Metrics for mixed pallet stacking

Stacking boxes of various sizes and contents on pallets (i.e. making mixed pallets) is a primary method of preparing goods for shipment from a warehouse to a store or other distant site. Many billions of dollars are spent each year in preparing, shipping, and unloading mixed pallets. Designing the load on a pallet well can save money and effort in all three phases. But what is a good design? In this paper we discuss quantitative metrics for mixed pallets. We have built a graphical simulator called PalletViewer, also described here, that displays pallets being built and calculates metrics.