Pallet templates in the designer
The designer ships with 21 templates across eight pallet types: 7 wood stringer, 4 wood block, 4 plastic, 2 metal, and one each for presswood, paper, slip sheet and anything else. Each opens as a complete, valid design you can edit.
A template is a complete pallet design with every property filled in. Opening one is the fastest way to start, because you only change what differs from a standard pallet.
Where to find templates
Templates appear in three places:
- Home page: the template grid. Each card opens the designer at that design.
- Browser panel (left side of the designer, desktop widths): the Templates list shows all 21, tagged by type.
- Pallet section of the inspector: the Template menu lists the templates for the current type. It appears only when the type has more than one template.
Each template also has a reference page at /pallets/{id} with the full drawing sheet and spec, for example the 48 × 40 GMA.
Wood stringer templates
| Template | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 48×40 GMA | 48 × 40 in | Grocery-standard partial four-way. 7 top boards, 5 bottom boards, 3 notched stringers. |
| 42×42 square | 42 × 42 in | Common for paint, telecom and chemicals. SPF lumber, 1-1/2 in stringers. |
| 48×48 drum | 48 × 48 in | Four 55-gal drums. 9 top boards at 3/4 in, 4 stringers. |
| Winged 48×40 | 48 × 40 in | Single-wing top deck with a 2 in overhang, for bagged loads and bar slings. |
| Skid | 48 × 40 in | Single-face, no bottom deck, on 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in runners. |
| 48×20 half display | 48 × 20 in | Retail floor display footprint, 2 stringers. |
| Plastic lumber 48×40 | 48 × 40 in | Built like wood from extruded HDPE boards, screwed. |
Wood block templates
| Template | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| EUR / EPAL 1 | 1200 × 800 mm | 5 top boards, 3 stringerboards, 9 blocks, 3 bottom boards. ISPM 15 set to required. |
| 48×40 block | 48 × 40 in | Full four-way perimeter base, the North American pooled-pallet style. |
| 1200×1000 perimeter | 1200 × 1000 mm | UK and Asia standard, 7 top boards. |
| CP1 | 1200 × 1000 mm | Chemical-industry pallet, 9 top boards, 3-board bottom. ISPM 15 set to required. |
Plastic, metal and other templates
| Template | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rackable plastic | 48 × 40 in | Closed deck, 3 runners, racked across width on a 42 in beam span, 2,000 lb racking rating requested. |
| Nestable plastic | 48 × 40 in | 9 feet, open deck, recycled resin. Not rackable. |
| Hygienic plastic | 1200 × 800 mm | Closed top, perimeter base, virgin HDPE, food contact and washdown set. |
| Export plastic | 45 × 45 in | Light, nestable, one-way. |
| Galvanized steel | 48 × 40 in | Welded, hot-dip galvanized, channel runners. |
| Aluminum | 48 × 40 in | Seal-welded, cruciform base, perforated deck. |
| Presswood | 48 × 40 in | Molded wood fiber, 2,000 lb dynamic grade. |
| Honeycomb paper | 48 × 40 in | Triple-wall honeycomb, 9 blocks, one-way. |
| Slip sheet | 48 × 40 in load | Solid fiber, one 4 in tab. |
| Something else | 48 × 40 in | A free-text description for cages, spill pallets, bin bases and one-offs. |
Metric templates
The EUR / EPAL 1, 1200×1000 perimeter, CP1 and hygienic plastic templates are defined in millimetres and open with the display units set to mm. The designer stores every length in inches internally, so the millimetre values are exact conversions. See Units and conventions.
Changing the pallet type
Changing Type in the Pallet section loads the first template of the new type. The designer keeps what you have already said about the order: load and handling, compliance, marking, order quantities and notes carry over. A custom document name also carries over. Construction details do not, because they belong to the old type.
Switching to wood block loads the EUR / EPAL 1 template and sets ISPM 15 to required. Change it back in Compliance & marking if the pallet is for domestic use.
For more on each type, see Wood stringer pallets, Wood block pallets and Other pallet types.
Frequently asked questions
Can I save my own template?
Not as a named template. Copy a share link instead: it holds the full design and reopens it in the designer.
Why does the Template menu say Custom?
As soon as you change any property except the name, the design no longer matches a template, so the menu shows Custom. The design itself is unchanged.
Related
- DocsGetting started with the pallet designerOpen a template, edit its properties in the inspector, clear any errors in the Checks tab, then switch to the Drawing tab for an ANSI B sheet. From there you can share a link, print, or request a quote. No account is needed and the designer is free.
- DocsDesigning wood stringer palletsWood stringer pallets are modeled board by board. You set the build (pallet, skid or plastic lumber), wings, top and bottom deckboard count, thickness and widths, stringer count and size, optional 4-way notches, lumber and fasteners. Deckboards are spaced evenly with flush ends.
- DocsDesigning wood block palletsBlock pallets are modeled as 9 blocks in a 3 × 3 grid under 3 stringerboards, with a top deck and a perimeter, cruciform or 3-board bottom. You set deckboard direction, board counts and widths, block sizes and material, and whether the pallet is Euro-size or EPAL-licensed.
- DocsPlastic, metal, presswood, paper and slip sheetsBesides wood, the designer covers molded plastic (by requirements and archetype), metal, presswood (by load grade), paper and honeycomb, slip sheets (material, caliper, tabs) and an Anything else type. Plastic, presswood and Anything else are drawn as representative geometry.
- Sizes48 × 40 pallet (GMA): dimensions, weight and specsA 48 × 40 in pallet (1219 × 1016 mm) is the North American standard, also called the GMA pallet. The typical build is a partial 4-way stringer pallet about 4.75 in tall with 7 top and 5 bottom deckboards on 3 notched stringers. Pooled 48 × 40 block pallets (CHEP, PECO) share the same footprint.
- TypesEuro pallet (EUR / EPAL 1): dimensions, weight and constructionThe Euro pallet (EUR or EPAL 1) is a licensed European block pallet measuring 1200 × 800 × 144 mm (47.2 × 31.5 × 5.7 in). It weighs about 25 kg (55 lb), has 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, and carries a safe working load of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb). Only EPAL licensees may build and mark it.
More in Using the designer
- DocsThe designer interface and keyboard shortcutsThe designer has a top bar (name, Model and Drawing tabs, Share, Print drawing, Request quote), a toolbar for views and display modes, a Browser panel listing parts and templates, a 3D viewport, an inspector with Properties, Checks and Parts tabs, and a status bar.
- DocsUnits and dimension conventionsEvery length is stored in inches at actual size and shown in inches or millimetres. Length is the stringer or stringerboard direction and is stated first. Drawings use decimal inches or whole millimetres; parts lists use shop fractions to the nearest 1/16 in.
- DocsDesign checks: every rule, what it means and how to fix itThe designer runs geometry, Uniform Standard and practicality checks as you edit. Errors (red) mean the pallet can't be built as drawn and block a quote request. Warnings (amber) flag likely problems. Passes (green) confirm a rule is met or add a note.
- DocsThe drawing sheetThe Drawing tab generates an ANSI B (17 × 11 in) engineering drawing from the model: top, bottom, front and right views in third-angle projection at one standard scale, an isometric view, a parts list, five general notes, and a title block with the classification.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 725 words.