Four-way pallet: partial vs true 4-way entry explained
A four-way pallet can be entered from all four sides. A partial 4-way pallet is a stringer pallet with notched stringers: forklifts enter all four sides, but pallet jacks only the two ends. A true (full) 4-way pallet is usually a block pallet, which forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from every side.
"Four-way" is one of the most common words on a pallet RFQ and one of the most misunderstood. There are two kinds, and they behave differently with pallet jacks. Say which one you mean.
What is a four-way pallet?
A four-way pallet has fork openings on all four sides. The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets separates two entry classes:
| Entry class | Forklift | Pallet jack | Typical construction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partial 4-way | All 4 sides | 2 ends only | Stringer pallet with notched stringers |
| Full (true) 4-way | All 4 sides | All 4 sides | Block pallet |
A pallet jack's forks carry load wheels that drop to the floor inside the pallet. On a notched stringer pallet, the bottom deckboards run across the notches' path, so the wheels have nowhere to go from the side. On a block pallet, the bottom deck leaves openings on every side.
How is a partial 4-way pallet built?
The stringers of a stringer pallet get two notches each. Typical values on a 48 × 40 in:
| Notch feature | Typical | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 9 in | 229 mm |
| Depth | 1 to 1-1/2 in (1-1/4 in common) | 25–38 mm (32 mm) |
| Start from stringer end | 6 in | 152 mm |
| Corner radius | 1/2 to 1-1/2 in | 13–38 mm |
| Opening height (notch + bottom board) | about 2 in recommended | about 51 mm |
The Uniform Standard does not accept square notches and recommends at least 7 in (178 mm) of flat top between the notches. The bottom deckboards are placed to clear the notch zones. The GMA pallet is the standard example.
How is a true 4-way pallet built?
A block pallet has nine blocks with openings between them on every side. The pallet.design 48 × 40 block template has 3-1/2 in (89 mm) tall blocks under 3/4 in (19 mm) stringerboards and a perimeter bottom deck of 5/8 in (16 mm) boards. EUR/EPAL pallets have 78 mm (3.1 in) blocks. Bottom boards are often chamfered so jack wheels can roll over them.
Some plastic pallets are also true 4-way: designs with nine feet or a perimeter base.
Where are four-way pallets used?
- Partial 4-way: most US grocery and retail freight on GMA pallets, cross-docking, trailers loaded from the side.
- True 4-way: pooled pallets, European logistics, automated warehouses, retail back rooms where pallet jacks must enter any side.
Pros and limits
| Partial 4-way | True 4-way | |
|---|---|---|
| Handling flexibility | Good for forklifts, limited for jacks | Full |
| Cost | Low (stringer pallet + notching) | Higher |
| Racking across length | Notches reduce stringer section | Depends on stringerboards and blocks |
| Repair | Easy | Easy (blocks and boards replaceable) |
| Typical weight, 48 × 40 | 30–70 lb (14–32 kg) | about 45–70 lb (20–32 kg), estimate |
Capacity
Notches remove wood from the stringer at points of high stress, so a notched stringer is weaker when the pallet is racked across its length than an unnotched one of the same size. Designers compensate with deeper or wider stringers. Block pallet capacity depends on block, stringerboard and bottom deck sizes. For either type, the manufacturer's rating for your support condition is authoritative. See pallet load capacity.
ISPM 15
Wooden four-way pallets need heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export.
What drives the cost?
- Partial 4-way: notching adds a small machining cost to a stringer pallet
- True 4-way: block construction adds components (9 blocks, 3 stringerboards) and labour
- Lumber volume, species, heat treatment, volume and freight
Specifying a four-way pallet for a quote
- Say "partial 4-way (notched stringer)" or "full 4-way (block)"; "4-way" alone is ambiguous
- Whether pallet jacks must enter from the sides
- Notch length, depth and position, or block and bottom-deck layout
- Minimum opening size for your equipment (tine width, jack height)
- Footprint, deck boards, species, fasteners
- Load, racking and stacking
- ISPM 15 HT
- Quantity and delivery location
Related: two-way pallet, two-way vs four-way. Templates: GMA partial 4-way and 48 × 40 block full 4-way, which you can open in the designer.
Frequently asked questions
What is a partial 4-way pallet?
A stringer pallet with notches cut in the stringers. Forklift tines can enter through the notches from the sides, but a pallet jack cannot, because its wheels would hit the bottom deckboards.
Is a GMA pallet 4-way?
It is partial 4-way. The three stringers are notched, so forklifts can enter from all sides but pallet jacks only from the ends.
What makes a pallet true 4-way?
Openings on all four sides that are wide and tall enough for pallet-jack forks and have open floor space for the wheels. Block pallets with perimeter or unidirectional bottoms achieve this.
Do 4-way pallets cost more?
Partial 4-way adds only a notching step to a stringer pallet. True 4-way block pallets cost noticeably more because they have more components and a two-stage assembly.
Related
- TypesTwo-way pallet: what it is and when it is the right choiceA two-way pallet is a pallet that forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from only two opposite sides. Most are stringer pallets with solid (unnotched) stringers, so the forks go in between the stringers at the ends. They are cheaper and keep full stringer strength, but they cost handling flexibility.
- ComparisonsTwo-way vs four-way pallets: entry types explainedA two-way pallet takes forks from two opposite ends only. A four-way pallet takes forks from all four sides; partial four-way (notched stringers) admits forklifts but not pallet jacks from the sides. Choose two-way for low cost and fixed flows, four-way for flexible handling and trailer loading.
- GlossaryPartial four-way entry (pallet)Partial four-way means forklifts can enter a pallet from all four sides but pallet jacks only from two. It is usually made by cutting notches in the stringers, as on the GMA 48 × 40 pallet.
- GlossaryFour-way entry (pallet)Four-way entry means a pallet can be entered from all four sides. Full four-way pallets, usually block pallets with a perimeter or cruciform base, take both forklifts and pallet jacks from every side.
- TypesBlock pallet: construction, dimensions and usesA block pallet is a wooden pallet whose deck sits on blocks, usually nine arranged 3 × 3, joined by stringerboards. The gaps between blocks give full 4-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. EUR/EPAL, CP and the pooled 48 × 40 in pallets of CHEP and PECO are all block pallets.
- 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 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.
- TypesGMA pallet: 48 × 40 in dimensions, construction, weight and gradesA GMA pallet is a 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wooden stringer pallet built to the grocery industry's standard: three notched stringers for partial 4-way entry, seven top and five bottom deckboards, and an overall height of about 4-3/4 in (121 mm) in the standard build. It is the most common pallet in the United States.
More in Construction styles
- TypesSingle-face pallet: construction, uses and limitsA single-face pallet has only one deck: deckboards on top of the stringers or runners and nothing underneath. It is lighter and cheaper than a double-face pallet and suits one-way loads, machinery and crate bases, but it spreads load poorly onto the floor or the pallet below and is weak in racking across its width.
- TypesDouble-face pallet: construction, reversible vs non-reversibleA double-face pallet has a top deck and a bottom deck. Most are non-reversible: the bottom deck has fewer boards and only the top carries product. A reversible double-face pallet has two identical load-bearing decks. The bottom deck spreads load onto the floor or the load below and stiffens the pallet in racking.
- TypesReversible pallet: two identical decks, uses and trade-offsA reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so it can be loaded on either side. Flipping it spreads wear over two decks and removes the need to orient it. The trade-off is weight, cost and poor pallet-jack access, because the full bottom deck leaves no room for jack wheels.
- TypesFlush pallet: deckboards flush with the stringersA flush pallet is a pallet whose deckboards end exactly at the outside faces of the outer stringers or stringerboards, with no overhang. Almost all standard pallets, including GMA and EUR pallets, are flush. The alternative is a winged pallet, whose deckboards extend past the stringers.
- 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.
- TypesSkid: what it is, how it differs from a pallet, and how to spec oneStrictly, a skid is a pallet with no bottom deck: a top deck fastened to runners, often 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in (a nominal 4 × 4). Skids carry machinery, crates and heavy loads that are dragged or bolted down. In everyday freight speech, especially in Canada and LTL shipping, skid often just means pallet.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 733 words.