Non-reversible pallet
Also called: double-face non-reversible, DFNR
A non-reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose bottom deck differs from the top deck, usually with fewer or wider-spaced boards, so only the top face is meant to carry the load.
In depth: GMA pallet: 48 × 40 in dimensions, construction, weight and grades
Most double-face pallets are non-reversible. The bottom deck exists to spread load and stabilize the stringers or blocks, and it can do that with less wood than the top deck, which has to support the load directly.
Example
| Deck | GMA-style 48 × 40 |
|---|---|
| Top | 7 boards: 2 × 5-1/2 in + 5 × 3-1/2 in, 5/8 in thick |
| Bottom | 5 boards: 2 × 5-1/2 in + 3 × 3-1/2 in, 5/8 in thick |
The three interior bottom boards are grouped in the middle, clear of the stringer notches.
Why it matters
A non-reversible design saves lumber and weight and can leave openings for notches and pallet-jack wheels. The trade-off is that the pallet has a right way up. If it is loaded upside down, the load sits on fewer, wider-spaced boards, which damages cartons and overloads the boards.
On a spec sheet
The classification reads "Double-Face Non-Reversible". The bottom deck has its own table and spacing rule, often "ends flush, interior cluster equally spaced".
Related
- GlossaryReversible palletA reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so either face can carry the load.
- GlossaryDouble-face palletA double-face pallet has both a top deck and a bottom deck. It is either reversible (both decks identical and load-bearing) or non-reversible (the bottom deck has fewer or different boards).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- GlossaryCorner block (block pallet)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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 177 words.