Abstract: A method of optimally packing, either intermittently or continuously, a storage or transportation area or space with rectangular parallelepiped objects, e.g. parcels, comprises two main steps of complex calculations. A first main step implies the locating of one or more free subareas or free subspaces on the area or in the space available for packing by means of a matrix reduction procedure for a 2- or 3-dimensional matrix representing free and occupied parts of rectangular or rectangular parallelepiped form. In a second main step a score is established for each different combination of a free subarea or subspace and an object to be packed and a possible orientation of the object for fitting in the subarea or subspace. The score is established by assigning a score value to each combination by passing through a hierarchy of determinations, whereby a score is the more favorable if the score value is assigned at a higher level in the hierarchy.