Winged pallet: overhanging decks for bags and slings

What is a winged pallet?

A wing is the part of a deck that overhangs the outer stringer or stringerboard. The Pallet Design System records it as a "Wing" dimension on the spec sheet (0.00 on a flush pallet). There are two styles:

• Single-wing: the top deck overhangs, the bottom deck is flush with the stringers.
• Double-wing: the top and bottom decks both overhang.

Some web glossaries use "double-wing" to mean wings on two opposite sides, so define the term on the drawing.

How a winged pallet is built

On a stringer pallet the wing is made by setting the outer stringers in from the deckboard ends. A 48 x 40 in pallet with a 2 in wing has 40 in deckboards but its outer stringer faces sit 36 in apart.

Overhangs are typically a few inches, often 1 to 4 in, but no standard fixes the value, so put it on the drawing. palletdesign.ai models single- and double-wing stringer pallets with an overhang of up to 4 in and moves the stringers inward to suit.

Wings are normally on the deckboard ends (the sides along the stringers). Overhang past the lead boards at the pallet ends is unusual.

When to use a winged pallet

• Bagged products: cement, fertilizer, feed, seed and sugar. The wider top deck supports the bag footprint and gives stretch film and straps an edge to grip.
• Sling and crane lifting: bar slings hook under the overhanging top deck outside the stringers, which is common at ports and on job sites.
• Paper rolls and building materials that need the full deck width.
• Reducing split deckboard ends, since the nails sit farther from the board ends.

When not to use one

• Pallet-jack handling, especially with a double wing: bottom-deck wings make jack entry and strapping at floor level harder.
• Rack storage across the width, where the outer stringers sit inboard of the deck edge. Check how the pallet bears on the beams and confirm any rack rating.
• Tight trailer or container fits, if the overhanging deck is wider than the load.

Winged vs flush

How to specify a winged pallet

1. Wing style: single-wing or double-wing, and which sides.
2. Overhang on each side, in inches.
3. Stringer count, size and position (the inset follows from the overhang).
4. Deckboard thickness: sling lifting calls for heavier top boards.
5. Strap slots, if the load is banded.
6. Load (bag weight and pattern), lifting method and stacking.

For the 48 x 40 base design, start at the 48 x 40 stringer pallet and add the wing. Industry pages cover building materials loads in more detail.