Is a thicker wall always stronger?

Answer: No. Past 4.5 mm warp cancels the gain; add ribs at 160 mm spacing instead.

How many layers will a 180 kg rating carry?

Answer: Six at 32 kg leaves 160 kg below; eight gives 224 kg and needs a pallet board.

Does fork pocket position matter?

Answer: Yes. Centres about 110 mm above the base put the loaded centre of gravity between the forks.

Which tolerance causes trouble?

Answer: Diagonal difference. Past 3 mm lids stop interchanging; one corner stands 2 mm proud.

Logistics Support Box Specifications: Size, Wall Thickness, Load

Q: How is the cavity of a logistics support box calculated?

Answer: Unit size times compartments, plus divider thickness per joint, plus 4 mm per side.

Quick answer: Specify a logistics support box backwards: size the cavity from the load units, add wall, rib height and corner allowance for the outline, then check stacking against a written safety factor. The cavity decides what fits, the outline decides which pallet it rides.

Deriving the logistics support box outline from the cavity
Wall thickness and rib spacing: stiffness from shape
Static load and stacking: writing the safety factor in
Fork pockets and lifting points: position beats dimensions
Tolerances and inspection: acceptance on the drawing
FAQ

1. Deriving the logistics support box outline from the cavity

Most sheets start with the outside. Invert it: a logistics support box serves the load unit, so the cavity comes from unit size and compartment count, and the outline is what remains after wall and ribs.

Cavity equals unit size times compartments, plus divider thickness per joint, plus 4 mm per side. Eight compartments of 120 by 90 by 80 mm with 3 mm dividers give a 520 by 360 by 220 mm cavity, and a 545 by 385 by 247 mm outline at 3.8 mm wall.

Type	Cavity (mm)	Outline (mm)	Usable volume	Rated static load
M	520×360×220	545×385×247	0.033 m³	180 kg
L	640×440×300	665×465×327	0.068 m³	260 kg
XL	800×560×380	825×585×407	0.136 m³	340 kg

Usable volume is eighty per cent of the cavity, so price and loading can differ by a fifth.

2. Wall thickness and rib spacing: stiffness from shape

Buyers reach for wall thickness first. Stiffness comes from section shape: 3.8 mm to 4.8 mm adds fifteen per cent weight for thirty per cent stiffness, while ribs raised from 8 to 12 mm and closed from 220 to 160 mm spacing nearly double stiffness for five per cent weight.

Logistics Support Box: dark navy case closed on a trolley, two black draw latches and two recessed side handles

Process sets the ceiling: past 4.5 mm the thick sections cool slower and the warp that follows cancels the gain. Work between 3.2 and 4.5 mm and let ribs carry the rest: thickness at 60 to 70 per cent of wall, spacing under 200 mm, 1.5 degrees of draft.

3. Static load and stacking: writing the safety factor in

The rating describes one logistics support box with a uniformly loaded top face, not the load a bottom box carries in a stack.

Type M at 32 kg loaded, stacked six high, leaves the bottom box carrying 160 kg inside its 180 kg rating; eight layers gives 224 kg. Failure load should reach 2.5 times the rating, 450 kg for a 180 kg box, verified at 40 degrees Celsius for 72 hours with residual deflection within 3 mm.

Pressure is usually missed: 160 kg over 0.19 m² is 842 kg per square metre, over a 0.12 m² lid 1333.

4. Fork pockets and lifting points: position beats dimensions

Fork pockets interface to handling, where position matters more than dimensions. A pocket runs 95 mm high by 220 mm wide, centres 320 mm apart, edges rounded at R8.

Logistics Support Box: olive-green cases on a pallet, two open to foam, a worker carrying a closed case

Pocket centre sits about 110 mm above the base so the loaded centre of gravity falls between the forks: sit it high and the box nods in a turn, low and the forks scrape. The pair must be symmetrical: a 10 mm offset tips the load.

Lifting uses four points spaced two thirds of the body length at 1.5 times loaded weight, set at corner blocks rather than mid-panel.

5. Tolerances and inspection: acceptance on the drawing

Tolerances are left out most often and argued over at delivery. Outline governs pallets and bays; cavity governs liner fit and lid interchange.

Outline runs ±2.5 mm, cavity ±1.5 mm, diagonal 3 mm at most. Diagonal decides whether lids swap: boxes 5 mm apart leave a lid 2 mm proud.

Check	Requirement	Instrument	Frequency
Outline L/W/H	±2.5 mm	Tape, caliper	3 per batch
Cavity	±1.5 mm	Dedicated gauge	3 per 500
Diagonal difference	3 mm max	Steel tape	First article
Top flatness	1.2 mm per m	Straightedge and feeler	Per batch
Lid fit gap	1.5 mm max	Feeler gauge	First article

Flatness and fit gap are a pair: an uneven top concentrates stack load until it creeps, and an oversized gap starves the gasket.

Conclusion

Specifications for a logistics support box are a conversion chain: units set the cavity, cavity plus wall sets the outline, outline plus loaded weight sets the stacking, stacking sets the handling interface. Each link carries a checkable number, from a 520 by 360 by 220 mm cavity to a 180 kg rating. Put them on the drawing and the logistics support box stops being revised between pallet and rack.

This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.