Chamfer
A chamfer is a bevel cut along the edge of a bottom deckboard so pallet-jack wheels can roll up and over the board instead of striking it. The Uniform Standard calls for a 35 to 45 degree bevel at least 12 in long that stays out of the nail connections.
Also called bevel, jack chamfer, chamfered board
Reviewed
How chamfers are specified
| Parameter | Uniform Standard (2012) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Angle | 35 to 45 degrees | |
| Length | at least 12 in | 16.69 in (PDS stringer example) |
| Position | 1/4 in (plus or minus 1/8 in) from the bottom of the board | |
| Connections | must not extend into the nailed joints | |
| Depth | set by design | 5/16 in (0.313 in) |
PDS records a chamfer style ("Stop" chamfers run only between the supports), a depth, a location and a length. Chamfers go on the bottom lead boards, on both outside faces, and on interior edges next to wheel openings. EPAL Euro pallets also chamfer their bottom boards.
Why chamfers matter
A pallet jack lowers its wheels behind the bottom lead board. Without a chamfer, the wheels hit the square board edge on entry and exit, which splits boards and makes the jack hard to push. palletdesign.ai flags an unchamfered stringer pallet with a bottom deck as a pallet-jack fit issue. See pallet jack compatibility.
Questions
- Which pallet boards are chamfered?
- The bottom lead boards, on their outside faces, and any interior bottom boards that border a pallet-jack wheel opening.
- Do I need chamfers if I only use forklifts?
- Not strictly, but most buyers specify them because pallet jacks show up at some point in the supply chain.
Related
- Pallet jackA pallet jack is a wheeled hand or powered truck whose forks lift a pallet a few inches. Its wheels need openings in the bottom deck and chamfered lead boards.
- Wheel openingA wheel opening is a gap in a pallet's bottom deck where pallet-jack wheels reach the floor. A GMA 48x40 has 9.5 in openings behind each bottom lead board.
- Bottom deckThe bottom deck is the set of boards on the underside of a pallet that bears on the floor or the load below. A GMA 48x40 has 5 bottom deckboards.
- Pallet jack compatibility: which pallets work with a pallet jackPallet jack compatibility: stringer pallets take jacks from the ends only, even when notched; block pallets allow more faces, set by the bottom deck.
- 48 × 40 stringer pallet drawing and specs48 × 40 in stringer pallet: 4-3/4 in tall, about 59 lb, 84 nails, 13.5 board feet. To-scale drawing, parts list and cut sizes.
- Combo palletA combo pallet mixes new and recycled parts, e.g. new stringers with recycled deckboards. It is classed remanufactured/combo and needs ISPM 15 re-treatment.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Guide to Understanding the PDS Specification and Analysis (stringer, inches)
- EPAL Euro pallet specification