Glossary
Wheel opening
Also called: jack opening, hand jack opening, wheel pocket
Reviewed
A wheel opening (hand-jack opening) is a space in a pallet's bottom deck where the load wheels of a pallet jack can drop through to the floor. On a GMA-style 48x40 stringer pallet the openings are 9.5 in long, between each bottom lead board and the interior boards, lining up with the stringer notches.
How wheel openings are laid out
On a stringer pallet, the bottom interior boards are clustered in the middle, leaving openings near each end:
| GMA-style 48x40 bottom deck | Position from pallet end |
|---|---|
| Bottom lead board | 0 to 5.5 in |
| Wheel opening | 5.5 to 15.0 in (9.5 in long) |
| Interior boards | start at 15.0, 22.25 and 29.5 in |
The openings coincide with the 9 in notches that start 6 in from each end, which is why bottom boards must not intrude into the notch zone.
On block pallets, a perimeter or cruciform base leaves openings inside each bay, so jacks can enter from all four sides.
Details that make them work
- Length: long enough for the jack wheels to land without hitting the next board
- Chamfers on the edges the wheels roll over
- Clear height: the fork entry above must be tall enough for the jack forks
Why it matters
Without openings, a pallet jack cannot lift the pallet. With openings in the wrong place, it lifts poorly and breaks boards. See pallet jack compatibility.
Questions
- Do block pallets have wheel openings?
- Yes, when they have a perimeter or cruciform base. The openings inside each bay let jack wheels reach the floor from all four sides.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Guide to Understanding the PDS Specification and Analysis (stringer, inches)