How to measure a pallet: length, width, height and every board

Pallet dimensions are stated as length × width × height, and length is not simply the longer side. In North America, length is the direction the stringers (or stringerboards on a block pallet) run. Get that wrong and a supplier can build a pallet with the fork openings on the wrong side. This guide shows how to measure the footprint, the height, and every component, and what to write down for a quote.

#Which side is length?

Length is the stringer or stringerboard dimension, stated first. Width is the length of the top deckboards. This is the dimension order used by the Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets, PDS spec sheets and most North American buyers.

The EUR pallet is the usual exception. Europeans state 1200 × 800 mm with the long side first. On an EPAL 1, the three stringerboards are 800 mm long and the top deckboards are 1200 mm long, so in stringer terms it is "800 × 1200". When you order a Euro-size pallet, say which way the top boards run rather than relying on the order of the numbers.

#Step by step: measuring the footprint

1. Set the pallet on a flat floor, top deck up.
2. Find the stringers or stringerboards. Look at the ends: stringers are the tall beams between the decks. On a block pallet, the stringerboards sit directly on the blocks under the top deck.
3. Measure length along a stringer, end to end, including any deckboard that overhangs the stringer ends. Measure at the outside edges.
4. Measure width along a top deckboard, end to end. If the top deck overhangs the outer stringers (a winged pallet), measure the deck, and note the overhang separately.
5. Check squareness by measuring both diagonals. The Uniform Standard allows the diagonals to differ by the greater of 1.5% or 1 in.

Record the actual measurement, not the size it is sold as. A "48 × 40" recycled pallet can measure 47-3/4 × 40-1/8 in. The Uniform Standard's assembly tolerance on overall size is +1/4 in / −1/2 in.

#How to measure pallet height

Measure overall height from the floor to the top of the top deck, at a corner and at the center. Use a straightedge across the deck if boards are cupped. Overall height equals top deckboard thickness plus stringer height plus bottom deckboard thickness.

The pallet height guide covers typical heights for every type and the height limits for loads.

#Measuring deckboards

For each deckboard, record thickness × width × length in actual dimensions. Use calipers or a steel rule for thickness. Group identical boards and count them.

On a stringer pallet, list top and bottom decks separately. The GMA-style pallet reads: top, 2 × 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 plus 5 × 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40; bottom, 2 × 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 plus 3 × 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40.

Board positions matter more than most buyers expect. Measure each board's leading edge from the same end. For the GMA-style top deck they are 0, 8-3/4, 15-1/2, 22-1/4, 29, 35-3/4 and 42-1/2 in, which gives equal 3-1/4 in gaps. See deckboard thickness and spacing.

#Measuring stringers and notches

Measure each stringer as width × height × length. Width is the horizontal thickness you see at the end of the pallet; height is vertical. Then measure the notches:

• Notch location: from the stringer end to the start of the notch (6 in on a GMA-style pallet).
• Notch length: along the stringer at the bottom (9 in).
• Notch depth: from the bottom of the stringer up to the flat top of the notch (1-1/4 in).
• Radius: the corner fillet (about 3/4 in).

Also measure where each stringer sits: the distance from the pallet edge to the outside face of each stringer. On a 40 in wide pallet with three 1-3/8 in stringers, the center stringer starts about 19-5/16 in from the edge.

#Measuring blocks and stringerboards

On a block pallet, measure each block as width × height × length and note its position (corner, edge, center). On an EPAL 1, six blocks are 145 × 100 × 78 mm and three are 145 × 145 × 78 mm. Measure stringerboards as thickness × width × length.

#Measuring openings

Openings decide which forks and pallet jacks fit.

• Entry height: floor to the underside of the top deck, minus the bottom deck. For a stringer end opening, it equals the stringer height.
• Clear width between stringers or blocks: measure at the narrowest point.
• Notch opening height: notch depth plus bottom deckboard thickness (about 1-7/8 in on the GMA-style pallet; the Uniform Standard recommends about 2 in).

#Common measuring mistakes

• Swapping length and width. The most common error. Always tie length to the stringers.
• Measuring nominal lumber sizes. A board sold as 1 × 4 is not 1 in thick. Measure it.
• Measuring one board and assuming the rest match. Lead boards are often wider than interior boards, and bottom boards can differ from top boards.
• Ignoring wear. Recycled pallets often have replaced boards of a different thickness, or a companion stringer added beside a broken one. Measure a new or best-condition sample.
• Measuring green wood and expecting it to stay that size. Wood shrinks as it dries, roughly 1% in width and thickness for every 5 points of moisture lost below about 28% moisture content.

#Measuring a loaded pallet for freight

For shipping, measure the whole unit load, not the pallet. Measure the longest, widest and tallest points, including overhang, stretch wrap bulges and corner boards. Carriers bill on these dimensions and recompute density from them, so measure honestly. See freight class and density.

#What to record for a quote

Photos of the top, bottom, one end and one side, with a tape in the frame, help a supplier confirm the design. Or enter the measurements in the designer and send the drawing. The size converter turns inches into millimeters for export specs.