Cut stock (pallet components)
Also called: pallet stock, pallet shook, pallet components, cut-to-size lumber
Cut stock is lumber already sawn to the finished thickness, width and length of pallet parts, such as 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 in deckboards, ready for nailing. It is also called pallet stock or shook.
In depth: How to build a pallet: 48 × 40 cut list, nailing pattern and assembly
Most pallets are not built from lumberyard boards. They are built from cut stock: parts sawn to size from cants, low-grade lumber or dimension-lumber offcuts. Some pallet companies saw their own, and others buy cut stock from component mills and only assemble.
Typical cut-stock sizes
| Part | Example size | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Deckboard | 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 in | 16 × 89 × 1016 mm |
| Lead deckboard | 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 in | 16 × 140 × 1016 mm |
| Hardwood stringer | 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 in | 35 × 89 × 1219 mm |
| Softwood stringer | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 48 in | 38 × 89 × 1219 mm |
Why it matters
Cut stock is specified by actual dimensions, which is why pallet specs never use lumberyard nominal sizes as the real size. It is sold by the piece or by the board foot, so the part list and board-foot total drive pallet cost. Part sizes that match what local mills already cut are cheaper and faster than odd sizes. A production order's cut list (for example "8000 pieces 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40") is essentially a cut-stock order.
On a spec sheet
Each component row (count, thickness, width, length) is a cut-stock size. Add species, grade and moisture content.
Related
- GlossaryCant (pallet lumber)A cant is a log that has been sawn flat on two or four sides. In the pallet industry it usually means the low-grade center of a hardwood log, left after grade lumber is cut from the outside, which is resawn into pallet parts.
- 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.
- GlossaryNominal dimension (pallet and lumber)A nominal dimension is the named or trade size of a pallet or piece of lumber, such as a 48 × 40 pallet or a 2×4, rather than its measured size. Lumber nominal sizes are larger than actual: a 2×4 is 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in.
- GuidesHow to build a pallet: 48 × 40 cut list, nailing pattern and assemblyA GMA-style 48 × 40 pallet uses 3 stringers of 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 in, 7 top and 5 bottom 5/8 in × 40 in deckboards (5-1/2 in leads, 3-1/2 in interiors) and 84 nails of 2-1/4 in: 3 per joint on lead boards, 2 elsewhere. In a jig, nail the top lead boards first, then the rest, flip, and do the bottom.
- GuidesHow much does a pallet cost? New, used, plastic and custom pricesIn the US in 2026, a new 48 × 40 in wood stringer pallet typically costs about $10–25, a used Grade A about $6–14 and a Grade B about $3–8. Heat treatment adds about $1–3. Plastic pallets run roughly $40–200 and metal $150–600 or more. These are estimates that move with lumber, resin and freight markets; get quotes.
More in Materials
- GlossaryBark (on pallet lumber)Bark is the outer layer of a tree trunk. ISPM 15 requires wood packaging to be made from debarked wood, allowing only small remnants: pieces under 3 cm wide of any length, or wider pieces with a surface area under 50 cm².
- 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.
- GlossaryCorrugated fiberboard (pallets and slip sheets)Corrugated fiberboard is a board made of a fluted paper medium glued between flat paper liners. It is used for boxes, and in pallet work for corrugated paper pallets, slip sheets, tier sheets and pallet runners.
- GlossaryDouglas-fir (pallet lumber)Douglas-fir is a dense, strong softwood from western North America, also grown in Europe. It is species class 11 (Douglas-fir–larch) in the Uniform Standard and PDS, and class 33 in the European species list.
- GlossaryGalvanizing (steel pallets and fasteners)Galvanizing is coating steel with zinc to protect it from corrosion. Steel pallets are often hot-dip galvanized after fabrication, and galvanized nails, staples and hinges are used where wood pallets or collars see moisture.
- GlossaryGreen lumber (pallets)Green lumber is freshly sawn wood that has not been dried, with moisture content above the fiber saturation point of about 28%. Many hardwood pallets are built from green lumber because drying adds cost.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 229 words.