Deck mat
A deck mat is a pre-assembled unit of deckboards and stringerboards on a block pallet, usually fastened with clinched mat nails, which is then nailed down onto the blocks. Typical mat nails are 1-5/8 in smooth nails clinched over on the underside.
Also called mat, top mat, deck mat assembly
Reviewed
How a deck mat is built
- Lay the top deckboards across the stringerboards.
- Nail through both with mat nails long enough to pass through the stack and be bent over (clinched) on the far side.
- Place the finished mat on the blocks and nail through the stringerboards into each block.
PDS records this as "Mat Assembly Method, Mat Fasteners Clinched" and treats mat nails as their own connection type, separate from top-deck-to-block and bottom-deck-to-block fasteners.
Typical fasteners
| Connection | Typical fastener |
|---|---|
| Mat (deckboard to stringerboard) | 1-5/8 in smooth nail, clinched |
| Top mat to block | 3 in annular nail |
| Bottom deck to block | 2-1/4 in annular nail |
The Uniform Standard requires clinched fasteners to fully penetrate the mat and to be at least 1/4 in longer than the stack thickness.
Why it matters
Clinching locks thin boards together without relying on withdrawal strength, which suits the short penetration into a 3/4 in stringerboard. Building the mat first also keeps board spacing consistent on automated block-pallet lines.
Questions
- Why are mat nails clinched?
- The stack of deckboard and stringerboard is too thin for a straight nail to hold well by withdrawal, so the nail is driven through and bent over to lock the boards together.
Related
- Clinched nailA clinched nail is driven through the boards and bent over on the far side. Uniform Standard: it must be at least 1/4 in longer than the stack it joins.
- StringerboardA stringerboard is a full-length board on a block pallet between the deckboards and the blocks. EPAL 1 uses three 22 x 145 x 800 mm stringerboards.
- Block classBlock class is the pallet class whose top deck sits on blocks, usually 9, joined by stringerboards. EPAL and 48x40 pooled pallets are block class.
- Block pallet: how it's built and when it beats a stringer palletA block pallet rests on 9 blocks joined by stringerboards, giving full 4-way fork entry. See how it is built, when to use it and what a quote needs.
- Dielectric heatingDielectric heating (DH) is an ISPM 15 treatment using microwave or radio-frequency energy to heat wood to 60 °C for one minute throughout its profile.
- Double-faceA double-face pallet has both a top and a bottom deck. It can be non-reversible (fewer bottom boards, like a GMA 48x40) or reversible (identical decks).
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Guide to Understanding the PDS Specification and Analysis (block class, metric)
- PalletOne: anatomy of the block pallet