How much does a pallet weigh? Weights by type, material and moisture

A pallet's weight depends on three things: how much material is in it, what the material is, and, for wood, how much water it holds. The same 48 × 40 design can weigh 59 lb the day it is built from green hardwood and 37 lb once it has dried. This guide gives typical weights by type, then shows how to estimate the weight of any wood pallet.

#Pallet weight by type

Wood figures for the GMA-style pallet come from published PDS spec sheets. Pooled, plastic, presswood, metal and paper figures are indicative ranges from manufacturer and distributor data. Your supplier's spec sheet is the authoritative number.

#How much does a 48 × 40 wood pallet weigh?

A 48 × 40 GMA-style wood stringer pallet weighs about 30 to 60 lb. A published PDS example gives exact figures for one design:

The first design has 7 top deckboards and 5 bottom deckboards, all 5/8 in thick, on 3 stringers of 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 in. You can open it in the designer, which estimates weight from the board feet, species and moisture you choose.

#Why moisture changes pallet weight so much

Moisture content (MC) is the weight of water in wood divided by the weight of the dry wood. Freshly sawn hardwood used for pallets is often 50% to 80% MC, which means a large share of a new pallet's weight is water. As the pallet dries toward the humidity of its surroundings (typically 12% to 19% MC indoors or under cover), that water leaves.

Using the PDS example above:

• 59 lb at manufacture (green)
• about 39 lb kiln dried to 19% MC
• 37 lb at 12% MC
• a 22 lb (37%) drop from drying alone

Green lumber is common in North American pallets because it is cheaper and easier to nail. Kiln-dried pallets cost more but weigh less from day one and resist mold. EUR pallets must be built from dry wood, which is one reason their weight is more consistent. See pallet lumber moisture for the full picture.

#How species affects weight

Dense hardwoods such as oak weigh about 60% more than spruce or fir at the same moisture content. Published density tables put red oak at about 63 lb/ft³ green and 44 lb/ft³ kiln dried, and Southern Yellow Pine at about 52 to 55 lb/ft³ green and 36 to 41 lb/ft³ dry. One board foot is 1/12 of a cubic foot.

These factors include nails and are calibrated to published PDS weights where available. They are estimates; real lumber varies by growth rate and density within a species. See pallet wood species.

#How to estimate the weight of a wood pallet

1. Add up the board feet. For each part, multiply thickness × width × length in inches, divide by 144, and multiply by the count. The board feet calculator does this for you.
2. Pick a factor from the species table for the moisture condition.
3. Multiply. Board feet × lb per board foot = approximate pallet weight. The factors in the table already include the nails.

Worked example, GMA-style 48 × 40:

• Top deck: 2 × 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 + 5 × 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 = 4.95 bd ft
• Bottom deck: 2 × 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 + 3 × 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 = 3.73 bd ft
• Stringers: 3 × 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 = 4.81 bd ft
• Total: 13.5 bd ft × 4.37 lb/bd ft (green mixed hardwood) = 59 lb

#Plastic, metal and other pallet weights

Plastic pallet weight follows the resin weight, and the resin weight follows the job. Nestable pallets with 9 feet and an open deck are lightest. Rackable pallets with runners, closed decks and steel tubes are heaviest. Published examples include a 1200 × 800 nestable at 6.5 to 7 kg, a rackable 48 × 40 structural-foam pallet at 49 lb, and a heavy rackable HDPE 48 × 40 at 68.3 lb. The plastic pallets guide covers the trade-offs.

Metal pallets are heaviest per unit but last longest. Aluminum pallets are much lighter than steel of the same capacity. Paper and honeycomb pallets are the lightest pallets that still have fork openings, and slip sheets are lighter still.

#Why pallet weight matters

• Freight cost. On LTL shipments the pallet is part of the billed weight and part of the density calculation. See freight class and density.
• Truckload weight. 26 wood pallets at 55 lb add about 1,430 lb of tare to a full truckload.
• Air freight. Air cargo bills on weight, so light plastic, paper or presswood pallets pay back quickly.
• Handling. Manual handling of empty pallets is a common injury source. A 60 lb pallet is above the 51 lb load constant used in the NIOSH lifting equation, so team lifts or equipment are the safer choice.
• Retailer rules. Some receivers limit total unit load weight, including the pallet.

#Specifying weight on an order

If weight matters, state a maximum pallet weight and the moisture condition it applies to (for example "≤ 45 lb at time of delivery" or "kiln dried to 19% MC"). Ask the supplier for the weight at manufacture and at 12% to 19% MC. A PDS spec sheet includes both.