Guides
Pallet jack compatibility: which pallets work with a pallet jack
Reviewed
A pallet jack needs an entry opening taller than its lowered forks and a gap in the bottom deck where its load wheels can drop to the floor. Stringer pallets accept pallet jacks only from the two ends (notched stringers add forklift entry from the sides, not jack entry); block pallets can accept jacks from more faces depending on the bottom-deck layout, and chamfered bottom lead boards help the wheels ride in.
On this page
Forklifts lift a pallet from above the floor. A pallet jack is different: its forks slide in low, and small load wheels near the fork tips press down on the floor to lift. That means the pallet's bottom deck has to leave room for those wheels. Most jack problems come from the bottom deck, not the top.
What a pallet jack needs
- An entry opening taller than the lowered forks. On a stringer pallet the opening between decks is the stringer height (3-1/2 in on a GMA-style pallet). On a block pallet it is the block height.
- A way over the bottom lead board. The jack's entry rollers and wheels must roll over the first bottom board. A chamfer (a bevel on the board's lower edge) helps.
- An opening in the bottom deck where the load wheels land. When the forks are fully in, the wheels must come down in a gap between bottom boards, not on top of a board.
- Nothing crossing the fork path. Stringers or blocks must not sit in the way of the forks.
Stringer pallets: jacks from the ends only
On a stringer pallet, jack forks enter the two ends (the 40 in faces of a 48 x 40), running between and parallel to the stringers. The bottom deckboards run across the forks, and the wheels drop through the gaps between them.
From the sides, the jack's forks would cross the stringers. Even with notched stringers, which let forklift tines through, the notch opening (about 1-7/8 in on a GMA-style pallet) is too low for a jack and the wheels have nowhere to go. That is why notched stringer pallets are called partial four-way: forklift from four sides, pallet jack from two.
The GMA-style bottom deck
The GMA-style 48 x 40 bottom deck has lead boards at each end and three interior boards clustered in the middle, leaving 9.5 in openings between each lead board and the cluster. Those openings are where jack wheels typically come down when the jack enters from an end. To check a specific jack, measure from the fork heel to the load-wheel center and compare it with the bottom-board positions on the drawing.
Block pallets: depends on the bottom deck
A block pallet has no continuous stringers, so the forks can pass between blocks from any side. Whether a jack's wheels can reach the floor depends on the bottom style:
| Bottom style | Jack entry |
|---|---|
| Unidirectional (bottom boards in one direction) | Easy from the faces where the forks run parallel to the bottom boards; from the other faces the wheels must cross boards |
| Perimeter base (boards around all four edges) | The wheels must cross an edge board on every face; chamfers and wheel openings decide it. Check which faces your jacks can use |
| Cruciform | Similar to perimeter |
| No bottom deck (skid-like block base) | Easy, but weaker when stacked |
palletdesign.ai flags a perimeter base when a pallet jack must enter from the sides, and suggests a unidirectional base instead.
Chamfers
Chamfers are bevels on the bottom edge of the bottom lead boards (and sometimes the edges beside wheel openings) so jack wheels ride up instead of hitting a square edge. Uniform Standard guidance for chamfers:
- At least 12 in long
- Cut at 35 to 45 degrees
- Starting about 1/4 in (plus or minus 1/8 in) from the bottom of the board
- Kept out of the nailed connections
One published PDS spec sheet shows a 5/16 in chamfer depth. On stringer pallets, chamfer the bottom lead boards between the stringers ("stop" chamfers) so the chamfer doesn't weaken the nailed joints.
Single-face pallets and skids
A skid or single-face pallet has no bottom deck, so a jack's wheels always reach the floor. Skids work well with jacks but spread load poorly when stacked.
Compatibility summary
| Pallet | Forklift entry | Pallet-jack entry |
|---|---|---|
| Two-way stringer | 2 ends | 2 ends |
| Notched stringer (partial 4-way) | 4 sides | 2 ends |
| Block, unidirectional base | 4 sides | Faces parallel to the bottom boards easily; others depend on the design |
| Block, perimeter base | 4 sides | Depends on chamfers and wheel openings |
| Skid | 2 ends (4 if notched) | 2 ends |
What to put in the spec
- Which faces must accept pallet jacks
- The jack model or its fork length and lowered height, if tight
- Chamfers on bottom lead boards
- Any automation (conveyors and AS/RS often care about bottom-board orientation)
See two-way entry, partial four-way entry, full four-way entry and wheel opening.
Questions
- Can you use a pallet jack on a 4-way stringer pallet?
- Only from the two ends. The notches in a partial four-way stringer pallet let forklift tines enter the sides, but a pallet jack's wheels are blocked by the stringers.
- Why won't my pallet jack go into the pallet?
- Usually the load wheels are landing on a bottom board, the entry is blocked by a square-edged bottom lead board, or the opening is lower than the jack's lowered height. Check bottom-board positions and add chamfers.
- Which pallets can a pallet jack enter from all four sides?
- Block pallets whose bottom deck leaves wheel openings on every face. A perimeter base may need chamfers and wheel openings; confirm with the manufacturer which faces are jack-accessible.
- What is a chamfer on a pallet?
- A bevel cut along the bottom edge of a bottom deckboard so pallet-jack wheels ride over it. The Uniform Standard calls for 35 to 45 degrees and at least 12 in long.