ISO pallet
Also called: ISO standard pallet, ISO 6780 pallet
An ISO pallet is a pallet built to one of the six footprints recognized in ISO 6780: 1200 × 800, 1200 × 1000, 1219 × 1016 (48 × 40 in), 1165 × 1165, 1067 × 1067 and 1100 × 1100 mm. ISO 6780 sets principal dimensions and tolerances, not construction.
In depth: ISO pallet sizes: the six ISO 6780 footprints
ISO 6780 gives a short list of footprints for international trade. It does not say how to build the pallet; test methods for strength are in ISO 8611.
The six ISO 6780 sizes
| Size (mm) | Size (in) | Main region |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 × 800 | 47.24 × 31.50 | Europe (EUR/EPAL 1) |
| 1200 × 1000 | 47.24 × 39.37 | Europe, UK, Asia |
| 1219 × 1016 | 48 × 40 | North America |
| 1165 × 1165 | 45.87 × 45.87 | Australia |
| 1067 × 1067 | 42 × 42 | North America, Europe, Asia |
| 1100 × 1100 | 43.31 × 43.31 | Asia (Japan, Korea) |
This list is from the 2003 edition of ISO 6780.
Why it matters
Choosing an ISO footprint makes a pallet more likely to fit racks, trucks and containers in the destination region. It does not guarantee compatibility: a 1200 × 800 mm pallet built without EPAL's design will not be accepted in EPAL exchange, and a 48 × 40 in block pallet is not a GMA stringer pallet. The ISO pallet sizes page shows how each size loads into containers.
On a spec sheet or RFQ
Give the footprint and its unit, and name any design standard (EPAL, GMA, CP) separately. "ISO pallet" alone does not define a construction.
Common confusions
ISO 6780 sizes are nominal. Actual dimensions vary within the standard's tolerances and the builder's.
Related
- SizesISO pallet sizes: the six ISO 6780 footprintsISO 6780 lists six standard pallet footprints: 1200 × 800 mm (Europe), 1200 × 1000 mm (Europe, Asia), 1219 × 1016 mm or 48 × 40 in (North America), 1165 × 1165 mm (Australia), 1067 × 1067 mm or 42 × 42 in (North America, Europe, Asia) and 1100 × 1100 mm (Asia). There is no single world pallet size.
- StandardsISO 6780: the six international pallet sizesISO 6780:2003 sets principal dimensions and tolerances of flat pallets for intercontinental handling. It recognizes six sizes: 1200 × 800, 1200 × 1000, 1219 × 1016 (48 × 40 in), 1165 × 1165, 1067 × 1067 and 1100 × 1100 mm, and covers openings, chamfers, wings, flatness and distortion.
- StandardsISO 8611: flat pallet test methods, performance and working loadsISO 8611 is the international standard for testing new flat pallets. Part 1 gives the test methods, Part 2 the performance requirements used to set a nominal load, and Part 3 how to determine the maximum working load for a known payload and support condition. Parts 1 and 2 were revised in 2025; Part 3 dates from 2011.
- Sizes1200 × 800 pallet (Euro pallet): dimensions, weight and specsA 1200 × 800 mm pallet (47.2 × 31.5 in) is the Euro pallet, standardized as EPAL 1 / EUR 1 and one of the six ISO 6780 sizes. The EPAL 1 is 144 mm tall, weighs about 25 kg, and has a safe working load of 1,500 kg. It is the standard pallet for European retail and food logistics.
- 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.
- CalculatorsPallet size converterConvert pallet dimensions between inches, millimetres, centimetres and feet, and find the nearest standard pallet size.
More in Standards and compliance
- GlossaryCP palletCP pallets (chemical pallets) are a family of nine standardized wood block pallets, CP1 to CP9, developed for the European chemical and plastics industries. Each type has a defined size and construction for loads such as bagged polymer, drums and bulk containers.
- GlossaryDebarked lumberDebarked lumber is wood from which the bark has been removed. ISPM 15 requires all treated wood packaging to be made of debarked wood, allowing only small pieces of bark: under 3 cm wide of any length, or wider pieces with a surface area under 50 cm² each.
- GlossaryDielectric heating (DH)Dielectric heating (DH) is an ISPM 15 treatment that heats wood packaging with microwaves or radio waves until the entire profile of the wood, including its surface, reaches at least 60 °C for 1 continuous minute. Treated wood is marked with the code DH.
- GlossaryEPALEPAL (European Pallet Association e.V.) is the organization that licenses manufacturers and repairers of EPAL Euro pallets and other EPAL load carriers and controls their quality. The EPAL 1 Euro pallet is a 1200 × 800 × 144 mm block pallet used in open pallet exchange across Europe.
- GlossaryFSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act)FSMA is the US Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. Under its Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart O), pallets are transportation equipment and must be designed and maintained so they are suitable and adequately cleanable, and do not make food unsafe.
- GlossaryGMAGMA stands for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (now the Consumer Brands Association), whose name became attached to the standard 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) US grocery pallet: a partial four-way wood stringer pallet with three notched stringers, seven top and five bottom deckboards.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 250 words.