Ti-Hi Explained — What Every Brand Selling Into Retail Needs to Know

If you're planning to sell into retail — or ship to a distributor — at some point someone is going to ask you for your Ti-Hi. If you don't know what that means, this is the piece you need to read before that conversation happens.

What Ti-Hi actually means

Ti-Hi describes the pallet configuration for your product. Specifically:

Ti is the number of cases per layer on the pallet. Picture the bottom layer of cases sitting on a pallet — that's your Ti. If you have 8 cases per layer, your Ti is 8.

Hi is the number of layers high. If you stack 6 layers of cases on that pallet, your Hi is 6.

A pallet spec of Ti-8, Hi-6 means 8 cases per layer × 6 layers high = 48 total cases per pallet. Simple math, but the configuration has to be right for the retailer or distributor receiving the shipment.

Why it matters

Retailers and distributors specify their required Ti-Hi configuration in their vendor routing guides — the document they send to suppliers outlining exactly how they want product delivered. These specs exist for operational reasons: their receiving docks, their racking systems, their forklifts, and their inventory management are all built around specific pallet dimensions and configurations.

If your pallet doesn't match their Ti-Hi spec, they have several options — all of them bad for you. They can reject the shipment entirely and send it back. They can restack it themselves and charge you a handling fee. They can accept it and charge you a compliance chargeback. None of these outcomes are recoverable in any reasonable sense.

How to figure out your Ti-Hi

Your Ti-Hi is determined by your master case dimensions. Specifically, how many of your cases can fit on a standard 48" × 40" pallet in a single layer without overhanging the edges, and how many layers can be stacked before the pallet height exceeds the retailer's maximum (usually 60–72 inches including the pallet itself).

The tool that makes this easy: onpallet.com. Enter your master case dimensions and weight, and it calculates your Ti-Hi options, total pallet height, total weight, and stability. Use it before you finalize your case dimensions — it's the cheat sheet.

The right sequence: figure out your case dimensions first (which requires knowing your product dimensions and how many units per case), run those dimensions through onpallet.com, and confirm the resulting Ti-Hi against your retailer's routing guide before you order cases or book production.

What goes on the outside of a master case

Your master case label requirements vary by buyer, but at minimum most retailers require: product name and description, units per case, net weight, lot code, best-by or expiration date, a scannable UPC or GTIN barcode, and your company name and contact information.

Many retailers add requirements beyond this: country of origin, FDA registration number, specific barcode placement and size. Read your routing guide. Don't guess. A rejected shipment over a missing case label field costs more in time and freight than reading the document would have.

Pallet construction — corner posts and stretch wrap

Once your Ti-Hi is right, the physical pallet needs to be built correctly for transit. Pallet sheets (also called slip sheets) between each layer stabilize the load. Corner posts — vertical reinforcement at the four corners — transfer stacking load away from the case walls and are required by most major retailers including Walmart, Target, and Costco. Stretch wrap goes on last and locks everything in place.

If your routing guide specifies any of these, they're not optional. If it doesn't specify them, corner posts and stretch wrap are good practice regardless.

Retail chargebacks — what happens when you get it wrong

When you ship to a retailer or distributor with a pallet configuration, case label, or documentation error, they don't call you and ask you to fix it. They deduct the cost from your invoice payment. These are called chargebacks, and they can range from a flat fee per violation to a percentage of the invoice.

A single shipment with multiple compliance issues — wrong Ti-Hi, missing case label field, incorrect documentation — can eliminate your entire margin on that order. The only defense is reading the routing guide before you ship. Every time.