Pallet sizes chart: common U.S. and ISO pallet dimensions by industry

The standard U.S. pallet is 48x40 inches. In 2016 it made up about 35% of new wood pallets and 69% of the recycled pallet market. The other common sizes each serve a few industries, such as 42x42 for paint and telecommunications or 48x45 for automotive. Internationally, ISO 6780 recognizes six footprints, and only one of them is the 48x40.

How pallet sizes are written

• Wood stringer pallets: stringer length first, then deck board length. A 48x40 has 48-inch stringers and 40-inch deck boards.
• Wood block pallets: top stringerboard length first, then deck board length.
• Non-wood pallets: usually the longer side first.
• Full size: Woodpack Global's Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets adds overall height as a third number.

That ordering is why a 40x48 is not a 48x40 turned sideways. It is a different pallet with 40-inch stringers.

Common U.S. pallet sizes and the industries that use them

Size (in.)	Rank in 2000 production	Typical industries	Notes
48x40	1	Grocery, and many other industries	The GMA-style pallet
42x42	2	Telecommunications, paint	Square footprint
48x48	3 (tie)	Drums	Fits four 55-gallon drums without overhang
40x48	3 (tie)	Military (Department of Defense), cement	40-inch stringers
48x42	5 (tie)	Chemical, beverage
40x40	5 (tie)	Dairy	Sized for stacked milk crates
48x45	7	Automotive
44x44	8	Drums, chemical	Also used for bulk bags (FIBC)
36x36	9	Beverage
48x36	10	Beverage, shingles, packaged paper

The ranks come from a Southern Illinois University survey of pallet production in 2000, published in John Clarke's industry overview (reprinted by Pallet Enterprise and Penn State). The industry pairings match the current size list from the Nelson Company, a pallet manufacturer, which is also the source for the drum, milk crate and bulk bag notes.

Two cautions. First, the ranking is a snapshot from 2000. That top ten covered about 60% of production, and the tenth size was under 2% of the market. Second, custom sizes are a big part of the market: about 39% of new wood pallets in 2016 were custom sizes, down from 60% in 2011, according to a national survey published in BioResources. If your size is not on this list, expect to send a drawing or spec.

Half pallets and display sizes

Retail displays and store deliveries use smaller footprints.

Size (in.)	Use	Source
48x20	Half of a 48x40; in-store displays and end-cap promotions	PECO (Canada); CHEP lists a 48x20 timber half pallet in Canada
40x24	Pooled half pallet for promotions and merchandising replenishment	CHEP (North America)
48x24	Display pallet for small orders and in-store displays	Nelson Company

PECO lists its 48x20 block half pallet at about 28 lb with a 1,400 lb rating.

ISO 6780 pallet sizes

ISO 6780:2003, Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling, sets principal dimensions and tolerances for new flat pallets of any material. ISO could not agree on one world size, so the standard lists six. A World Bank study of pallet standards described the list as a compromise among trading regions that did not want to replace their pallet stocks.

Metric (mm)	Inches (approx.)	Main region
1200 x 800	47.2 x 31.5	Europe (the EUR pallet footprint)
1200 x 1000	47.2 x 39.4	Europe and Asia
1219 x 1016	48.0 x 40.0	North America (the 48x40)
1140 x 1140	44.9 x 44.9	Sources differ: Europe (World Bank) or Australia (Clarke)
1100 x 1100	43.3 x 43.3	Asia and the Pacific Rim
1067 x 1067	42.0 x 42.0	North America, also used in Europe and Asia

Inch values are converted from the metric sizes and rounded to one decimal.

A few points for buyers who ship overseas:

• 1200 x 1000 and 48x40 are close. The World Bank paper notes the 48x40 is slightly larger than 1200 x 1000 mm and may be interchangeable in many handling environments. Check racks, conveyors and container loads before you assume.
• The EUR pallet is narrow. At 1200 x 800 mm it is the long-standing Western European standard but, as Clarke noted, rare in the rest of the world.
• Australia uses its own size. The Australian standard pallet is 1165 x 1165 mm, which is not one of the six ISO sizes. CHEP lists it as its Australian standard.
• Wood still needs ISPM 15. The standard covers wood packaging in international trade, whatever its size. Check the destination country's import rules, and see heat-treated pallets and ISPM 15.

Picking a size

Start with what has to fit: your racks, your conveyors, your customers' receiving rules and the trailer. The 48x40 is the standard in grocery and many other industries, and it is by far the largest share of the recycled market. That is why our price table covers 48x40s.

For any other size, Woodpack Global's standard makes the key point: every pallet class comes in many sizes and designs, so size and design details have to be specified. A quote request for a non-standard pallet should include:

• Size in the right order: stringer (or stringerboard) length, deck board length, then overall height.
• Class: stringer or block.
• Entry type: two-way, partial four-way or full four-way, based on whether you use pallet jacks.
• Deck coverage: number of top and bottom boards, and their thickness and width.
• Load and support: the weight of the unit load and whether it will be racked, block stacked or floor stored.
• Treatment: heat treated and marked if the pallets will be exported.
• Quantity and timing: how many, how often and where they deliver.

With that list, suppliers can quote the same pallet, and you can compare prices line for line.

FAQ

What is the most common pallet size in the U.S.?

48x40 inches, by a wide margin. It is the grocery (GMA) footprint and more than two thirds of the recycled pallet market, so it is also the easiest size to find used.

Is a 40x48 pallet the same as a 48x40?

No. For wood pallets the first number is the stringer length, so a 40x48 has 40-inch stringers and 48-inch deck boards. It is a different build, historically tied to military and cement use.

What size is a Euro pallet?

1200 x 800 mm, about 47.2 x 31.5 inches. It is one of the six ISO 6780 sizes.

What pallet size is used for 55-gallon drums?

48x48 is the common choice and fits four 55-gallon drums without overhang. 44x44 is also used for drums and chemicals.

What is a half pallet?

A pallet with about half the footprint of a full one, such as 48x20 or 40x24. Half pallets are used mostly for in-store displays and promotions.