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 | Paid per-seat licenses (day tickets, monthly, yearly; prices shown in their store). Free trial is 10 days. | Compare |
| Cargo-Planner | Web + API | Trial | Subscription plans (quote-based tiers); free trial available. | Compare |
| Cube-IQ | Windows / server | Demo on request | Enterprise licensing; third-party listings report from ~$5,000/yr per user (verify with vendor). | Compare |
| Goodloading | Web | Limited free version | Free registration with an always-free demo version; a paid professional version adds advanced customisation (prices on their site). | Compare |
| 3DBinPacking | Web + API | 14-day trial | Subscription plans (all tools included in each plan); 14-day trial, no credit card required. Current prices on their site. | Compare |
| CargoWiz | Windows | 30-day trial | Paid Windows licence after a 30-day fully-featured trial; the vendor does not publish a price on the product page (verify with vendor). | Compare |
| CubeMaster | Windows + web + API | Trial | CubeMaster Online subscriptions are listed from about US$49/month (Standard), with Premium and Collaboration tiers above; desktop perpetual licences are listed from roughly US$995 to US$2,495 per seat. Verify current prices on their pricing page. | Compare |
| SeaRates Load Calculator | Web | 1/day; 3/day registered | Per SeaRates' own pricing page: unregistered users get 1 free calculation per day; registered users get 20 per month (max 3 per day). Higher volumes need a paid SeaRates subscription (quote-based; 15% discount on annual plans). | Compare |
| TOPS Pro | Windows | Trial on request | The vendor does not publish prices; third-party software directories list TOPS Pro as quote-based licensing with a free trial on request. Contact TOPS Engineering for a quote. | Compare |
| StackBuilder | Windows | Free download | treeDiM publishes StackBuilder as a free Windows download; the wider PLMPack/Picador CAD suite is commercial and quote-based per third-party listings. Verify current terms with treeDiM. | Compare |
| PackApp | Web + API | On request | The vendor does not publish prices publicly; third-party listings describe subscription licensing on request. Contact PackApp for a quote. | 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.