U contour — Lower Deck Contour Limits

Lower deck full-width long (LD-29/39). Public letter summary only; ULDR drawings are paywalled and are not copied.

Industry label: U
IATA contour letter: U
Deck: Lower Deck
Maximum height: 162.6 cm / 64 in
Base width: 472.4 cm / 186 in
Base length: Not published
Where the taper starts: Profile is modelled as rectangular

Permitted width at height

Read as: at the stated height above the pallet or container floor, this is the maximum overall width the build may occupy. A load that exceeds any single row is out of contour, even if it is under the maximum height.

U section, 162.6 cm tall on a 472.4 cm published width. Rectangle only; no taper is inferred.
Height above floor	Maximum width	Taper
0 cm / 0 in	472.4 cm / 186 in	full published width
162.6 cm / 64 in	472.4 cm / 186 in	full published width

Verification status

Aircraft

Positions accepting this contour are recorded on: B747-8. A main-deck contour is never a lower-deck limit — the same PMC that takes 116 in or 118 in on a freighter main deck is limited to about 64 in in a wide-body passenger belly.

Aircraft	Type	Main deck	Lower deck
Boeing 747-8 (pax)	Passenger	No main-deck cargo position	Position count not published

ULDs built to U

Code	Also coded	Class	Max gross
AAU	LD29	Container	6,033 kg / 13,300 lb
RAU	—	Container	6,033 kg / 13,300 lb
AMU	LD39	Container	5,035 kg / 11,100 lb

Work a build against the U contourThe build-up guide takes the pallet step by step so each layer is checked against the contour before release.