Top deck
The top deck is the load-carrying surface of a pallet: the top deckboards (or a plywood or OSB panel) fastened across the stringers or stringerboards. A GMA-style 48x40 top deck has 7 boards, 5/8 in thick, covering 28.5 in of the 48 in length with 3.25 in gaps.
Reviewed
How the top deck is specified
A top deck is described by its style and its board list:
- Style: Deckboard, Deckboard/Stringerboard, Panel, or Panel/Stringerboard (the last two for block pallets)
- Boards: count, thickness, width and length for each width group, e.g. 5 at 5/8 x 3-1/2 x 40 plus 2 at 5/8 x 5-1/2 x 40
- Spacing rule: usually end boards flush with the pallet ends and interior boards equally spaced
- Extras: wing overhang, strap slots, chamfers (rare on top)
With ends flush and equal spacing, the gap is (pallet length minus total board width) divided by (boards minus 1). For the GMA-style layout: (48 - 28.5) / 6 = 3.25 in.
Why the top deck matters
The top deck supports the product directly, so gap size decides whether cartons, bags or drum chimes are well carried. It also governs capacity when the pallet is racked across its width, because the deckboards then span between the outer stringers. palletdesign.ai uses the top deck section for its indicative rack-across-width check. Deck coverage and deck gap are the two numbers buyers most often adjust.
Top deck vs bottom deck
The bottom deck usually has fewer boards (5 on a GMA-style 48x40) and openings for fork notches and pallet-jack wheels. A reversible pallet has identical decks.
Questions
- How many boards are on the top of a pallet?
- A GMA-style 48x40 stringer pallet has 7 top deckboards. Designs for small cartons or drums use more boards, or a solid deck, to close the gaps.
- What is the gap between top deckboards?
- On a GMA-style 48x40 the gaps are 3.25 in. The gap follows from the board count and widths, so adding a board shrinks every gap.
Related
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Deck coverageDeck coverage is the share of a pallet deck's area covered by boards. A GMA-style 48x40 top deck covers about 59%: 28.5 in of boards over a 48 in length.
- 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.
- 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.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Guide to Understanding the PDS Specification and Analysis (stringer, inches)