Types of pallets
How each kind of pallet is built, where it's used, and what to put on the quote. Start with stringer vs block: nearly every wood pallet is one or the other.
27 pages
Stringer pallet: construction, sizes and when to use one
A stringer pallet is a wood pallet whose deckboards are nailed to continuous lengthwise beams called stringers, usually three on a 48 x 40 in pallet. The common GMA-style build uses three 1-3/8 x 3-1/2 in stringers, 7 top and 5 bottom deckboards of 5/8 in stock, stands 4.75 in tall and takes 84 nails.
Block pallet: how it's built and when it beats a stringer pallet
A block pallet is a wood pallet whose deck is carried on blocks, typically nine in a 3 x 3 grid, connected by stringerboards instead of continuous stringers. The open space between blocks gives full four-way fork entry, which is why pooled pallets and the 1200 x 800 mm EPAL Euro pallet are block pallets.
Skid: the pallet with no bottom deck
A skid is a pallet with no bottom deck: deckboards nailed across two or more runners (stringers) so it can be forked, dragged or bolted to machinery. palletdesign.ai's 48 x 40 skid template uses 3/4 in top boards on three 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 in runners for machinery and crate bases.
Single-face pallet: top deck only
A single-face pallet has one deck, the top, and nothing across the bottom of its stringers or blocks. The skid is the common single-face design; it is cheaper and lighter than a double-face pallet but spreads load poorly when stacked and suits machinery, crates and one-way loads.
Double-face pallet: top and bottom decks
A double-face pallet has both a top deck and a bottom deck. Most are non-reversible: the GMA-style 48 x 40 has 7 top boards but only 5 bottom boards, grouped to clear the stringer notches. A reversible double-face pallet has identical decks and can be used either way up.
Reversible pallet: identical top and bottom decks
A reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so it can be loaded on either face. The matching bottom deck adds lumber and nails, and on a stringer pallet it usually covers the notch zones, so most reversible stringer pallets are 2-way.
Two-way pallet: fork entry from two ends
A two-way pallet can be entered by forklift and pallet jack from two opposite ends only. It is usually a stringer pallet with unnotched stringers: the continuous stringers block entry from the sides, but they are stronger and cheaper to cut than notched ones.
Four-way pallet: partial vs full 4-way entry
A four-way pallet can be entered by forklift from all four sides. Notched stringer pallets are partial 4-way (forklifts from all sides, pallet jacks from the two ends only); block pallets are full 4-way, and with a suitable bottom deck pallet jacks can enter from the sides too.
Winged pallet: overhanging decks for bags and slings
A winged pallet has deckboards that extend past its outer stringers, forming a wing or overhang. On a single-wing pallet only the top deck overhangs; on a double-wing pallet both decks do. Wings are used for bagged cement, feed, fertilizer and sugar and for loads lifted with bar slings.
Flush pallet: deck edges flush with the stringers
A flush pallet is one whose deckboards end in line with the outer stringers or stringerboards, so nothing overhangs. It is the default construction for GMA 48 x 40 pallets and most block pallets, and the PDS spec sheet records it as a wing of 0.00.
Perimeter base pallet: a block pallet with a framed bottom
A perimeter base pallet is a block pallet whose bottom deck runs around all four edges like a picture frame, so the pallet bears on a continuous rectangle. The metric 1200 x 1000 mm block pallet is commonly built this way, and it is the default bottom in palletdesign.ai's 48 x 40 block template.
Solid deck pallet: no gaps between deckboards
A solid deck pallet has its top deckboards butted edge to edge so there are no gaps. On a 48 x 40 in stringer pallet, twelve 4 in boards cover the 48 in length exactly, using about 8.3 board feet in 5/8 in stock against 4.9 for a standard 7-board GMA top.
Panel deck pallet: plywood and OSB decks
A panel deck pallet replaces some or all deckboards with plywood or OSB panels. The Uniform Standard requires grade-stamped panels (Rated Sheathing or Sturd-I-Floor, Exposure 1 or Exterior), face grain perpendicular to the stringers, pieces at least 24 in wide, and strips and cutout webs at least 6 in wide.
Euro pallet (EPAL 1): dimensions, construction and specs
The EPAL 1 Euro pallet is a 1200 x 800 x 144 mm (47.2 x 31.5 x 5.7 in) wood block pallet built from 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, weighing about 25 kg. Its safe working load is 1,500 kg, and only EPAL licensees may build and mark it.
GMA pallet: the 48 x 40 grocery standard
A GMA pallet is the 48 x 40 in (1219 x 1016 mm) partial four-way stringer pallet from the 1992 grocery industry specification: three notched stringers, 7 top and 5 bottom deckboards about 5/8 in thick with 5-1/2 in lead boards. A typical build is 4.75 in tall, takes 84 nails and weighs about 59 lb in green mixed hardwood.
CP pallets (CP1 to CP9): chemical industry pallet sizes
CP pallets are nine standard wood block pallets, CP1 to CP9, defined by the European chemical and plastics industry (APME/VCI) for bagged, drummed and bulk goods. CP1 is 1000 x 1200 mm, CP3 is 1140 x 1140 mm; CP1 to CP5 have runner-style bottoms and CP6 to CP9 have perimeter or frame bottoms.
Drum pallet: 48 x 48 pallets for four 55-gallon drums
A drum pallet is a heavy-duty pallet sized for drums, most often 48 x 48 in (1219 x 1219 mm) for four 55-gallon drums. palletdesign.ai's drum template uses nine 3/4 in top boards, four 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 in stringers and 2-1/2 in nails, which closes the top gaps to about 1-9/16 in so drum chimes can't drop into them.
Heat-treated pallet: ISPM 15 HT explained
A heat-treated (HT) pallet is a wood pallet whose wood has been heated until its core reached 56 °C (133 °F) for at least 30 continuous minutes, as required by ISPM 15, and then stamped with the IPPC mark and the code HT. Many countries require ISPM 15 treatment for wood packaging crossing their borders.
Export pallet: what international shipments require
An export pallet is any pallet used for international shipment. If it contains solid wood it must be ISPM 15 treated (usually heat treated, code HT) and marked; beyond that it should suit the destination's standard footprint, such as 1200 x 800 or 1200 x 1000 mm in Europe or 1100 x 1100 mm in parts of Asia.
Custom pallet: how to design and specify one
A custom pallet is a wood pallet designed for a specific load, footprint and handling system instead of a stock size such as the 48 x 40 GMA. To quote one, a manufacturer needs the size, load weight and type, support conditions (floor, rack, stacking), handling equipment, lumber, fasteners, treatment and annual volume.
Recycled pallet: grades, repairs and remanufacturing
A recycled pallet is a used wood pallet that has been sorted and resold as-is, repaired, or taken apart and rebuilt from salvaged boards (remanufactured). The market sells them by grade, commonly Premium A, Grade #1 (A), Grade #2 (B) and Core, and any repaired or remanufactured pallet must be re-treated and re-marked to be used for export.
Pooled pallet: renting pallets from CHEP, PECO and iGPS
A pooled pallet is a pallet you rent from a pool operator instead of buying: the operator owns the pallets, issues them to shippers and collects them from receivers. In North America the pools (CHEP, PECO and iGPS) use 48 x 40 in block pallets, wood for CHEP and PECO and plastic for iGPS.
Plastic pallet: types, load ratings and how to specify one
A plastic pallet is a molded HDPE or polypropylene pallet, usually chosen from a catalog rather than designed, because new injection molds only pay off at very high volumes. Plastic pallets carry three ratings (static, dynamic and racking), weigh roughly 14 to 70 lb in the 48 x 40 class and are exempt from ISPM 15.
Presswood pallet: molded wood-fiber pallets
A presswood pallet is a one-piece pallet molded from wood fiber and resin under heat and pressure. It is nestable, has no nails, is exempt from ISPM 15 as processed wood, and comes in catalog sizes with dynamic ratings of about 750 to 2,500 lb; it is not intended for open-beam rack storage.
Metal pallet: steel, stainless and aluminum pallets
A metal pallet is a steel, stainless steel or aluminum pallet, usually welded and fabricated to order, used for heavy, hot, outdoor, hygienic or long-life closed loops. Metal pallets are exempt from ISPM 15, weigh roughly 50 to 150 lb in the 48 x 40 class and cost several times more than wood.
Paper pallet: corrugated and honeycomb pallets
A paper pallet is a pallet made from corrugated board or honeycomb paperboard, often with fiberboard tube or block feet. It is light (from about 4 kg), recyclable and exempt from ISPM 15, typically rated up to about 750 kg and in some honeycomb designs about 1,000 kg, and it loses stiffness in humidity.
Slip sheet: the pallet alternative for containers
A slip sheet is a thin sheet of corrugated, solid fiber or plastic placed under a unit load in place of a pallet, with one or more tabs that a push-pull forklift attachment grips. Slip sheets are about 20 times lighter than wood pallets and let a container carry roughly 12 to 15% more product, but they need special attachments and give the load less support.
More reference
- Pallet sizes
Standard pallet sizes with drawings: 48x40, 42x42, 48x48, EUR 1200x800 and more. Weight, board feet, nail count and parts list for each build.
- Industries
The pallet sizes, constructions and buyer requirements each industry uses, from grocery and beverage to chemical drums, automotive and export.
- Guides
How to design, specify and quote wood pallets: deck board spacing, nail schedules, load capacity, racking, weight, board feet, cost and RFQs.
- Standards
The standards behind wood pallet design: the Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets, ISPM-15, ISO 6780, ISO 8611, ASTM D1185, ANSI MH1, EPAL and GMA.
- Materials
Pallet lumber species, grades, moisture content and nails: density, weight per board foot, bending strength and which nail to use in which wood.
- Glossary
Pallet terms defined: deckboard, stringer, block, notch, chamfer, wing, MIBANT, board foot, ISPM-15 and more, with typical dimensions.