Butted boards
Butted boards are deckboards placed tight against a lead board with no gap between them. The Uniform Standard treats two butted 4 in boards as equivalent to one 6 in board, so butting is a way to build a wide lead board from narrower stock.
Also called butted lead boards, doubled lead boards
Reviewed
How butted boards are used
Wide lead boards (5-1/2 to 6 in) protect the pallet ends from fork impact. When wide stock is scarce or expensive, a mill can place two narrower boards side by side with no gap at each end of the deck. Under the Uniform Standard:
- A board butted against a lead board is treated as part of the end board group
- Two butted 4 in boards count as one 6 in board
What changes on the spec
| Item | One wide lead board | Two butted boards |
|---|---|---|
| Boards per end | 1 | 2 |
| Nails per stringer joint | by the board width (3 for 5-1/4 to 7 in) | 2 per board under Table 5 |
| Board feet | similar | similar |
| Deck gaps | set by remaining interior boards | same |
Why it matters
Butting uses narrower, often cheaper stock and gives each board its own nails, but it adds a board and a set of joints at each end. On a drawing the butted pair should show zero gap and be labeled so the assembly crew does not space them out like interior boards. The deck board spacing guide covers gap rules.
Questions
- Are butted boards as strong as one wide lead board?
- The Uniform Standard treats two butted 4 in boards as equivalent to one 6 in board. Actual performance also depends on the nailing.
Related
- Lead boardA lead board is the outermost deckboard at each end of a pallet deck. It is usually wider than interior boards, e.g. 5-1/2 in vs 3-1/2 in on a GMA 48x40.
- DeckboardA deckboard is a board in a pallet's top or bottom deck, laid across the stringers or stringerboards. Typical size is 5/8 x 3-1/2 x 40 in.
- Deck gapA deck gap is the open space between adjacent deckboards. A GMA-style 48x40 has 3.25 in top gaps: (48 - 28.5 in of boards) / 6 spaces with ends flush.
- Pallet deck board spacing: how to calculate the gapsPallet deck board spacing: gap = (length - total board width) / (boards - 1). A 48x40 GMA top deck with 7 boards has 3.25 in gaps. Worked examples and limits.
- CantA cant is a log squared on two or more sides at the sawmill. Hardwood cants, often the lower-grade log center, are resawn into pallet deckboards and stringers.
- ChamferA chamfer is a bevel on a bottom deckboard edge that lets pallet-jack wheels roll over it. The Uniform Standard calls for 35-45 degrees and at least 12 in long.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition