Variable-Sized Bin Packing
Pack into bins of several sizes/costs to minimize total bin cost.
Also called: Variable-Sized Bin Packing · Variable Sized Bin Packing Problem · VSBPP · 가변 크기 빈 패킹
Last verified: 2026-05-27
Definition
Given bin types of different sizes and costs, pack all items without overlap while minimizing the total cost (or area) of the bins used — choosing which sizes of bin to use, not just how many. Standard bin packing minimizes the number of identical bins; here the bin assortment is part of the decision.
Example
Suppose two bin types — A: capacity 10, cost 10; B: capacity 6, cost 7. To pack items totalling weight 14, one A is not enough. One A plus one B (capacity 16, cost 17) suffices and is cheaper than two A's (cost 20). Because the objective is cost, not bin count, stacking only the large bin is not always best.
Family
A cost-weighted variant of 2D Bin Packing; its choice among several stock types also connects it methodologically to 1D Cutting Stock.
Related nodes
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Claims & evidence
Every relationship is a claim with an equivalence level and an evidence grade. See the evidence policy.
| Relationship | Claim | Equiv. | Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| variant of2D Bin Packing | Variable-sized bin packing is the bin-packing variant with bins of several sizes/costs, minimizing total bin cost rather than bin count — distinguished along the 'bin assortment' dimension of the Wäscher et al. typology. | E1 | A |
|
| shares method with1D Cutting Stock | Variable-sized bin packing and 1D cutting stock share the structure of choosing among several stock/bin types at minimum cost, and both are addressed with pattern/configuration formulations. | E3 | B |
|
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