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Materials

Pallet nails: types, sizes and how many

Reviewed

In short

Most wood pallets are assembled with threaded nails: helically threaded for medium- and high-density hardwoods, annularly threaded (ring shank) for low-density hardwoods and most softwoods. A typical 48 x 40 stringer pallet uses 2-1/4 in x 0.112 in (11-1/2 gauge) nails, 84 in total, set by the Uniform Standard minimum of 2 per joint for boards up to 5-1/4 in wide and 3 up to 7 in.

On this page
  1. Types of pallet fasteners
  2. Common sizes
  3. How long should a pallet nail be?
  4. How many nails does a pallet need?
  5. Placement rules
  6. Minimum nail quality
  7. How nails appear on a spec
  8. How palletdesign.ai uses nails

Types of pallet fasteners

Fastener Also called Typical use
Helical nail Helically threaded, screw shank, SS Medium- and high-density hardwoods; dominant in automated assembly
Annular nail Ring shank Low-density hardwoods and most softwoods; block pallet top nails
Plain shank nail Smooth Deck mats, often clinched
Fluted and twisted square-wire nails Listed in the Uniform Standard
Staples Round or rectangular wire, often adhesive-coated Listed in the Uniform Standard; PDS draws them realistically since version 6.12
Bolts, wood screws, lag screws Have their own minimum counts; PDS added deck, lag and self-drilling screws in version 6.11

Threaded nails hold much better than smooth ones. The Uniform Standard summarizes this as the fastener withdrawal characteristic: plain nails are 1.00, and threaded pallet nails on published spec sheets run from about 2.58 to 3.69.

Common sizes

Wire gauge Wire diameter
12-1/2 ga 0.099 in
12 ga 0.105 in
11-1/2 ga 0.112 to 0.113 in
11 ga 0.120 in

Typical lengths are 2 and 2-1/4 in for 5/8 in decks on stringers, with longer nails for thicker decks and blocks. Metric examples on European sheets include 44, 60 and 75 mm lengths with 2.1 to 3.4 mm wire.

A typical block pallet uses three sizes: about 3 in annular nails through the stringerboard into the block, 1-5/8 in smooth mat nails (clinched), and 2-1/4 in annular bottom nails.

How long should a pallet nail be?

The nail must pass through the deckboard and penetrate at least 1-1/4 in into the stringer or block (1 in if the deck is 1/2 in thick or less). For a 5/8 in deckboard, that means at least 1-7/8 in; a 2-1/4 in nail gives margin. Clinched nails must fully penetrate the mat and be at least 1/4 in longer than the stack they pass through.

How many nails does a pallet need?

The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (Table 5) sets the minimum per deckboard-to-stringer joint:

Deckboard width Nails per joint
Up to 5-1/4 in 2
Over 5-1/4 to 7 in 3
Over 7 to 8 in 4

Block pallets need at least 3 at a corner block and 2 at an interior block, and at least one per 8 sq in of block fastening surface.

Worked example: GMA-style 48 x 40

  • Top deck: 7 boards x 3 stringers. The 2 lead boards (5-1/2 in) get 3 nails per joint, the 5 interior boards (3-1/2 in) get 2: (2 x 3 x 3) + (5 x 3 x 2) = 48.
  • Bottom deck: 5 boards: (2 x 3 x 3) + (3 x 3 x 2) = 36.
  • Total: 84 nails.

An EPAL 1 pallet uses 78 EPAL-approved nails. See the pallet nail schedule guide.

Placement rules

  • Do not mix incompatible fastener types in one joint.
  • No shiners (nail points showing) on exposed faces.
  • Staple crowns must not run parallel to the grain.
  • At most one open split with a visible shank per joint, and on no more than one third of components.

Minimum nail quality

Characteristic Reusable Single-use
Withdrawal characteristic (Cw) 1.9 1.5
Head-to-shank ratio 2.25 2.00

Bending yield strength must exceed 100 ksi. Stiffness is measured with the MIBANT test. See nail quality.

How nails appear on a spec

A fastener line reads like: "2-1/4 x 11-1/2 Ga. SS; Helically Threaded Nail; wire 0.112; thread 0.124; head 0.280; MIBANT 36; FWC 2.58; Total 84". Drawings show nail positions as dots.

How palletdesign.ai uses nails

palletdesign.ai applies the Table 5 minimums automatically, by board width, and counts every nail from the parts list, so the total updates when you change board widths or counts. You choose helical, annular, plain or screw and a length (default 2-1/4 in helical), or override the per-joint count. The indicative cost uses a default of $0.012 per nail, about $1.01 for the 84-nail GMA-style pallet; that is an assumption, not a supplier price.

Questions

What size nails are used for pallets?
Most commonly 2 to 2-1/4 in threaded nails in 11 to 12-1/2 gauge (0.099 to 0.120 in wire) for 5/8 in decks. Block pallets often use about 3 in nails into the blocks.
How many nails are in a 48 x 40 pallet?
A GMA-style 48 x 40 stringer pallet uses 84 nails: 48 in the top deck and 36 in the bottom.
Should pallets use helical or ring shank nails?
Helical nails for medium- and high-density hardwoods; ring shank (annular) nails for low-density hardwoods and most softwoods.
How deep must a pallet nail go into the stringer?
At least 1-1/4 in, or 1 in when the deckboard is 1/2 in thick or less, under the Uniform Standard.

Sources