Stringerboard (block pallet)
Also called: stringer board, cross board
A stringerboard is a continuous board on a block pallet that runs the full pallet length between the deckboards and the blocks, tying the blocks together. EPAL 1 uses three stringerboards of 22 × 145 × 800 mm.
In depth: Block pallet: construction, dimensions and uses
A stringerboard is the block-pallet counterpart of a stringer, but it is a flat board rather than a deep beam. The blocks create the height, and the stringerboard spans over them, perpendicular to the top deckboards. Deckboards plus stringerboards are often pre-assembled as a "deck mat" with clinched nails.
Typical sizes
| Pallet | Stringerboards |
|---|---|
| EPAL 1 (1200 × 800 mm) | 3 × 22 × 145 × 800 mm |
| PDS metric example (1200 × 1000 mm) | 3 × 18 × 95 × 1200 mm |
| North American 48 × 40 block | Commonly 3, about 5/8 to 3/4 in thick, often 5-1/2 in wide |
The North American row is a typical range, not a standard. Check the manufacturer's drawing.
Why it matters
Stringerboards spread the load from the deckboards into the blocks and hold the blocks in line. Their thickness adds directly to overall height, and on perimeter-base and overlap-base designs there can be bottom stringerboards as well as top ones. In a structural analysis the center top stringerboard can be the critical member.
On a spec sheet
Listed as count, thickness, width, length, with top and bottom stringerboards on separate rows. The Uniform Standard (2012) applies the same thickness and width tolerances as deckboards.
Common confusions
In block-pallet naming, the pallet length is the stringerboard length, so dimension order follows the stringerboards. In Europe the same parts are often called cross boards. Do not confuse a stringerboard with a stringer: a stringer pallet has no blocks.
Related
- TypesBlock pallet: construction, dimensions and usesA block pallet is a wooden pallet whose deck sits on blocks, usually nine arranged 3 × 3, joined by stringerboards. The gaps between blocks give full 4-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. EUR/EPAL, CP and the pooled 48 × 40 in pallets of CHEP and PECO are all block pallets.
- 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.
- 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.
- GlossaryCross-board (pallet)A cross-board is a board that runs at right angles to the main deckboards of a pallet. The term is informal: it usually means a block pallet's stringerboard, or the center boards of a cruciform bottom deck.
- TypesEuro pallet (EUR / EPAL 1): dimensions, weight and constructionThe Euro pallet (EUR or EPAL 1) is a licensed European block pallet measuring 1200 × 800 × 144 mm (47.2 × 31.5 × 5.7 in). It weighs about 25 kg (55 lb), has 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, and carries a safe working load of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb). Only EPAL licensees may build and mark it.
- ComparisonsBlock vs stringer pallets: differences and when to use eachChoose a stringer pallet when you want the lowest cost, one-way or closed-loop use and mostly 2-way handling. Choose a block pallet when you need true 4-way entry for forklifts and pallet jacks, heavy reuse, pooling, automation or the European 1200 × 800 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.
- 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. 260 words.