# Kubova

> Kubova is a 3D container and pallet load calculator for logistics, freight, and export teams. Enter your cargo (box dimensions, quantities, weights) and Kubova returns a verifiable 3D loading plan: where every carton goes, container/pallet utilization, weight & balance, and how many containers your shipment needs. It is AI-native — the same engine is callable from any AI assistant via an MCP server and a REST API.

Kubova never overflows container dimensions: the plan you see is the plan that physically fits — no "fudge factor" tricks. Results are a transparent 3D layout you can inspect, not a black-box number. Supports multiple SKUs, mixed loads, pallet stacking, container mixing, and weight distribution.

## What you can do with Kubova
- Calculate how many cartons fit in a 20ft / 40ft / 40HC container.
- Decide whether a shipment fits in one container or needs a second (freight-cost optimization).
- Build a load plan across multiple containers and pallets.
- Estimate volume vs. weight limits and which one binds first.
- Generate a shareable, client-ready 3D load plan and PDF.
- Call container loading as a tool from an AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, n8n) via MCP or REST.

## Key pages
- [Calculator](https://kubova.com/en/calculator): the 3D container load calculator (free plan; sign-in required).
- [Pricing](https://kubova.com/en/pricing): Free plan and Pro plan.
- [REST API docs](https://kubova.com/en/docs/api): programmatic container & pallet loading.
- [MCP docs](https://kubova.com/en/docs/mcp): connect Kubova as a tool to your AI assistant.
- [Comparison](https://kubova.com/en/compare): how Kubova compares to older load calculators.
- [Blog](https://kubova.com/en/blog): guides on container loading, fill rate, FCL vs LCL, pallets, and AI-assisted load planning.

## For AI agents and developers
- MCP endpoint (remote): https://kubova.com/mcp — connect by URL (OAuth 2.1), no install.
- npm package (stdio bridge): `@kubova/mcp` — `npx -y @kubova/mcp@latest` with a Kubova API key.
- Primary tool: `pack_containers` — takes cargos + container(s), returns placements, utilization, weight, and any unplaced pieces.
- Public REST API base: https://kubova.com/api/v1

## Key facts
- Free plan: no credit card; Pro plan adds higher limits and extended optimization.
- Accuracy: physically valid plans only — Kubova does not overflow container inner dimensions.
- Languages: the web app is available in 10 languages.
- Contact: https://kubova.com/en/contact

## Guides (https://kubova.com/en/blog)

### [Container capacity](https://kubova.com/en/blog/topic/container-capacity)

How much really fits in a 20ft, 40ft or 40ft HC container: carton counts, fill-rate benchmarks, CBM, and when weight caps a load before volume does.

- [20ft vs 40ft Container: Which to Choose (It’s Not About Volume)](https://kubova.com/en/blog/20ft-vs-40ft-container-which-to-choose): A 40ft holds twice the volume of a 20ft but about the same weight. Use cargo density to pick the right container, with the crossover numbers and examples.
- [Container Fill-Rate Benchmarks: What Good Utilization Looks Like by Cargo Type](https://kubova.com/en/blog/container-fill-rate-benchmarks): What good container utilization looks like: engine-measured fill rates for mixed loads, common cartons and cubes in a 40 HC, and why 100% is a red flag.
- [How Many Boxes Actually Fit in a 40ft Container? A Reality Check](https://kubova.com/en/blog/how-many-boxes-fit-in-a-40ft-container): The volume formula overstates it by about 13%. Real, engine-measured carton counts for a 40ft container, why the math breaks down, and how to estimate closer.
- [Volume vs Weight: Which Container Limit Hits First (and Why CBM Tools Mislead)](https://kubova.com/en/blog/volume-vs-weight-which-limit-first): Volume or weight first? Compare cargo density with the container crossover: about 375 kg/m³ for a 40 HC, 425 for a 40 DC and 850 for a 20 DC.

### [Pallets & palletizing](https://kubova.com/en/blog/topic/pallet-loading)

Boxes per pallet, pallets per container, pallet types and stacking rules — how to build pallet loads that ship safely and use the space you pay for.

- [How Many Boxes Fit on a Pallet — and How the Wrong Pallet Costs a Container](https://kubova.com/en/blog/how-many-boxes-fit-on-a-pallet): The same carton fits 51 to 80 per pallet depending on the base. Engine-measured counts for EUR, US 48×40 and other pallets, and how pallet choice moves cost.

### [Load planning](https://kubova.com/en/blog/topic/load-planning)

Turning an order into a container load plan: mixed-SKU loads, loading order, templates, fragile and bulky cargo, and the checks to run before loading.

- [A Container Load Plan Your Freight Forwarder Will Accept (With a Template)](https://kubova.com/en/blog/container-load-plan-template): The seven things a container load plan needs before a forwarder or loading crew can use it, with a ready template and the door view crews actually load from.
- [Loading Furniture into Containers: The Export Packing Problems Nobody Warns You About](https://kubova.com/en/blog/loading-furniture-into-containers): Knock-down versus assembled is the biggest lever when loading furniture into containers. Measure real cartons, set stacking rules and plan mixed sizes together.
- [Mixed-SKU Container Loading: The Problem Single-SKU Calculators Can’t Solve](https://kubova.com/en/blog/mixed-sku-container-loading): A three-SKU order packed together fit one 40 HC; loaded one SKU per container it needed three. Why mixed-SKU loading wins and when you should not mix products.

### [Shipping cost decisions](https://kubova.com/en/blog/topic/shipping-cost)

FCL or LCL, one container or two, CBM-based pricing: the numbers behind the shipping decisions that move freight cost the most, with worked examples.

- [How to Calculate CBM (and Why It Isn’t Your Container Capacity)](https://kubova.com/en/blog/how-to-calculate-cbm): How to calculate CBM: length × width × height in metres × quantity. Worked examples from centimetres, container volumes, and why loads never reach full CBM.
- [When You Can Avoid a Second Container — and When You Genuinely Can’t](https://kubova.com/en/blog/avoid-a-second-container): When a load spills past one container, the second box is mostly air. How to avoid a second container with rotation, pallets or container type, and when you can't.
- [CBM, FCL and LCL: The Exact Volume Where FCL Beats LCL](https://kubova.com/en/blog/fcl-vs-lcl-cbm-threshold): FCL beats LCL above the breakeven volume: FCL flat rate ÷ LCL rate per CBM. Work it out for your lane, with an example and the costs the simple rule leaves out.

### [AI & automation](https://kubova.com/en/blog/topic/ai-automation)

Planning container loads from AI assistants and code: what AI-first load planning means, the REST API, MCP tools, and where a human still has to review.

- [The Benefits of AI-First Technology (and What It Actually Means)](https://kubova.com/en/blog/benefits-of-ai-first-technology): AI-first means an engine does the core work and a person reviews it. The benefits for load planning: speed, accuracy, consolidation and automation, plus the limits.
- [Plan a Container Load from ChatGPT or Claude: Load Planning for AI Agents](https://kubova.com/en/blog/plan-a-container-load-from-chatgpt-or-claude): An AI assistant can plan a real container load if it can call a packing tool. How ChatGPT or Claude hands cargo to an engine via MCP or API, and what comes back.