Load Securing (Lashing) Calculator
Enter your cargo piece by piece (crate, pallet, machine, coil, pipe, drum). Vehicle / container, webbing or chains, chocks, wedges, timber and dunnage bags are chosen by weight; see how much material you need, where it goes and how to apply it — in 3D.
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Result
Enter the details; the result is calculated instantly.
How is it calculated?
Why does the planner use chocks and timber instead of straps in containers?
In a container there is usually only 10–30 cm between cargo and wall, but a person needs at least 50 cm to work beside the cargo and reach a lashing ring. So the planner stows narrow-gap cargo against the walls, fills voids with timber struts, wedges and dunnage bags, and uses lashings only at accessible ends. Container lashing rings are typically rated only 1,000 daN.
How many lashing straps do I need?
For top-over (frictional) lashing: n ≥ (c − μ·cz)·m·g·fs / (2·μ·sinα·STF). Example: a 1 t wooden crate on a plywood floor (μ 0.45), STF 500 daN, 75° → 2 straps are enough on the road. On a plastic pallet (μ 0.2) the forward direction needs 4; with an anti-slip mat it drops back to 2.
What is the difference between LC and STF?
LC (lashing capacity) is the maximum force a strap may carry in direct pull — used for diagonal/spring lashing. STF (standard tension force) is the pretension the ratchet reaches with a 50 daN hand force — this is what presses the cargo down in top-over lashing. Both are on the label (EN 12195-2).
What does an anti-slip mat achieve?
A rubber anti-slip mat raises the friction factor to 0.6. Sideways and backwards on the road (0.5 g) the cargo is held by friction alone, and the number of straps needed forwards often drops 3–5 times. The planner adds a mat automatically when it reduces the lashings.
How do I secure cargo inside a container?
A container travels by road and by sea, so the worse of both governs (road + sea area C). The most efficient method is tight stowage against the walls with voids filled by airbags/dunnage: per ISO 1496-1 end walls carry 0.4P and side walls 0.6P. Floor lashing rings are rated at least 1,000 daN, which limits LC in direct lashing.
When is there a tipping risk?
Tall, narrow cargo can tip when c·h > cz·b (h = height of the centre of gravity, b = horizontal distance to the tipping edge). On the road, sideways is checked with 0.5 g (using STF) and 0.6 g (using 0.5·LC); the worse governs. Cargo tight against a wall cannot tip towards it.
Which standards are used?
EN 12195-1:2010 (acceleration coefficients, safety factors fs = 1.1 / 1.25 and fμ = 0.75, Annex B friction table), the IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code Annex 7 and the EU Best Practice Guidelines on Cargo Securing for Road Transport (2014). The formulas are verified against the guideline examples.
Results are for preliminary planning; contact our team for a binding assessment.