Corner block (block pallet)
Also called: outer block
A corner block is one of the four blocks at the corners of a block pallet. Corner blocks take the most fork and pallet-jack impact, so the Uniform Standard requires more fasteners there than at interior blocks.
In depth: Block pallet: construction, dimensions and uses
The four corner blocks carry the ends of the stringerboards and the outer deckboards. On a nine-block pallet the others are the four edge blocks and one center block.
Typical values
| Pallet | Corner blocks |
|---|---|
| EPAL 1 | 78 mm (3.1 in) tall; plan 145 × 100 mm or 145 × 145 mm depending on position |
| PDS metric example | 95 × 95 × 145 mm |
| Minimum fasteners per connection (Uniform Standard, 2012) | 3, versus 2 at interior blocks |
Why it matters
A corner block sits where a fork or pallet jack that enters off-line hits first, and where the pallet lands when it is set down at an angle. Split, twisted and missing corner blocks are among the most common block-pallet repairs. Designers respond with more fasteners, larger blocks, laminated or composite blocks that resist splitting, and side-grain nailing. In PDS durability reports corner blocks are a separate component group.
On a spec sheet
If all blocks are the same size, one block row covers them. The fastener schedule sets a higher count at corner blocks. PDS 6.9 and later allow individual block sizes and inset or outset blocks, so corner blocks can differ.
Related
- GlossaryBlock (pallet)A block is a rectangular, square or cylindrical spacer between the decks of a block pallet. Most block pallets have 9 blocks in a 3 × 3 grid, and the block height sets the fork entry height.
- GlossaryCenter block (block pallet)The center block is the middle block in the 3 × 3 grid of a nine-block pallet. It supports the middle of the deck and, on EPAL pallets, carries the producer, date and treatment marks.
- GlossaryComposite block (pallet)A composite block is a pallet block made from wood chips, particles or fibers bonded with resin under heat and pressure. It does not split like solid wood and, as processed wood, is exempt from ISPM 15 on its own.
- 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.
- GuidesPallet repair: methods, standards and when a pallet is not worth fixingPallets are repaired by replacing broken deckboards, reinforcing cracked stringers with a companion stringer, plug or metal plate, and replacing damaged blocks, following ISO 18613 and the Uniform Standard. Repaired pallets are weaker than new, need re-treatment for export, and some retailers refuse them.
More in Components and construction
- GlossaryActual dimension (pallet and lumber)An actual dimension is the measured size of a pallet or component at manufacture. Pallet spec sheets state component sizes as actual dimensions, for example a 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 in deckboard.
- GlossaryBottom deck (pallet)The bottom deck is the lower layer of deckboards (or a perimeter, runner or panel base) on a double-face pallet. It spreads the load onto the floor, rack or conveyor and stabilizes the stringers or blocks.
- GlossaryBottom deck coverage (pallet)Bottom deck coverage is the percentage of a pallet's underside covered by bottom deckboards. A GMA-style 48 × 40 bottom deck covers about 45%, less than the top deck, to leave room for notches and pallet-jack wheels.
- GlossaryChamfer (pallet)A chamfer is a bevel cut along the edge of a bottom deckboard, usually a lead board, so pallet-jack wheels can ride up and over it instead of hitting a square edge.
- GlossaryCross-board (pallet)A cross-board is a board that runs at right angles to the main deckboards of a pallet. The term is informal: it usually means a block pallet's stringerboard, or the center boards of a cruciform bottom deck.
- GlossaryDeck coverage (pallet)Deck coverage is the percentage of a pallet deck's area that is covered by deckboards. A GMA-style 48 × 40 top deck covers about 59%; a solid deck covers 100%.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 208 words.