Panel deck (pallet)
Also called: plywood deck, OSB deck, sheet deck
A panel deck is a pallet deck made from a wood structural panel, usually plywood or OSB, instead of individual deckboards. It gives a solid, flat surface for small or unstable loads.
In depth: Wooden pallets: types, construction, sizes and how to specify them
A panel deck replaces deckboards with a sheet of plywood or OSB. It gives 100% deck coverage and a smooth surface. In PDS, panel is a deck style (Panel, or Panel/Stringerboard on block pallets), not a separate pallet class.
Rules from the Uniform Standard (2012)
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Face grain | Perpendicular to the stringers |
| Minimum panel piece width | 24 in (610 mm) |
| Minimum width of strips and webs between cutouts | 6 in (152 mm) |
| OSB strips as bottom boards | Not allowed |
| Stringer pallet fastening | At least 3 fasteners at each stringer end, starting 1 in from the end at 2 in spacing; interior at most 10 in on center |
| Panel grades | Rated Sheathing or Sturd-I-Floor, Exposure 1 or Exterior |
Why it matters
Panel decks suit small cartons, bags, loose parts, and loads that must stay flat, such as for automation or clean handling. The panel works as a plate, so load spreads well. The trade-offs are weight, cost, moisture sensitivity at edges, and water pooling on a closed surface. Plywood and OSB are processed wood and are exempt from ISPM 15 on their own, but a pallet with solid-wood stringers or blocks still needs treatment.
On a spec sheet
Deck style "Panel", material (plywood or OSB), grade and exposure rating, thickness, any cutouts, and the fastener spacing.
Related
- GlossaryOSB and plywood (pallet panels)Plywood (glued wood veneers) and OSB (oriented strand board, glued wood strands) are wood structural panels. On pallets they are used as solid panel decks, deck strips and laminated blocks, and as processed wood they are exempt from ISPM 15.
- GlossaryTop deck (pallet)The top deck is the load-carrying upper surface of a pallet, made of deckboards or a panel fastened across the stringers, stringerboards or blocks.
- GlossaryDeck coverage (pallet)Deck coverage is the percentage of a pallet deck's area that is covered by deckboards. A GMA-style 48 × 40 top deck covers about 59%; a solid deck covers 100%.
- GlossaryWhat is ISPM 15?ISPM 15 is the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standard for wood packaging material in international trade. It requires pallets, crates and dunnage made of solid wood to be debarked, treated by an approved method such as heat treatment (56 °C core for 30 minutes), and marked with the IPPC mark.
- TypesWooden pallets: types, construction, sizes and how to specify themA wooden pallet is a flat transport platform built from lumber deckboards fastened to stringers or blocks. In North America most are 48 × 40 in stringer pallets weighing about 30–70 lb (14–32 kg); in Europe the 1200 × 800 mm EPAL block pallet dominates. Wood must be ISPM 15 treated for most export.
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. 241 words.