---
title: "Loading Metre (LDM)"
description: "What a loading metre (LDM) is, how it is calculated, and why it prices LTL freight in Europe, Turkey and the CIS."
url: https://dealtilogistics.com/en/insights/loading-metre-ldm
language: en
date_published: 2026-09-22
date_modified: 2026-09-22
author: "Dealti Insights"
publisher: "Dealti Logistics"
---

# Loading Metre (LDM)

The loading metre (LDM) is a standard unit for the floor space a shipment occupies inside a trailer, based on width, length and stackability; it is the main pricing basis for less than truckload (LTL) freight in Europe, Turkey and the CIS.

A standard curtainside trailer has a loadable width of about 2.40 m, so a shipment covering that full width and 1 metre of length equals 1 LDM. As a rule of thumb, 1 LDM is roughly 1,750 kg, and a non-stackable EUR pallet (1.20 x 0.80 m) counts as about 0.4 LDM. Use the [LDM calculator](/en/tools/ldm-calculator) for the exact figure.

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Source: [Loading Metre (LDM)](https://dealtilogistics.com/en/insights/loading-metre-ldm) - Dealti Logistics.