Order 48 × 40
Our deepest pool of recycled stock. Grade and volume is all we need.
Seven on top, five underneath, three stringers.
The canonical GMA platform: seven top deck boards including two wider lead boards, five bottom boards, three notched stringers running the 48-inch dimension. Notching the stringers is what makes it four-way for a fork and partial-four-way for a pallet jack.
- Stringers: 48" long, nominal 1⅜ × 3½ inches, notched twice per side
- Top deck: 7 boards — 2 leads at 5½", 5 interior at 3⅞"
- Bottom deck: 5 boards, usually chamfered on the outer two
- Overall height: approximately 5½ inches
- Fasteners: 78 stem-threaded nails, typical pattern
Six versions of the same footprint.
| Variant | Top / bottom boards | Stringers | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard GMA | 7 / 5 | 3 notched | General freight, grocery, CPG |
| Heavy duty | 7 / 7 | 3 notched, thicker | Dense product, long spans, racking |
| Economy | 5 / 3 | 3 notched | Light product, one-way shipments |
| Four-stringer | 7 / 5 | 4 notched | Point loads, drums, heavy machinery |
| Block pallet | 7 / 5 + perimeter | 9 blocks | True four-way jack entry, export |
| Wing / overhang | 7 / 5, boards overhang | 3 notched | Bar-lifting and clamp handling |
98 inches is the whole story.
A standard US dry van has an interior width of about 98–100 inches. Two 48-inch dimensions side by side make 96, leaving clearance. Turn one pallet and a 40 plus a 48 makes 88, which wastes ten inches. That single geometric fact is why 48 × 40 beat every competing footprint, and why a pinwheel load pattern gets you 26 positions instead of 24.
The default is not always the answer.
Four 55-gallon drums do not sit squarely on a 48 × 40 — that wants 48 × 48. Dairy crates want 40 × 40. Beverage DSD routes want 48 × 36 for narrow aisles. Ordering GMA out of habit when your product wants something else means paying to ship air for years.
Compare footprintsThe standard, in context with everything else.
How the 48 × 40 compares against every other footprint we handle, and how its capacity changes with support condition.
| 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.
| 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.