Pallet Sizes and Dimensions: 48 × 40, Euro and Other Standards
For shippers, warehouse planners and anyone reusing pallets for projects: the standard sizes by country and industry, heights, weights, load ratings, and how many fit in a truck or container.
The standard North American pallet (the GMA pallet) is 48 × 40 inches (1219 × 1016 mm) and about 5-6 in (127-152 mm) tall. The European Euro pallet (EUR/EPAL 1) is 1200 × 800 × 144 mm (47.2 × 31.5 × 5.7 in). ISO 6780 recognizes six sizes in total for international trade.
- US standard (GMA)
- 48 × 40 in
- In millimeters
- 1219 × 1016 mm
- Euro pallet
- 1200 × 800 × 144 mm
- 53 ft trailer
- 26-30 pallets
On this page
Standard pallet sizes chart
Pallet sizes are written length × width, with the stringer (or longer base) dimension first. The 48 × 40 in GMA pallet makes up roughly 30% of new pallets built in the US each year, but other sizes dominate particular industries.
| Size (in) | Size (mm) | Main industries |
|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | Grocery and general freight (GMA pallet) |
| 42 × 42 | 1067 × 1067 | Telecommunications, paint |
| 48 × 48 | 1219 × 1219 | Drums (four 55-gal drums with no overhang) |
| 40 × 48 | 1016 × 1219 | US military (DoD), cement |
| 48 × 42 | 1219 × 1067 | Chemicals, beverages |
| 40 × 40 | 1016 × 1016 | Dairy |
| 48 × 45 | 1219 × 1143 | Automotive |
| 44 × 44 | 1118 × 1118 | Drums, chemicals |
| 36 × 36 | 914 × 914 | Beverages |
| 48 × 36 | 1219 × 914 | Beverages, shingles, packaged paper |
The industry assignments come from long-standing US production rankings compiled for the pallet trade; they show where a size originated, not an exclusive use. Hundreds of custom sizes make up the rest of the market.
International and Euro pallet sizes
ISO 6780 lists six pallet footprints for intercontinental shipping. Each region built its logistics (truck widths, racking, retail shelving) around one or two of them.
| Size (mm) | Size (in) | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1219 × 1016 | 48 × 40 | North America |
| 1200 × 800 | 47.2 × 31.5 | Europe (Euro pallet, EUR/EPAL 1) |
| 1200 × 1000 | 47.2 × 39.4 | Europe, UK, Asia (industrial pallet) |
| 1165 × 1165 | 45.9 × 45.9 | Australia |
| 1100 × 1100 | 43.3 × 43.3 | Asia (Japan, South Korea) |
| 1067 × 1067 | 42 × 42 | North America, Europe, Asia |
Euro pallet (EPAL 1) specifications
A genuine EPAL pallet has 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, and carries the EPAL brand on its corner blocks. The half-size version (EPAL 6) is 800 × 600 mm, and EPAL 2 and 3 are the 1200 × 1000 mm variants with different board layouts.
Pallet height, weight and load capacity
| Pallet | Height | Empty weight | Rated load |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 wood stringer (one-way) | about 4.75-5.5 in (121-140 mm) | 30-48 lb (14-22 kg) | depends on design, often 1,500-2,500 lb moving |
| 48 × 40 wood block (CHEP-type) | 5.6 in (142 mm) | heavier than stringer | 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) design load |
| Euro pallet 1200 × 800 | 144 mm (5.7 in) | 20-25 kg (44-55 lb) | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) moving |
Pallet ratings come in three kinds, and the numbers differ a lot: static (sitting on the floor), dynamic (being moved by a forklift or jack) and racking (spanning open rack beams, the weakest case). A Euro pallet, for example, is rated at 4,000 kg static and 1,500 kg moving, and around 1,000 kg in racking. Always plan around the dynamic or racking figure.
When a pallet size is given with a third number, as in 48 × 40 × 44, it describes the loaded unit: 44 in from floor to top of the goods. Many warehouses cap unit height for their racks, often somewhere between 48 and 72 in, and a 53 ft trailer has roughly 108-110 in of inside height for double-stacking.
Stringer vs block pallets
Stringer pallets
- Three continuous boards (stringers), usually 1.5 × 3.5 in, run the length
- Forks enter from the two ends; notched stringers give limited four-way entry
- Cheaper and lighter; most one-way US shipments
- Easy to dismantle into usable boards
Block pallets
- Nine blocks with stringer boards on top and bottom
- True four-way entry for forklifts and pallet jacks
- Stiffer, heavier and longer lasting
- Used for pooled (rented) pallets such as CHEP and for Euro pallets
A pallet jack needs a bottom deck with openings for its wheels, so check which faces are jack-accessible before ordering: on a stringer pallet only the two ends work, while a block pallet takes a jack from any side.
How many pallets fit in a truck or container
| Vehicle (inside) | 48 × 40 in pallets | Euro pallets |
|---|---|---|
| 53 ft US trailer (about 52.5 ft × 100 in) | 26 straight, 30 turned | not typical |
| 13.6 m European trailer (about 13.6 × 2.45 m) | about 26 (1200 × 1000 class) | 33 |
| 20ft container (5.90 × 2.35 m) | 10 | 11 |
| 40ft container (12.03 × 2.35 m) | 20-21 | 23-24 |
The 53 ft figures follow from simple math. Loaded "straight" (two pallets side by side with the 48 in side along the trailer), each row takes 48 in, and 13 rows use 624 in (52 ft): 26 pallets. "Turned" (the 40 in side along the trailer), the two pallets side by side are 96 in across, which fits in a 98-101 in wide trailer, and 15 rows use 600 in: 30 pallets. In Europe, three Euro pallets side by side (3 × 800 mm = 2.4 m) and 11 rows of 1.2 m give the familiar 33-pallet truckload. Container details are on the shipping container dimensions page.
Loading a pallet correctly
- Keep everything inside the edges. Cartons that overhang the deck lose much of their stacking strength, because the box walls are no longer supported. Under-hang of up to about an inch is fine.
- Stack in columns for strength, interlock for stability. Column stacking keeps box corners over box corners (strongest); interlocking layers tie the load together. Many shippers interlock only the top layers.
- Heaviest at the bottom, and keep the load's center near the middle of the pallet.
- Stretch-wrap from the pallet up, twisting the film into a rope around the deck so the load is locked to the pallet, not just to itself.
- Measure and weigh the finished unit. LTL freight is priced on the loaded dimensions and weight, and the freight class depends on density (lb per cu ft).
For the cartons themselves, see shipping box sizes. Freight billed by volume uses the same idea as dimensional weight for parcels.
Reusing pallets for DIY projects
Pallet wood is free and widely used for furniture, garden beds and wall cladding, but the dimensions are rougher than retail lumber.
- Deck boards on US pallets are usually ⅝-¾ in thick and 3.5-5.5 in wide, and full boards are 40 in long on a 48 × 40 stringer pallet. Plan cuts around the nail lines.
- Stringers are roughly 1.5 × 3.5 in, the size of a 2×4 (see lumber sizes), and 48 in long, often with notches cut in them.
- Pallet beds: four 48 × 40 pallets laid two by two, with the 40 in sides at the head and foot, make an 80 × 96 in platform. That holds a queen (60 × 80 in) or king (76 × 80 in) mattress. Two pallets side by side make an 80 × 48 in base for a twin (38 × 75 in). Compare with standard bed frame sizes.
Pallets that cross borders must meet ISPM 15 and carry the IPPC wheat-ear stamp with a treatment code. HT means heat treated (core held at 56 °C for 30 minutes) and is the one to choose for indoor projects. Avoid pallets marked MB (methyl bromide fumigation) and unmarked pallets with stains or a chemical smell, since you cannot know what they carried. Painted CHEP (blue) and PECO (red) pallets are rented property, not free to take.
Wooden pallet collars stack on a pallet to form a crate; for those and other boxes, see the crate sizes guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 40 × 48 pallet US or Euro?
US. It is the North American standard size, 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm), sometimes written 40 × 48. The Euro pallet is smaller at 1200 × 800 mm (47.2 × 31.5 in). In strict pallet terminology the first number is the stringer length, so a true 40 × 48 has 40-in stringers, a different build used by the US military and the cement trade.
How tall is a 48 × 40 pallet?
Usually 5 to 6 in (127-152 mm). A stringer pallet with 3.5-in stringers and two layers of ⅝-¾ in deck boards is about 4.75-5 in; block pallets such as CHEP's 48 × 40 are about 5.6 in (142 mm).
What does a pallet size like 48 × 40 × 44 mean?
The third number is the height of the loaded unit: 44 in total from floor to the top of the goods, including the pallet. Warehouses and carriers set maximum unit heights for racking and trailer stacking, often in the 48-72 in range.
How much does a 48 × 40 pallet weigh?
A new wooden stringer pallet weighs roughly 30-48 lb (14-22 kg), depending on wood species and moisture. Block pallets are heavier, and a Euro pallet weighs 20-25 kg (44-55 lb).
What is a block pallet?
A pallet whose top deck sits on 9 solid blocks (wood, plastic or composite) instead of 3 continuous stringers. Forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from all four sides. CHEP and Euro pallets are block pallets; most one-way US pallets are stringer pallets.
What are 48 × 45 pallet dimensions?
48 × 45 in is 1219 × 1143 mm. It is a common size in the automotive industry, 5 in wider than the GMA pallet on one side.