Half pallet: dimensions and uses (48 × 20 and 800 × 600)

A half pallet is half the footprint of a region's standard pallet. Two half pallets side by side fill a full pallet position, so they move through the same trucks, docks and racks. Their main use is retail floor displays: a supplier builds the display on the half pallet, and the store rolls it onto the floor without restacking.

#Half pallet sizes

Other regions use halves of their own standards where needed, but these two are by far the most common.

#North American half pallet (48 × 20 in)

The 48 × 20 in half pallet splits a 48 × 40 along its length, so each half keeps the 48 in stringer length. Two make a 48 × 40 footprint.

• Wood: usually 2 stringers (1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 in), about 7 top boards 20 in long, and 5 bottom boards. About 7.5 board feet, roughly 16 to 33 lb (estimate, by species and moisture).
• Pooled: CHEP lists a timber half pallet at 1220 × 508 × 128 mm.
• Plastic: molded display pallets are common, sometimes in retailer-specified colors.

See the 48 × 20 page and the half pallet template, or open it in the designer.

#Half Euro pallet (800 × 600 mm)

EPAL standardizes two half Euro pallets:

The EPAL 6 is a small version of the Euro pallet's 9-block design. The EPAL 7 is taller and uses 3 blocks with steel angles. CHEP pools an 800 × 600 wood and metal half pallet listed at 163 mm. See the 800 × 600 page.

#Retail display rules

Most half pallets carry displays, and the retailer sets the rules: footprint, maximum height, whether a header is allowed, maximum weight, labeling, and sometimes pallet material or color. North American club and mass-merchant retailers publish these in their supplier guides and change them from time to time. Work from the current guide or your buyer's instructions, not a copy on a display maker's website. See Walmart pallet requirements, Costco pallet requirements and display pallet.

#Half pallet vs full pallet

A half pallet usually costs more per unit of deck area than a full pallet, and two of them take the same truck position as one full pallet. It pays off when it saves store labor: the display arrives built, so staff don't unpack cases onto shelves.

#Building a display on a half pallet

• Keep the display inside the pallet footprint unless the retailer allows overhang.
• Put heavy product at the bottom and keep the center of gravity low.
• Use a corrugated display shell or tray to tie the cases together, and stretch-wrap for transit.
• Label the display as the retailer requires, usually on the side facing the aisle.
• If two halves ship as one 48 × 40 or 1200 × 800 unit, make sure they can be separated without cutting into the display.

#Load and stability

Half pallets are rated lower than full pallets. EPAL gives 750 kg (EPAL 6) and 500 kg (EPAL 7) safe working loads. For wood 48 × 20 pallets, the rating depends on the design, and the 20 in deckboards span about 17 in between two stringers with no center support. In practice the limit is often stability: a tall display on a narrow base tips more easily. Stretch-wrap tall displays and keep heavy product low. See pallet load capacity.

#Half pallets in freight pricing

"Half pallet" also appears in carrier price lists. UK pallet networks and some LTL services price full, half and quarter pallets by height and weight bands on a standard footprint, which is not the same as a half-size pallet. Check the carrier's definitions. See shipping pallets LTL.

#Specifying a half pallet

1. Size: 48 × 20 in or 800 × 600 mm (or another half of your standard).
2. Standard: EPAL 6, EPAL 7, pooled, or custom.
3. Material: wood, plastic, or wood and metal.
4. Retailer program and display rules.
5. Display weight and height, and whether it ships stacked or paired.

For smaller displays, see quarter pallet.