Overall height (pallet)
Also called: pallet height, total height
Overall height is the total height of an empty pallet, from the floor to the top of the top deck. A GMA-style 48 × 40 is 4-3/4 in (121 mm) and an EPAL 1 is 144 mm (5.7 in).
In depth: Standard pallet height: empty pallets and maximum load heights
Overall height is the third number in a full pallet size (length × width × height). It is the height the empty pallet adds under the load, and it is fixed by the stack of components.
How to calculate it
- Stringer pallet: top deck thickness + stringer height + bottom deck thickness.
- Block pallet: top deck + top stringerboard + block + bottom stringerboard (if any) + bottom deck.
Typical values
| Pallet | Build | Overall height |
|---|---|---|
| GMA-style 48 × 40 | 0.625 + 3.5 + 0.625 in | 4.75 in (121 mm) |
| EPAL 1 | 22 + 22 + 78 + 22 mm | 144 mm (5.7 in) |
| Plastic pallets | Molded | About 4.5 to 7 in (114 to 178 mm) |
| Skid on 3-1/2 in runners, 3/4 in deck | 0.75 + 3.5 in | 4.25 in (108 mm) |
Why it matters
Pallet height counts against trailer, container and rack clearance, and against retailer limits on total unit-load height. It also sets entry height, since taller stringers or blocks give more room for forks. Taller is not always stronger: it depends on which part governs. See pallet height.
On a spec sheet
PDS shows overall height on the side and end views, often with its breakdown (for example 0.625 + 3.5 + 0.625). If you have a hard limit, state it as a maximum.
Related
- GuidesStandard pallet height: empty pallets and maximum load heightsAn empty standard 48 × 40 wood stringer pallet is about 4-3/4 to 6 in (121 to 152 mm) tall; a GMA-style build with 5/8 in decks on 3-1/2 in stringers is 4-3/4 in. A EUR pallet is 144 mm (5.7 in). Pooled 48 × 40 block pallets are about 5.6 in. Loaded, most unit loads are kept between 48 and 72 in overall.
- GlossaryEntry height (pallet)Entry height is the clear vertical height of a pallet's fork opening, from the floor or bottom deck to the underside of the top deck. On a 2-way stringer pallet it equals the stringer height, typically 3-1/2 in (89 mm).
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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. 243 words.