Most pallet questions start with a pair of numbers. In the United States that pair is 48 by 40: the GMA pallet, which accounts for roughly a third of the pallets in circulation. Everything else is either a regional standard or a footprint built around a specific product. This page puts them side by side, explains how to read a pallet size, and helps you work out which one you actually need.
The standard sizes
| Footprint (in) | Metric (mm) | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | 1219 x 1016 | The GMA pallet. Grocery, retail, general warehousing. The North American default. |
| 48 x 48 | 1219 x 1219 | Drums and other round containers. Four 55-gallon drums per pallet. |
| 42 x 42 | 1067 x 1067 | Paint, telecom equipment. One of the six ISO 6780 footprints. |
| 48 x 45 | 1219 x 1143 | Automotive parts. |
| 44 x 44 | 1118 x 1118 | Chemical drums. |
| 40 x 48 | 1016 x 1219 | The GMA board turned, stringers on the 40 inch side. Military and cement handling. |
| 48 x 36 | 1219 x 914 | Beverage. |
| 48 x 20 | 1219 x 508 | Half pallet for retail displays and end caps. |
| 47.2 x 31.5 | 1200 x 800 | Euro pallet (EPAL). Europe. |
| 47.2 x 39.4 | 1200 x 1000 | Industrial Europe, UK. |
| 43.3 x 43.3 | 1100 x 1100 | Asia. |
| 44.9 x 44.9 | 1140 x 1140 | Australia, drums. |
Six of these are recognized by ISO 6780, the international standard for pallet footprints: 1219 x 1016, 1200 x 1000, 1200 x 800, 1140 x 1140, 1100 x 1100 and 1067 x 1067 mm. Everything else on the chart is an industry convention that grew up around a product, not an international standard.
How to read a pallet size
The first number is the stringer length. Stringers are the three long boards running underneath, and the forklift enters parallel to them. The second number is the deck board length, the boards you see on top. A 48 x 40 pallet is 48 inches along the stringers and 40 inches across the deck boards. Height is not part of the name; a standard GMA pallet stands roughly 5.7 to 6.5 inches tall depending on the lumber.
If you are measuring a pallet you already have, measure the stringer first, then the deck board, and write it stringer by deck. Suppliers, racking and truck floor plans all assume that order. A "40 x 48" is not a typo for a 48 x 40; it means the same board with the stringers on the short side, and it behaves differently in a rack.
What is on a GMA pallet
The standard GMA build has seven deck boards on top, five on the bottom, three stringers, and notches cut into the stringers so a forklift can enter from any of the four sides. That four-way entry is why the footprint took over: a truck can be loaded from the side or the back and a pallet jack still gets under it. Older two-way pallets without the notches still exist and are worth spotting before you order, because a jack only takes them from the ends.
Stringer pallets are the common recycled type. Block pallets replace the three stringers with nine blocks and are usually sturdier and heavier; they are less common in the used market and cost more.
Which size you actually need
If your product ships into grocery or big box retail, or goes into standard pallet racking, the answer is almost always 48 x 40. Rack beams, dock plates, conveyors and trailer floor plans in North America are dimensioned around it. Odd sizes cost more, are harder to source used, and get rejected at receiving docks that only take GMA.
Drums, machinery and tall or unusually heavy loads are the common reasons to step away from 48 x 40. If that is you, measure the load footprint and the racking before you order, and check that the receiving end can handle the size. A 48 x 48 that fits your drums perfectly is no use if the customer's rack is 40 inches deep.
Two more checks worth a minute. Overhang: product that hangs past the deck edge gets damaged in transit and can be refused, so pick the size that covers the load. And trailer math: 48 x 40 pallets fit a 53 foot trailer 26 or 30 to a floor depending on how they are turned, while an odd size can waste a whole row. Our guide to how many pallets fit in a truck covers that.
For the standard footprint in recycled Grade A and Grade B condition, see our 48x40 GMA pallets. If your size is not on this chart, a custom build is often the practical route.
Tell us the size, the quantity and where it is going and we will quote it: request a quote.