Sizes
Pallet sizes, and where each one turns up in the metro
The standard pallet size in North America is 48 x 40 inches, the GMA pallet. The other sizes the Oklahoma City metro asks about are 48 x 45, 48 x 48, 42 x 42 and 48 x 42, each tied to particular freight.
Size chart
| Size | Metric | Mostly used for | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | 1,219 x 1,016 | General freight; the GMA standard | 48x40 |
| 48 x 42 | 1,219 x 1,067 | Chemical and beverage; rank 5 in North American production | 48x42 |
| 48 x 45 | 1,219 x 1,143 | Automotive and heavy goods; rank 7 | 48x45 |
| 48 x 48 | 1,219 x 1,219 | Drums and chemicals | 48x48 |
| 42 x 42 | 1,067 x 1,067 | Beverage | 42x42 |
| 800 x 1200 mm | 800 x 1,200 | The Euro pallet, rare in domestic freight | None |
No single law sets pallet size
There is no universally accepted standard for pallet dimensions, and the GMA organization no longer governs pallet specifications. 48 x 40 became the working standard because so much of North America's racking, trailers and conveyors are built around it, and ISO accepts the CBA's 48 x 40 specification as the North American standard. When a request says 'standard pallet', it nearly always means this one.
The practical test is the unit on the pallet. Nine 16 x 12 inch boxes fit on each layer of a conventional GMA pallet, which is why cartons are often sized to it. Products that do not tile onto 48 x 40 without overhang call for another footprint or a custom pallet.
Where each turns up in the metro
48 x 40 is everywhere: fulfillment and retail-distribution buildings near Will Rogers airport, northeast I-35 parcel and distribution hubs, store back lots. The odd footprints cluster with certain freight. 48 x 45 follows automotive and heavy goods, which matters for suppliers of equipment shipping from plants in Norman and Moore. 48 x 48 and 48 x 42 follow chemical and drum loads. 42 x 42 follows beverage; the Chamber lists Great Plains Coca-Cola among the region's larger employers in beverage distribution. See pallets by industry for who handles what.
How to read a pallet's size
Measure the stringer length first (the long timbers under the deck), then the width across the deck boards. State both in inches, in that order. If the pallet is a block pallet, measure the footprint the same way. Give the height too, since a standard 48 x 40 stands about 5.5 to 6 inches tall. For vans, trailer counts explains how the footprint changes the count.
Choosing a size for a new product
The pallet should be designed with the product, not after it. Start with the carton or container dimensions and see how they tile on a 48 by 40 deck. If they fit with little waste and no overhang, the standard pallet is the cheapest, most available choice and fits the racks and trailers already in use.
If the product leaves gaps or overhangs, try the neighbouring sizes. A 48 by 42 or 48 by 45 may remove the overhang for a modest cost. A square deck helps with drums and totes. Each step away from standard shrinks the pool of used pallets and may raise the price of new ones, so a custom footprint should be justified by a real problem such as crushed corners.
Check the trailer too. Carriers count pallets per trailer on the standard footprint, and a different size can lower the count. Ask your carrier for a load plan before you commit to an unusual size.
42x42 pallets
A 42 x 42 pallet is common in beverage and paint loads. Its square footprint fits cases of bottles and cans in tight, repeating layers, and a square deck loads from any side.
Beverage freight is heavy for its volume, and stacking layers of cases needs a square, stable base; the deck is about 12.25 square feet against 13.3 for a 48 x 40. Pallets that run through a bottling or distribution line need to be consistent, since mixed grades jam conveyors and tilt stacks, so buyers usually ask for a single grade, a combo pallet or new; see food and beverage.
Used 42x42s are a minority of any pile.
48x42 pallets
The 48 x 42 is used for chemical and beverage loads, whose pails, cartons of bottles and small drums suit two extra inches of width.
On a dock a 48 x 42 and a 48 x 40 look alike from a few feet away. A lot labelled 'standard' that hides a share of 48 x 42 is a problem for racking and for a buyer who counts on one footprint, so measure one in each stack and sort by size before sending the request. If your product layer plan is built on 42, ask for the exact footprint. The size is less common in used piles, so expect to wait longer or to accept new or combo stock; see food and beverage.
48x45 pallets
The 48 x 45 is listed as the automotive size. The extra five inches of width give a heavier unit more support across the deck, so it suits heavy goods that overhang a 48 x 40.
Measure the widest part of the product and add a margin for strapping: if it overhangs 40 inches by a few inches but not by five, a 48 x 45 is likely to suit, and beyond that try a 48 x 48 or a custom build. Used 48 x 45s turn up in small numbers, so this size is more often a new or combo build with extra deck coverage; ask early, and see HVAC and equipment for the plants that use it.
48x48 pallets
The 48 x 48 is often used in the chemical sector and for drums and totes. Four 55-gallon drums sit on it with the weight over the corners and stringers; on a 48 x 40 they overhang or tilt.
Full deck coverage matters more here than on dry freight, because a drum rim sits on a single board edge, so specify a deck with narrow gaps and stringers aligned to the drum footprint; for heavy liquid loads, new or custom builds are safer than random used stock. In a 53-foot van two 48x48s sit across and thirteen rows fill the length: 26 on the floor, the same as 48x40s loaded straight. Oilfield-supply yards west on I-40 handle drums, totes and equipment parts, the freight this size serves. Supply is limited, and a custom run may be quicker than a search of used stock.
In this section
- 48x40 pallets for Oklahoma City docksThe 48x40 GMA pallet that most Oklahoma City fulfillment, retail and food docks ship on, in Grade A, Grade B, combo and new.
Questions, answered
What are the dimensions of a standard pallet?
48 inches by 40 inches (1,219 x 1,016 mm), the GMA pallet. It stands roughly 5.5 to 6 inches tall and typically weighs 33 to 48 pounds.
Is 48 x 40 or 40 x 48 the right way to say it?
By convention the first number is the length of the stringers. Say which way the forks enter if it matters.