Skid: what it is, how it differs from a pallet, and how to spec one
Strictly, 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.
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Height
- 4.25 in
- Lumber
- 18.2 bd ft
- Est. weight
- 79 lb (36 kg)
- Fasteners
- 48
Every dimension is editable. Get the drawing free, or request a quote.
"Skid" and "pallet" are used interchangeably so often that the distinction gets lost. On a spec sheet it matters: a skid has no bottom deck, and that changes how it carries and spreads load. This page covers both the technical skid and the everyday usage.
What is a skid?
A skid is a load platform made of a top deck fastened to parallel runners, with no bottom deck. In the Uniform Standard's terms it is a single-face stringer pallet, usually with heavier stringers. It can be skidded (dragged) across a floor on its runners, which is one reason heavy machinery often ships on skids.
Pallet vs skid: the naming confusion
| Usage | "Skid" means | "Pallet" means |
|---|---|---|
| Technical (pallet industry, spec sheets) | No bottom deck | Top and bottom decks |
| Everyday freight, LTL, Canada | Any pallet or skid | Any pallet |
When a carrier quotes "per skid", it almost always means per pallet position, whatever is under the load. When you order skids from a pallet shop, say "no bottom deck" to be sure. The pallet vs skid comparison covers this in more depth.
How is a skid built?
The pallet.design skid template is a 48 × 40 in skid for machinery and crate bases:
| Component | Template value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Runners | 3, 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 48 in | 89 × 89 × 1219 mm |
| Top deckboards | 7, 3/4 in thick, 40 in long | 19 mm thick, 1016 mm |
| Bottom deck | none | none |
| Notches | none | none |
| Fasteners | 2-1/2 in nails | 64 mm |
| Overall height | 4-1/4 in | 108 mm |
Variants:
- Light skid: 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in (2 × 4) runners, for light one-way loads.
- Machinery skid: 3-1/2 × 5-1/2 in (4 × 6) or larger runners, a solid or plywood deck, bolt holes matched to the machine's feet, and chamfered runner ends for dragging.
- Crate base: a skid that becomes the floor of a wooden crate, often with runners long enough for side entry.
Where are skids used?
- Machinery, presses, generators and tanks bolted to the deck
- Crate bases for export and heavy equipment; see metals and machinery
- Heavy items dragged into position or lifted by crane
- In-plant parts handling by pallet jack
- Long or oversize loads on custom-length runners
Pros and limits
| Pros | Limits |
|---|---|
| Pallet jacks enter easily (no bottom boards) | Two-way entry only |
| Heavy runners take concentrated loads | Runners bear on the floor or load below along narrow lines |
| Can be dragged or skidded | Poor in racking across the width |
| Simple to build to any size and bolt pattern | Runners can roll or split without a bottom deck |
Capacity and weight
Weight depends mostly on runner size. A 48 × 40 in skid on three 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in runners with 3/4 in deckboards uses more lumber in its runners than a GMA pallet uses in its stringers, so expect it to weigh at least as much as a standard pallet, often more, depending on species and moisture. Floor capacity can be high because the runners bear straight on the floor. For machinery, the load is concentrated at the machine's feet, so a skid should be designed for the point loads and bolt positions, not a uniform-load rating. The manufacturer's analysis is authoritative. See pallet load capacity.
ISPM 15
A wooden skid is solid wood packaging and needs heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export. If the skid is the base of a crate, the crate's solid-wood parts need treatment and marking too.
What drives the cost?
- Runner size: large timbers cost more per piece than pallet stringers
- Deck: boards vs plywood; thickness
- Machining: bolt holes, chamfers, notches
- Heat treatment
- Quantity: machinery skids are often small runs
Specifying a skid for a quote
- Length × width, runner length and overall height
- Runners: count, size, species, end chamfers
- Top deck: boards or plywood, thickness, spacing or solid
- Bolt pattern (hole positions and diameter) or tie-down points
- Load weight and where it sits (machine feet positions)
- Handling: forklift, pallet jack, crane, dragging
- ISPM 15 HT
- Quantity and delivery location
Related: single-face pallet, two-way pallet, shipping pallets LTL. The skid template has the drawing and parts list; open it in the designer.
Drawing and parts listEdit in the design app
Skid (no bottom deck) template, generated from the model. Every dimension is editable.
Pallet
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Overall height
- 4.25 in
- Classification
- 48.00 x 40.00, Stringer-Class, Single-Face (Skid), Flush, 2-Way, Reusable, New Manufacture
Construction
- Build
- Skid (single-face)
- Wings
- Flush
- Top deck
- 7 boards × 0.75 in (3/4); leads 5.50 in (5-1/2), interior 3.50 in (3-1/2)
- Bottom deck
- None
- Stringers
- 3 × 3.50 in (3-1/2) wide × 3.50 in (3-1/2) tall
- Notches
- None (2-way)
- Lumber
- Mixed Hardwood, Standard & Btr, green, new
- Fasteners
- 48 × 2.50 in (2-1/2) helical, 0.112 in wire, per Uniform Standard Table 5
Requirements
- Load
- 2,000 lb, uniform
- Handling
- forklift, pallet jack
- Racking
- Not racked
- Floor stack
- 1 high
- Use
- Reusable / multi-trip
- Environment
- Standard
- ISPM-15
- Domestic only
- Certified rating
- Not required
- Food contact / fire
- No / no listing
Order
- Quantity
- Not specified
- Ship to
- —
- Needed by
- —
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a skid and a pallet?
In the technical sense a skid has no bottom deck, only runners under a top deck, while a pallet has both decks. In everyday use the words overlap, and many shippers and carriers say skid when they mean pallet.
What size runners does a skid use?
Commonly 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 in (89 × 89 mm, a nominal 4 × 4). Heavier machinery skids use 3-1/2 × 5-1/2 in (4 × 6) or larger timbers.
Can a pallet jack move a skid?
Yes, usually more easily than a pallet, because there are no bottom boards to block the jack's wheels. Entry is two-way, between the runners.
Are skids cheaper than pallets?
A light skid with small runners can be cheaper than a pallet because it has no bottom deck. A machinery skid with large timbers can cost more than a standard pallet.
Does a skid need heat treatment for export?
Yes. A solid-wood skid is wood packaging material under ISPM 15 and must be treated and marked for most international shipments.
Related
- 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.
- TypesSingle-face pallet: construction, uses and limitsA 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- IndustriesPallets and skids for metals and machineryMetals and machinery rarely ship on standard pallets. Machines go on custom runner skids they are bolted to, sheet on solid-deck skids, coils on cradles or coil skids, bars on bunks. Loads of 2,000 to 10,000 lb or more on small areas are common, so each base is designed to its load.
- GuidesShipping pallets LTL: how to prepare, measure and ship a palletLTL (less than truckload) moves one or a few pallets on a shared trailer, priced by weight, distance and freight class. Build a square, wrapped load on a sound four-way pallet, measure its real size and weight including the pallet, declare the right class on the bill of lading, and book accessorials in advance.
- 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.
More in Construction styles
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. 775 words.