Industries
Pallets for building materials
Reviewed
Building materials use heavy-duty pallets sized to the product: 40 x 48 in (1016 x 1219 mm) is associated with bagged cement, 48 x 36 in with shingles, and long pallets such as 96 x 48 in with 4 x 8 ft sheet goods. Wing pallets are a classic choice for bagged cement and loads lifted with bar slings.
Common pallet sizes
| Size | Metric | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 40 x 48 in | 1016 x 1219 mm | Bagged cement and mortar |
| 48 x 36 in | 1219 x 914 mm | Roofing shingles |
| 48 x 40 in | 1219 x 1016 mm | Retail shipments of boxed and bagged products |
| 48 x 48 in | 1219 x 1219 mm | Pails, drums, heavy square loads |
| 96 x 48 in | 2438 x 1219 mm | 4 x 8 ft sheet goods (panels, board) |
| 72 x 48 in, 60 x 48 in | 1829 x 1219, 1524 x 1219 mm | Long products and oversized bundles |
A 40 x 48 is not the same pallet as a 48 x 40. Length is stated first and is the stringer direction, so a 40 x 48 has 40 in stringers and 48 in deckboards. That changes which way forks enter and how the pallet sits in a rack.
Construction and spec notes
Heavy, dense loads
Cement, mortar, shingles, pavers and block are among the heaviest loads per square foot a pallet carries. A single layer of bagged or stacked product can be close to the pallet's limit. Build for it with:
- 4 or more stringers or a block design with more support points
- Thicker decks (3/4 in or more) and higher deck coverage
- Hardwood or southern yellow pine for stiffness, with threaded nails
State the maximum load, and describe how it bears on the deck. Masonry units stacked in columns put the weight down in strips and small areas, not evenly.
Wing pallets and sling lifting
On a wing pallet the top deck overhangs the outer stringers. Wings give bagged cement, fertilizer and similar loads more deck area, give stretch film and straps an edge to grip, and let crane bar slings hook under the top deck. If loads will be lifted by slings at a job site or port, say so: sling lifting puts heavy bending on the wing boards and usually calls for thicker deckboards. See wing.
Long pallets and sheet goods
Sheet goods (panels, gypsum board, siding) need long pallets or runners that support the sheet without letting it sag. Pallets for 4 x 8 ft sheets are often 96 x 48 in, sometimes built as skids on heavy runners with more than 3 supports along the length. The Pallet Design System added sheet-goods unit loads and pallets up to 30 ft long in version 6.3.
Outdoor storage
Building products often sit in yards. Wet service (wood moisture content above 19%) lowers design strength, and repeated wetting speeds decay. Specify the storage environment, and consider stretch hoods or covers for the load rather than relying on the pallet.
Stacking and handling
Yard storage often means floor stacking several loads high, which puts the highest stress on the top deck of the bottom pallet and the bottom deck of the second pallet. Specify stacking height and whether loads are handled by forklift, telehandler or crane. Capacity from palletdesign.ai is an indicative beam check; confirm with a PDS analysis or a test to ASTM D1185 or ISO 8611.
Buyer requirements
Building products sold through home-improvement retail follow the retailer's pallet program. The Home Depot, for example, requires a PDS analysis or ASTM D1185 test, a safe load stacked 3 high, at least 2,800 lb capacity (3,500 lb for heavy products) and excludes species classes 7 and 14. See Home Depot pallet requirements and confirm with the current vendor guide.
What to put in the RFQ
- Footprint, with stringer length first
- Product, unit size, pattern and maximum load
- Wing overhang and whether sling lifting is used
- Number of stringers or runners, deck thickness
- Floor-stacking height, yard or indoor storage
- Handling equipment (forklift, telehandler, crane)
- Lumber species, grade and moisture; retailer program if any
Questions
- What size pallet is used for cement?
- 40 x 48 in (1016 x 1219 mm) is the size commonly associated with bagged cement. Wing pallets are also common for bagged cement because they add deck area and allow sling lifting.
- What pallet size is used for roofing shingles?
- 48 x 36 in (1219 x 914 mm) is the footprint commonly listed for shingles. Confirm with the manufacturer's bundle size and pattern.
- What pallet do I need for 4 x 8 sheets?
- A 96 x 48 in pallet or skid with enough supports along the length to stop the sheets from sagging. State the stack weight and how many runners you need.