Single-face pallet: construction, uses and limits
A 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.
The deck style is part of every wooden pallet's formal classification. A single-face pallet is the simplest style: it drops the bottom deck entirely. That saves material but changes how the pallet sits on floors, conveyors and other loads.
What is a single-face pallet?
A single-face pallet has one deck, on top. Its stringers, runners or blocks sit directly on the floor. The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets lists three deck styles: single-face, double-face non-reversible and double-face reversible. A pallet with no bottom deck is also what the industry formally calls a skid.
How is a single-face pallet built?
A single-face stringer pallet uses the same top deck as a normal pallet, but the stringers are usually heavier because nothing ties their bottoms together.
| Component | Typical 48 × 40 in build | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Top deckboards | 7–9, 5/8–3/4 × 3-1/2 or 5-1/2 × 40 in | 16–19 × 89 or 140 × 1016 mm |
| Stringers or runners | 3, 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in up to 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in | 38 × 89 up to 89 × 89 mm |
| Bottom deck | none | none |
| Overall height | about 4-1/4 in (5/8 in deck on 3-1/2 in stringers) | about 108 mm |
The pallet.design skid template is a single-face build on 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in runners with 3/4 in deckboards, overall height 4-1/4 in (108 mm).
Single-face block pallets also exist (blocks under stringerboards, no bottom boards), mostly as display or light-duty pallets. Plastic nestable pallets with legs are single-face by nature.
Where are single-face pallets used?
- Machinery and equipment bases, bolted down through the deck
- Crate and box bases
- One-way shipments of light or bulky goods
- In-plant work-in-process that is moved but not racked
- Loads handled by pallet jack where bottom boards would get in the way
Pros and limits
| Pros | Limits |
|---|---|
| Less lumber, lower cost | Load bears on narrow stringer lines when stacked |
| Lighter | Weak racked across the width |
| Pallet jack wheels reach the floor anywhere | Stringer bottoms can split or roll without a bottom deck |
| Easy to drag or skid on runners | Less stable on roller conveyors |
Capacity and weight
A single-face 48 × 40 in pallet weighs less than a double-face version of the same design because it has no bottom boards, typically 25–60 lb (11–27 kg) depending on species and runner size. Floor capacity can be high, since the stringers bear directly on the floor. The weak cases are stacking (the stringers bear on the load below along thin lines) and racking across the width. The manufacturer's rating for your support condition is authoritative. See pallet load capacity.
Single-face vs double-face at a glance
| Single-face | Double-face | |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom deck | None | Yes |
| Lumber and cost | Lower | Higher |
| Pallet jack entry | Easy (no bottom boards) | Limited by bottom boards |
| Stacking loaded pallets | Poor: narrow bearing lines | Good: bottom deck spreads load |
| Racking across the width | Weak | Better |
| Conveyors | Poor | Good |
| Typical uses | Machinery, crate bases, one-way light loads | General freight, retail, racking |
If you are unsure, specify double-face. Single-face saves money only when the pallet will never be stacked, racked or conveyed. See double-face pallet.
ISPM 15
Wooden single-face pallets need heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export, the same as any solid-wood pallet.
What drives the cost?
- Fewer boards than double-face, so less lumber and labour
- Runner size: 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in runners use more wood than 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in stringers
- Deck thickness and species
- Heat treatment, volume and freight
Specifying a single-face pallet for a quote
- Length × width, overall height
- Deck: single-face (no bottom deck)
- Top deckboards: count, thickness, widths, spacing or solid deck
- Stringers or runners: count and size, end chamfers if dragged
- Bolt holes or tie-down points for machinery
- Load weight and type, stacking and racking use
- ISPM 15 HT
- Quantity and delivery location
Related: double-face pallet, skid, pallet vs skid. Open the skid template in the designer to change runners and deckboards.
Frequently asked questions
Is a single-face pallet the same as a skid?
In the formal sense, yes: a skid is a pallet with no bottom deck. In everyday speech, especially in freight and in Canada, "skid" is also used loosely for any pallet.
Can single-face pallets be stacked?
They can be block-stacked, but the stringers bear on narrow lines of the load below. That concentrates pressure on the boxes or the top deck underneath, so stacking heights are usually lower than with double-face pallets.
Can single-face pallets be racked?
Racked across their length, with stringers spanning the beams, they can work if the stringers are sized for it. Racked across the width, the unsupported deckboards carry the load alone, so capacity is low. Many operations avoid racking them.
Why choose a single-face pallet?
To save lumber, weight and cost when the pallet will not be racked or stacked, or when the pallet is really a base for a crate or a machine.
Related
- TypesDouble-face pallet: construction, reversible vs non-reversibleA double-face pallet has a top deck and a bottom deck. Most are non-reversible: the bottom deck has fewer boards and only the top carries product. A reversible double-face pallet has two identical load-bearing decks. The bottom deck spreads load onto the floor or the load below and stiffens the pallet in racking.
- 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.
- GlossarySingle-face palletA 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.
- 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.
- TypesStringer pallet: construction, dimensions and when to use oneA stringer pallet is a wooden pallet whose deckboards are nailed across two or more continuous beams called stringers, usually three on a 48 × 40 in pallet. It is 2-way entry, or partial 4-way when the stringers are notched. It is the most common and cheapest pallet design in North America.
- 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.
- 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 Construction styles
- TypesTwo-way pallet: what it is and when it is the right choiceA two-way pallet is a pallet that forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from only two opposite sides. Most are stringer pallets with solid (unnotched) stringers, so the forks go in between the stringers at the ends. They are cheaper and keep full stringer strength, but they cost handling flexibility.
- TypesFour-way pallet: partial vs true 4-way entry explainedA four-way pallet can be entered from all four sides. A partial 4-way pallet is a stringer pallet with notched stringers: forklifts enter all four sides, but pallet jacks only the two ends. A true (full) 4-way pallet is usually a block pallet, which forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from every side.
- TypesReversible pallet: two identical decks, uses and trade-offsA reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so it can be loaded on either side. Flipping it spreads wear over two decks and removes the need to orient it. The trade-off is weight, cost and poor pallet-jack access, because the full bottom deck leaves no room for jack wheels.
- TypesFlush pallet: deckboards flush with the stringersA flush pallet is a pallet whose deckboards end exactly at the outside faces of the outer stringers or stringerboards, with no overhang. Almost all standard pallets, including GMA and EUR pallets, are flush. The alternative is a winged pallet, whose deckboards extend past the stringers.
- TypesWinged pallet: single-wing and double-wing constructionA winged pallet is a stringer pallet whose deckboards extend past the outer stringers, typically by 1 to 4 in (25–100 mm). On a single-wing pallet only the top deck overhangs; on a double-wing pallet both decks do. Wings give a larger deck, a grip edge for straps and room for bar slings to lift the load.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 741 words.