Distribution warehouse: how many m², how many dock doors, how much land?
Enter the number of pallets and inbound/outbound throughput — the calculator sizes storage and staging areas, building dimensions, dock doors, forklifts, truck yard and total land, with plan, section and transfer to the budget estimate.
What the model calculates, and what it doesn't
Storage = number of pallets ÷ rack levels × area per position by rack type (including forklift aisles). Staging = inbound and outbound pallets waiting on the floor at peak hour. Dock door and forklift based on peak-hour throughput. Land area = warehouse + truck apron in front of the docks + truck waiting yard, plus internal roads, landscaping and fire safety setbacks.
Not calculated: order picking, conveyors, cold storage or chemicals in the same building, and the maximum building density under the zoning of the specific site. Results are for drafting the design brief; the actual layout depends on site shape, traffic flow and fire safety codes.
Frequently asked questions
How many m² does a 10,000-pallet warehouse need?
With 6-level selective racking (about 11 m clear height), the tool estimates about 3,000 m² of warehouse including staging area and offices, on about 0.6 ha of land. Narrow-aisle racking cuts the area by about a quarter; block stacking needs nearly double.
How many dock doors are enough?
It depends on inbound and outbound pallet volume at peak hour. The tool takes peak hour as 1.5 times the average and one door as handling about 20 pallets/hour. Too few dock doors is the most common bottleneck in distribution warehouses.
What is the building density?
The tool adds 30% of the site area for internal roads, landscaping and fire safety setbacks. The actual maximum density is set by the site's zoning plan — check it with the Site Screening tool.
Have real project parameters? Send them to CGD and get feedback on the design scope
This simulation stops at the principle. For a specific project, CGD builds the model on real operating data and floor plan drawings.
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