Dimension order (pallet sizes)
Also called: length × width convention, L × W × H
Dimension order is the convention for stating pallet sizes. In North America the first number is the length, meaning the stringer or stringerboard length, then width, then height: a 48 × 40 pallet has 48 in stringers.
In depth: How to measure a pallet: length, width, height and every board
Two pallets with the same footprint can be built at right angles to each other, so the order of the numbers carries information.
The North American convention
| Position | Meaning | Deckboards |
|---|---|---|
| First (length) | Stringer or stringerboard length | Run across it |
| Second (width) | Top deckboard length | |
| Third (height) | Overall height |
A 48 × 40 has 48 in stringers and 40 in deckboards, and takes forks through its 40 in ends. A 40 × 48 has 40 in stringers and 48 in deckboards, so the openings are in the 48 in faces. ANSI MH1 lists both as separate sizes.
For panel-deck block pallets with no stringerboards, length runs along the plywood face grain.
Why it matters
Getting the order wrong gives a pallet that fits the rack or trailer the wrong way, with forks entering the wrong face. It also changes which way racks span it.
The European exception
European sizes are usually stated longer side first regardless of build. An EUR 1 pallet is "1200 × 800 mm", but its three stringerboards are 800 mm long and its top deckboards 1200 mm. By the North American rule it would be written 800 × 1200.
On a spec sheet
State the convention in words when it matters: "48 in along stringers × 40 in along deckboards".
Related
- GlossaryFootprint (pallet)A pallet's footprint is its plan size, length × width, such as 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) or 1200 × 800 mm. It sets how many pallets fit in a trailer, container or rack bay.
- 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.
- GlossaryStringerboard (block pallet)A stringerboard is a continuous board on a block pallet that runs the full pallet length between the deckboards and the blocks, tying the blocks together. EPAL 1 uses three stringerboards of 22 × 145 × 800 mm.
- GuidesHow to measure a pallet: length, width, height and every boardMeasure the stringer (or stringerboard) direction first and call it length, then the deckboard length as width, then overall height from floor to top deck. A 48 × 40 pallet is 48 in along the stringers. For a quote, also record every board's actual size, count and position, and the notch and opening sizes.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 234 words.