4 x 61.5 in base, standing 64 in tall, rated to about 1,588 kg. The AKH is the same idea cut down to 45 in for the narrow-body A320 family. Move up to main-deck freighters and you are on pallets rather than containers, and the PMC (also called the P6P) on its 96 x 125 in base is the workhorse: 15,000 lb of cargo under a net. The important thing about ULD figures is that the contoured types are cut away on one or both sides to follow the curve of the fuselage, so the box you can actually build on the base is smaller than the base suggests. Freight forwarders and charter planners use these figures to work out how many ULDs a shipment needs, whether it fits a lower hold or has to go on a main deck, and how a build-up should be stacked before it reaches the ramp.
Frequently asked questions
- How big is an LD3 container?
- An LD3, IATA code AKE, sits on a base of about 61.5 x 60.4 in and stands 64 in tall, giving roughly 4.3 cubic metres (152 cubic feet) of internal volume and a maximum gross weight of about 1,588 kg (3,501 lb). It is contoured on one side to follow the curve of the fuselage, so the usable rectangular space is smaller than the base footprint.
- What is a PMC pallet?
- A PMC, also known as a P6P, is the standard 96 x 125 in air cargo pallet used on main decks and in wide-body lower holds. Loaded to 64 in high it holds about 11.5 cubic metres and is rated to 15,000 lb. It is the most common ULD in air freight, and it is what most quoted air-pallet rates assume.
- What is the difference between a ULD container and a ULD pallet?
- A container is an enclosed box with its own walls and a door, so cargo is protected and no net is needed. A pallet is a flat aluminium base that cargo is stacked on and secured with a net and straps. Containers are common in lower holds; pallets dominate main decks and freighter operations because they take more weight and any shape that fits under the contour.
- What do the ULD codes like AKE, DPE, and PMC mean?
- The first letter gives the type (A for a certified aircraft container, P for a pallet, D for a non-certified container), the second gives the base size, and the third gives the contour and door configuration. So AKE is a certified container on the LD3 base with a standard contour, and PMC is a pallet on the 96 x 125 in base.
- How much weight can an air cargo container hold?
- It ranges from about 1,225 kg for an LD-2 up to 6,804 kg for a main-deck M-1 container or PMC pallet, and 13,608 kg for a 20 ft PGA freighter pallet. The airline's own operational limits are often lower than the ULD's structural rating, so confirm with the carrier.
- Which ULDs fit in a narrow-body aircraft?
- Very few. Most narrow-bodies are bulk-loaded, but the A320 family can take the reduced-height AKH (LD3-45), which is an LD3 base cut down to 45 in to clear the lower hold. Everything else on this page is wide-body or freighter equipment.
