Source Euro pallets
Tell us quantity, whether you need licensed EPAL, and the destination.
Europe chose jack access over lumber economy.
A notched stringer pallet lets a forklift in from four sides but only lets a hand pallet jack in from two — the notch is not deep enough for jack wheels. Block construction replaces the runners with nine blocks and connecting boards, giving genuine four-way access for both. It uses more material and costs more. European warehouses, which run far more manual jacks per square metre than American ones, decided that was worth paying for.
- 9 blocks: 4 corner, 4 edge, 1 centre
- 3 bottom bearers with chamfered edges
- 11 deck boards in a specified arrangement
- Exactly 78 specified nails, driven to a specified pattern
- Branding on the corner blocks: EUR / EPAL, licence number, IPPC mark
What the stamp actually guarantees.
An EPAL mark is a statement that the platform was built or repaired by a licensed producer to the published specification, under third-party inspection. It is not a treatment mark — that is the separate IPPC wheat stamp. A pallet can be a genuine Euro footprint without being licensed EPAL, and that distinction matters if your customer's receiving department checks.
We will tell you plainly which you are buying. Unlicensed Euro-footprint platforms are legitimate, cheaper, and entirely suitable for most lanes — but if your contract says EPAL, we will source EPAL.
ISPM-15 is a separate questionFour Euro sizes, one logic.
| Designation | Millimetres | Inches | Common name | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPAL 1 | 1200 × 800 | 47.2 × 31.5" | Euro pallet | General European freight, retail, automotive |
| EPAL 2 | 1200 × 1000 | 47.2 × 39.4" | Industrial | Heavier industrial loads, chemical drums |
| EPAL 3 | 1000 × 1200 | 39.4 × 47.2" | Rotated industrial | Where fork entry must be on the long side |
| EPAL 6 | 800 × 600 | 31.5 × 23.6" | Half pallet | In-store display units |
| Display | 600 × 400 | 23.6 × 15.7" | Quarter pallet | Shelf-ready retail display |
Euro pallets, answered.
Do I need a Euro pallet to ship to Europe?
No. You need ISPM-15 compliant wood packaging. A GMA 48×40 heat treated and stamped clears customs perfectly well. You need a Euro pallet when the receiving warehouse's racking, automation or pallet exchange programme requires one — which is often, but is a commercial requirement, not a legal one.
Will two Euro pallets fit side by side in a US trailer?
Only just, and awkwardly. 800 + 800 is 1600 mm, about 63 inches, leaving a wasted 35 inches. Euro footprints are designed around a 2.4 m European trailer, not a 98-inch American van — which is the main reason they are inefficient on domestic US lanes.
Can a Euro pallet be repaired and stay EPAL?
Only by a licensed repairer using specified components. An unlicensed repair produces a sound pallet that is no longer a licensed EPAL pallet, and overstamping it would be fraud. We say which is which.
Are recycled Euro pallets available?
Yes, and the pool in the Mid-Atlantic is thinner than for GMA, so lead times are longer and price is higher. Plan a week of notice for volume.
Metric and imperial, side by side.
Note the trailer-fit column: a Euro footprint is genuinely efficient in a US van loaded the right way round, which almost nobody does.
| 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.