Double-face pallet: top and bottom decks

What is a double-face pallet?

A double-face pallet has a deck on both sides of its stringers or blocks. The bottom deck spreads the pallet's load onto whatever is beneath it (a floor, a rack beam, another load) and ties the stringers or blocks together, which is why nearly all general-purpose pallets are double-face.

The Uniform Standard splits double-face pallets into two deck styles:

• Double-face non-reversible: the bottom deck is lighter than the top, usually fewer boards. This is the default.
• Double-face reversible: the two decks are the same and either can carry the load. See reversible pallets.

How a double-face pallet is built

On the common GMA-style 48 x 40 in stringer pallet:

The bottom interior boards are grouped between the notches so forklift tines can enter from the sides. Bottom lead boards are often chamfered so pallet-jack wheels ride over them.

Block pallets are double-face too. Their bottom can be a perimeter, unidirectional or cruciform pattern (see perimeter base pallets).

When to use a double-face pallet

• Almost any general freight pallet: grocery, retail, beverage, chemicals.
• Floor stacking. The bottom deck spreads the load onto the pallet or goods below. In one published PDS example, the same 48 x 40 pallet had a safe load of 5,223 lb stacked one high on the floor against 1,558 lb racked across its length, which shows how much the support condition matters.
• Rack storage, where the bottom deck adds bearing on the beams.
• Pallet-jack handling, which needs a bottom deck for the wheels to roll off.

When not to use one

• When the pallet will be bolted to a machine or used as a crate base, a skid is simpler.
• When every board and nail counts on a one-way load that is not stacked, a single-face design saves material.

Non-reversible vs reversible

How to specify a double-face pallet

1. Deck style: double-face non-reversible or reversible.
2. Top deck: count, thickness, widths.
3. Bottom deck: count, thickness, widths and layout (clustered or evenly spaced).
4. Chamfers on bottom lead boards if pallet jacks are used.
5. Stringer or block sizes and notch details.
6. Fasteners per joint for top and bottom decks.
7. Load, stacking height and racking direction.

palletdesign.ai draws both decks to scale and lists every board in the cut list, so the difference between a 5-board and a 7-board bottom shows up directly in the board feet and nail count.