Single-face pallet
Also called: single-deck, single-faced pallet
A single-face pallet has only one deck, the top deck, fastened to stringers or blocks, with no bottom deckboards. A skid is a single-face pallet.
In depth: Single-face pallet: construction, uses and limits
On a single-face pallet the stringers, runners or blocks sit directly on the floor. There is a top deck and nothing underneath. Deck style is one field in the pallet classification, with three values: single-face, double-face non-reversible and double-face reversible.
Where it is used
| Use | Reason |
|---|---|
| Skids for machinery and crate bases | Runners bolt to equipment; can be dragged |
| One-way shipments of light loads | Less wood and lower cost |
| Nestable plastic and presswood pallets | Legs nest into the pallet below |
Why it matters
Without a bottom deck, the stringers carry the load straight to the floor as narrow strips, so a single-face pallet is poor for floor-stacking loaded pallets on top of each other, and the stringers can roll over under side loads. Most single-face designs are not suitable for rack storage on beams across their width. They are also easier to enter with a pallet jack, since nothing blocks the wheels.
On a spec sheet
The classification line reads "Single-Face" and the bottom deck section is empty. For skids, add runner size, and any runner-end chamfer or bolt pattern.
Related
- TypesSingle-face pallet: construction, uses and limitsA single-face pallet has only one deck: deckboards on top of the stringers or runners and nothing underneath. It is lighter and cheaper than a double-face pallet and suits one-way loads, machinery and crate bases, but it spreads load poorly onto the floor or the pallet below and is weak in racking across its width.
- 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).
- TypesSkid: what it is, how it differs from a pallet, and how to spec oneStrictly, a skid is a pallet with no bottom deck: a top deck fastened to runners, often 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in (a nominal 4 × 4). Skids carry machinery, crates and heavy loads that are dragged or bolted down. In everyday freight speech, especially in Canada and LTL shipping, skid often just means pallet.
- ComparisonsPallet vs skid: what is the difference?A skid is a platform with a top deck on runners and no bottom deck; a pallet has a bottom deck too. Choose a skid for heavy machinery, crate bases and loads that are dragged or bolted down. Choose a pallet for stacked, racked or conveyed loads and standard warehouse handling.
- GlossaryRunner (pallet and skid)A runner is a continuous member along the bottom of a pallet or skid that rests on the floor. On skids it is the heavy stringer; on block and plastic pallets it is a bottom board or rail joining the blocks or feet in one direction.
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. 196 words.