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Technical questions go straight to the graders.
A pallet is twelve pieces of wood and four hundred opinions.
Almost every disagreement we have with a new customer is a vocabulary problem. Somebody asks for a heavy-duty 48 × 40 and means seven top boards; somebody else means block construction with a full perimeter base. Those two platforms differ in price by nearly double and in capability by more than that.
The building blocks are simple enough. A deck your freight sits on, made of boards running across the platform. Either three lengthwise runners called stringers, or nine blocks with connecting boards. A few hundred nails in a pattern that matters more than the count. Chamfers, notches, wings and lead boards are the details that decide how the thing behaves on a dock, and they are the details nobody specifies.
Everything in this subject area comes back to one claim: a correctly specified recycled platform outperforms a badly specified new one, costs roughly a third as much, and keeps a tree in the ground. Vocabulary is the cheapest performance upgrade available in this industry, which is why we keep writing about it.
- Length always comes first, and length is the stringer direction. 48 × 40 and 40 × 48 are different pallets.
- 'Four-way' describes forklifts. A notched stringer pallet is two-way for a hand pallet jack, and that catches people for years.
- Board count is not deck coverage. Coverage is what decides whether your cartons bridge or sag.
- Fastener type beats fastener count. More nails in a line parallel to the grain is a perforation.
- Chamfered bottom boards cost a fraction of a cent and prevent the most common damage in the industry.
- Writing 'heavy duty' instead of a board count, which means something different to every supplier
- Inheriting a footprint rather than choosing one, then adapting equipment to it for a decade
- Ordering a notched stringer pallet into a warehouse that runs manual jacks
- Specifying an economy 5/3 deck under bagged product and blaming the wrap for the dished bottom layer
- Measuring a worn platform and ordering the measurement instead of the nominal size
5 on fundamentals, newest first.
Chamfers, wings and the small geometry that costs money
Four details worth less than a dollar each at manufacture, each capable of costing hundreds a year in handling and damage.5 min · 903 words · Jonah, millwork
August 12, 2025Racking a pallet that was never designed for racking
The most dangerous thing that happens to pallets is a warehouse re-layout. The platform did not change; the load case did.4 min · 861 words · Dale, repair lead
February 4, 2025Nails: the most under-specified component in the industry
Seventy-eight fasteners hold a GMA pallet together. Almost no purchase order mentions them, and they decide how long the platform lasts.4 min · 818 words · Marcus, yard supervisor
July 30, 2024Deck coverage, bridging and why your cartons sag
Board count is not the same as deck coverage, and deck coverage is what decides whether your bottom layer arrives square or dished.4 min · 827 words · Jonah, millwork
December 6, 2023Stringer or block: the fork-entry question nobody asks early enough
Two constructions, two different ideas about who moves the load. Choosing wrong means buying equipment to work around a decision you made by accident.4 min · 883 words · Marcus, yard supervisor
The tables behind these posts.
The same data we work from in the yard, so you can check the arguments above against the numbers.
| Footprint | Inches | Millimetres | Construction | Top / btm boards | Weight lb | Dynamic load | Racked load | Board feet | Positions per 53′ van |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 GMA | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 33–48 | 2,100–2,800 lb | 1,500–2,500 lb | 37 | 30 |
| 48 × 40 heavy | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer, thicker | 7 / 7 | 46–58 | 3,000–4,000 lb | 2,200–3,000 lb | 44 | 30 |
| 48 × 40 economy | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer | 5 / 3 | 28–34 | 1,200–1,800 lb | Not recommended | 27 | 30 |
| 48 × 48 | 48 × 48 | 1219 × 1219 | 4-stringer or block | 7 / 5 + perimeter | 52–68 | 3,000–4,500 lb | 2,000–3,000 lb | 46 | 26 |
| 42 × 42 | 42 × 42 | 1067 × 1067 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 32–44 | 2,000–2,600 lb | 1,400–2,200 lb | 34 | 30 |
| 40 × 48 | 40 × 48 | 1016 × 1219 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 33–48 | 2,100–2,800 lb | 1,400–2,300 lb | 37 | 30 |
| 48 × 42 | 48 × 42 | 1219 × 1067 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 35–50 | 2,200–2,900 lb | 1,500–2,500 lb | 39 | 30 |
| 40 × 40 | 40 × 40 | 1016 × 1016 | 3-stringer, notched | 6 / 4 | 28–40 | 1,800–2,400 lb | 1,200–2,000 lb | 31 | 30 |
| 48 × 36 | 48 × 36 | 1219 × 914 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 30–42 | 1,900–2,500 lb | 1,300–2,100 lb | 33 | 34 |
| Euro / EPAL 1 | 47.2 × 31.5 | 1200 × 800 | 9-block | 11 + 3 bearers | 50–57 | 3,300 lb nominal | 2,200 lb nominal | 33 | 40 |
| Euro 2 / industrial | 47.2 × 39.4 | 1200 × 1000 | 9-block | 11 + 3 bearers | 60–70 | 3,300 lb nominal | 2,200 lb nominal | 41 | 30 |
| Euro 3 / half | 31.5 × 23.6 | 800 × 600 | Block | Varies | 20–26 | 1,100 lb | Not rated | 17 | 80 |
| Quarter / display | 23.6 × 15.7 | 600 × 400 | Block or moulded | Varies | 9–14 | 550 lb | Not rated | 9 | 160 |
| Asia standard | 43.3 × 43.3 | 1100 × 1100 | 9-block | Varies | 48–60 | 2,200 lb nominal | 1,800 lb nominal | 36 | 28 |
| Australia standard | 45.9 × 45.9 | 1165 × 1165 | Block | Varies | 55–66 | 2,200 lb nominal | 1,800 lb nominal | 40 | 26 |
Capacities are indicative ranges for recycled stock, not certifications — see load capacity for how the three ratings differ. Trailer positions assume the better of the two orientations on a 630″ × 98″ floor. Usable floor of a 53-foot dry van. Reefers and curtainsides run shorter and narrower.
| Criterion | Grade A / #1 | Grade B / #2 | Combo | Core / as-is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plugs permitted | No | Yes | In the B portion | N/A — unsorted |
| Companion boards | No | Yes | In the B portion | N/A |
| Stringer repair | No | Yes, plug or plate | In the B portion | N/A |
| Missing boards | None | None | None | Possible |
| Weathering | Light | Visible | Mixed | As received |
| Dimensional tolerance | ±⅜ in | ±½ in | ±½ in | Unchecked |
| Protruding fasteners | None | None | None | Possible |
| Rated load | Full | Full | Full | Unknown |
| Indicative price index | 100 | 62–70 | 75–85 | 30–45 |
| Re-stamped with passport | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Price index is relative, with A-grade set at 100, and moves with the market. Note that rated load is full on A, B and Combo alike — grade is a cosmetic and repair-history statement, not a strength one. Grades explained in full.
| Support condition | What governs | Share of static rating | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor, full contact | Crushing | 1.00 | The largest published figure and the least useful one. |
| Fork tines, in motion | Bending + dynamic shock | 0.35–0.45 | The dynamic rating. What matters for nearly every operation. |
| Racked across stringers | Stringer bending | 0.30–0.40 | Stringers span the beams. The stronger racking orientation. |
| Racked along stringers | Deck board bending | 0.15–0.25 | Deck boards span unsupported. Frequently halves usable capacity. |
| Racked, sustained months | Creep | 0.12–0.20 | Progressive, non-recovering deflection. Floor storage never reveals this. |
| Double stacked | Lower platform crushing | Static rating of lower unit | Do not apply a dynamic rating to a platform carrying another platform. |
Factors are indicative multipliers against the floor-supported static figure, for a standard recycled 48 × 40 GMA stringer platform. Racking orientation alone can halve the usable number.
| Type | Withdrawal resistance | Drive speed | Typical use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth shank | Low | Fastest | One-way economy platforms | Loosens over repeated cycles. Acceptable where the platform will not return. |
| Helical / screw shank | Good | Moderate | Hardwood assembly | Twists as it drives, cutting a thread. Strong in dense species. |
| Stem threaded (annular ring) | Excellent | Moderate | All our repairs, durable builds | Rings bite against withdrawal. The industry workhorse and our default. |
| Staple | Low–moderate | Very fast | Collars, light assembly | Fine for non-structural joints. Not used on deck-to-stringer joints here. |
| Steel plate, through-nailed | Highest | Slow | Stringer break repair | Strongest repair available. Check conveyor clearance before specifying. |
One line in a specification — “stem-threaded fasteners, staggered pattern, driven flush, no protrusion” — is the difference between a platform that lasts two years and one that lasts five. The long version.
The terms these posts assume you know.
Vocabulary is the cheapest performance upgrade in this industry — almost every argument we have with a new customer comes down to two people using the same word for different objects.
- Block pallet
- A pallet using nine blocks instead of stringers, giving true four-way entry for both forks and pallet jacks. The European standard.
- Board foot
- A unit of lumber volume: 12 × 12 × 1 inches. A 48×40 GMA pallet contains roughly 35–40 board feet.
- Chamfer
- The angled edge cut on bottom deck boards so a pallet jack can climb aboard without catching.
- Deck coverage
- The percentage of the pallet footprint actually covered by boards. Drives whether cartons bridge or sag.
- Flush pallet
- Deck boards end level with the outer stringers — no overhang. Contrast with single- or double-wing.
- GMA
- Grocery Manufacturers Association, whose 48×40 spec became the de facto North American pallet.
- Lead board
- The outermost deck board at each end. Takes the most abuse and is the most replaced part of any pallet.
- Notch
- The cut-out in a stringer that lets a fork enter from the side, making a stringer pallet four-way.
- Skid
- A platform with no bottom deck. Lighter and nestable; lower capacity.
- Stringer
- The lengthwise runner separating top and bottom decks in a non-block pallet.
Where fundamentals meets what we actually sell.
Fundamentals questions we get.
What is the single most useful thing to put in a pallet specification?
A board count, written as 7/5 or 5/3. It is unambiguous, it drives price, and it tells a supplier more about what you need than the word 'heavy' ever will. The second most useful is the load case — weight, distribution, floor or racked — which almost nobody supplies and which determines whether the rest of the specification is adequate.
Is a block pallet always better than a stringer pallet?
No. It is better at one specific thing: genuine four-way access for a hand pallet jack. It costs a third to three-quarters more in recycled stock and weighs 15 to 25 lb more, which is payload you lose on a weight-limited lane. If your operation runs forklifts and few manual jacks, a notched stringer pallet is the correct and cheaper answer.
How much does deck configuration really matter?
Enormously for some products and not at all for others. Rigid corrugated cases bridge a two- to three-inch gap without noticing. Bagged product, soft-pack and anything with a flexible base drapes into it, which destabilises every layer above. If you ship sacks on a 5/3 economy deck, the deck is your problem.
Eleven more areas.
NoteSubject pages are reachable from the blog index and from every post rather than the main menu. The full archive lists all forty posts by year.