Designing wood stringer pallets
Wood 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.
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Height
- 4.75 in
- Lumber
- 13.5 bd ft
- Est. weight
- 59 lb (27 kg)
- Fasteners
- 84
Every dimension is editable. Get the drawing free, or request a quote.
The wood stringer family covers most North American pallets: GMA-style partial four-way pallets, two-way pallets, winged pallets, skids and pallets built from plastic lumber. Every board is modeled at its actual size, so the drawing and parts list are exact.
Start from the 48 × 40 GMA template or another stringer template, then edit the sections below. All lengths are actual dimensions at manufacture, not nominal lumber sizes.
Type
| Field | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Pallet, Skid, Plastic lumber | Skid removes the bottom deck and renames stringers to runners. Plastic lumber switches the material to extruded plastic boards. |
| Wings | Flush, Single, Double | See below. |
| Wing overhang | length | Shown when a winged style is selected. |
A winged pallet has deckboards that overhang the outer stringers. Single wing: the top deck overhangs and the bottom deck stops at the stringers. Double wing: both decks run the full width. The stringers move inward by the overhang on each side. Wings are used for bagged loads and bar-sling lifting.
Top deck
Choose Boards or Panel. For boards, set the board count, Thickness, Lead board width and Interior width. The two end boards are lead boards, and the rest are interior deckboards. The deckboards run across the width, over the stringers.
The designer places the lead boards flush with each end and spaces the others with equal gaps. On the GMA template, 2 leads at 5-1/2 in and 5 interiors at 3-1/2 in on a 48 in length leave 6 gaps of about 3.25 in. If the boards need more length than the pallet has, the Checks tab shows an overlap error. If gaps exceed 5 in, it warns you.
Panel replaces the boards with a single plywood or OSB sheet covering the full footprint.
Bottom deck
Not shown for a skid. Set the Boards count (0 makes it a skid), Thickness, Lead board width and Interior width, and choose how the interior boards sit:
- Grouped: interior boards cluster in the flat span between the notches. This is the GMA layout and keeps the notches clear. It applies only when notches are on.
- Even: interior boards are spaced equally between the lead boards.
Chamfer leads marks the bottom lead boards as chamfered, which eases pallet jack wheel entry. The chamfer is noted in the parts list description and spec rather than drawn.
Stringers
Set the stringer Count (2 to 18), Width and Height. Stringers are spaced evenly across the width, with the outer faces flush to the pallet sides (or set in by the wing overhang). Common sizes are 1-3/8 or 1-1/2 in wide and 3-1/2 in tall.
4-way notches
Tick 4-way notches to cut two notches in the underside of every stringer, making the pallet partial four-way: forks can enter from the sides, but pallet jacks cannot. With notches off, the pallet is two-way.
| Field | GMA template value |
|---|---|
| Notch depth | 1-1/4 in |
| Notch length | 9 in |
| Start from end | 6 in |
| Corner radius | 3/4 in |
The notch depth plus the bottom deck thickness is the fork opening under the notch. The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets recommends about 2 × 9 in, rounded notch corners between 1/2 and 1-1/2 in radius, and at least 7 in of flat stringer between the notches. The designer checks all of these. See Design checks.
Lumber and fasteners
This section is collapsed by default. For plastic lumber it is replaced by a Material section with the profile (HDPE lumber or rigid PVC) and the fastener fields.
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Species | Mixed hardwood, Oak, Southern yellow pine, SPF, Douglas fir, Any available |
| Moisture | Green, Kiln-dried 19%, Kiln-dried 12% |
| Grade | Premium & Btr, Standard & Btr, Utility & Btr, Economy, Recycled #1 (A), Recycled #2 (B) |
| Manufacture | New lumber, Remanufactured, Combo |
| Fastener | Helical (screw shank), Annular (ring shank), Plain shank, Staple, Screw |
| Length | 0.75 to 6 in |
| Wire gauge | 12-1/2 ga (0.099) to 10 ga (0.135) |
| Per joint | Standard (by board width), 2, 3 or 4 |
Species and moisture drive the weight estimate. Per joint set to Standard follows the fastener minimums by board width from the Uniform Standard. The details are in Parts list and board feet. For background, read Pallet wood species, Pallet lumber grades and Pallet nails and fasteners.
The designer checks nail penetration: the nail length minus the top deckboard thickness must reach at least 1 in into the stringer for decks 1/2 in or thinner, and 1-1/4 in for thicker decks. Staples and screws are not checked.
How the classification is written
The drawing's title block and the spec include a classification string built from your settings, for example "48.00 x 40.00, Stringer-Class, Double-Face Non-Reversible, Flush, Partial 4-Way, Reusable, New Manufacture". A skid reads Single-Face (Skid), notches off reads 2-Way, and Reusable changes to Single-Use when Use is set to One-way in Load & handling.
Frequently asked questions
How does the designer space the deckboards?
The two lead boards sit flush with the pallet ends and the remaining boards are spaced with equal gaps. The gap is the length minus the total board width, divided by the number of gaps.
Can I put a plywood top on a stringer pallet?
Yes. Set Deck to Panel in the Top deck section. The top becomes one plywood or OSB panel of the thickness you enter, and the fastener count is estimated for a panel deck.
What does Grouped mean for the bottom deck?
With 4-way notches on, Grouped places the interior bottom boards together between the two notches, as on a GMA pallet, so the notches stay clear for fork tines. Even spaces them equally along the length.
Related
- TypesStringer pallet: construction, dimensions and when to use oneA stringer pallet is a wooden pallet whose deckboards are nailed across two or more continuous beams called stringers, usually three on a 48 × 40 in pallet. It is 2-way entry, or partial 4-way when the stringers are notched. It is the most common and cheapest pallet design in North America.
- GlossaryWhat is a pallet stringer?A stringer is the continuous beam that runs the full length of a stringer pallet between the top and bottom decks. Most 48 × 40 pallets use 3 stringers about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 in wide and 3-1/2 in (89 mm) tall.
- GlossaryWhat is a pallet notch?A notch is a cutout in the lower edge of a pallet stringer that lets forklift tines enter from the sides, making the pallet partial four-way. A typical 48 × 40 notch is 9 in long and 1-1/4 in deep, starting 6 in from each end.
- TypesWinged pallet: single-wing and double-wing constructionA winged pallet is a stringer pallet whose deckboards extend past the outer stringers, typically by 1 to 4 in (25–100 mm). On a single-wing pallet only the top deck overhangs; on a double-wing pallet both decks do. Wings give a larger deck, a grip edge for straps and room for bar slings to lift the load.
- GuidesDeckboard thickness and spacing: how to lay out a pallet deckPallet deckboards are usually 1/2 to 7/8 in (13 to 22 mm) thick and 3-1/2 to 6 in wide. Gaps are set by the board count: with ends flush, gap = (pallet length minus total board width) ÷ (boards minus 1). A GMA-style 48 × 40 has 7 top boards 5/8 in thick with 3-1/4 in gaps. Stiffness rises with the cube of thickness.
- 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.
- 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.
More in Using the designer
- 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.
- DocsPallet templates in the designerThe 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 867 words.