Cubing software, explained — and a free one
"Cubing" is the warehouse word for working out how much three-dimensional space cargo really takes — and therefore how many cartons fit on a pallet, how many pallets fit in a container, and which box an order should ship in. Cubing software does that with actual placements, not volume division. Below: what it does, who buys it, what 11 products charge, and how to do most of it free.
Free cubing tool — runs in your browser
Paste your carton list, pick a pallet or container, and get exact 3D placements with weight, stacking, fragile and door-clearance checks. PDF load plan and CSV export. No install, no seats.
What cubing software actually does
Which shipping box an order fits in, with fill rate and dimensional weight. Wrong box = paying DIM weight on air.
Cases per layer, layers high, loaded height and weight against the retailer or FBA routing guide; mixed-SKU pallets from an order.
How many cartons or pallets fit, in what arrangement, with payload, axle, door and centre-of-gravity checks. The number you quote against.
Who needs it
- 3PLs and fulfilment warehouses: pick the right carton per order and build compliant pallets without a packaging engineer on shift.
- Importers and freight forwarders: quote a container count you can actually load, and catch the pallet that will not clear the door.
- E-commerce and DTC brands: estimate pallet height at order time for LTL quotes, avoid DIM-weight surprises.
- Packaging engineers: size shipcases so the pallet pattern and the truck fill both work.
11 cubing and load-planning tools compared
Pricing from vendor pages or attributed third-party listings as of September 2026; verify before buying. Each row links to a fuller, honest comparison.
| Tool | Platform | Free tier | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DimPack3D | Web + API | Planner free; API free key | Free · API Starter $49/mo | Open |
| EasyCargo | Web | 10-day trial | US$79 per user/month or US$799/year. 24-hour tickets cost US$9.70 each, minimum purchase 10; VAT excluded. | Compare |
| Cargo-Planner | Web + API | Trial | Lite US$59/month (1 user) and Standard US$99/month (5 users, 1 branch), billed annually; Enterprise by quote. | Compare |
| Cube-IQ | Windows / server | Demo on request | No numeric price verified from the reviewed official product pages; request a current quote. | Compare |
| Goodloading | Web | Limited free version | Current prices were not verified in this review. Confirm terms in the vendor’s subscription area. | Compare |
| 3DBinPacking | Web + API | 14-day trial | Monthly API plans start at US$39 for 1,000 calculations (3.83 cents per extra calculation). Higher-volume tiers are available; calculations are not seats or shipments. | Compare |
| CargoWiz | Windows | 30-day trial | User-based annual or multi-year subscriptions. The page gives a two-user annual example of US$315; this is not a verified single-user starting price. | Compare |
| CubeMaster | Windows + web + API | Trial | Current prices were not verified in this review. Ask the vendor for the edition and licensing terms you need. | Compare |
| SeaRates Load Calculator | Web | 1/day; 3/day registered | Current product access, free quotas and prices were not verified: the reviewed URLs redirected to DP World. Confirm directly before comparing costs. | Compare |
| TOPS Pro | Windows | Trial on request | No numeric price verified in this review; confirm the product edition and quote with the vendor. | Compare |
| StackBuilder | Windows | Free download | The basic version is free. Current premium prices and the allocation of features between editions were not verified. | Compare |
| PackApp | Web + API | On request | Annual plans: EUR20/month for 50 calculations or EUR50/month for 200. One-off packs: EUR100 for 100 calculations or EUR160 for 200, excluding VAT. | Compare |
Questions
What is cubing software?
Cubing software calculates the real three-dimensional space ("cube") a set of cartons occupies and works out how to place them on pallets, in containers or in trucks with the least wasted space. Inputs are carton length, width, height, weight and quantity; outputs are exact placements, layer counts, utilization and weight distribution. Warehouses use it to pick cartons and build pallets, shippers to quote and load containers, and packaging engineers to size shipcases.
How is cubing software different from a CBM calculator?
A CBM calculator only adds up length × width × height and assumes space can be sliced arbitrarily. Cubing software actually tries the placements: carton orientation, no overhang without support, heavy never on light, fragile never stacked on. So where CBM says 1,000 cartons fit, cubing may say 870 — and 870 is the number that will happen at the dock.
How much does cubing software cost?
From vendor pricing pages and third-party listings: web subscriptions run roughly US$39–99 per seat per month (3DBinPacking, CubeMaster Online, Cargo-Planner, EasyCargo); Windows perpetual licences about US$750–2,500 per seat (CargoWiz, CubeMaster desktop); enterprise suites (Cube-IQ, TOPS Pro, Cape Pack) are quote-based and typically several thousand dollars per year. DimPack3D’s planner is free and the API has a free key tier.
Is there free cubing software?
Yes. DimPack3D’s 3D load planner runs free in the browser with weight, stacking and fragile constraints; StackBuilder is a free Windows download; SeaRates Load Calculator allows one free calculation per day; Goodloading has a limited free version. Most commercial products offer only a 10–30 day trial.