Stringer pallet: construction, dimensions and when to use one
A 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.
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Height
- 4.75 in
- Lumber
- 13.5 bd ft
- Est. weight
- 59 lb (27 kg)
- Fasteners
- 84
Every dimension is editable. Get the drawing free, or request a quote.
The stringer pallet is the workhorse of North American shipping. It has fewer parts than a block pallet, it is fast to build on automated nailing lines, and it can be made to almost any size. Most one-way and closed-loop wooden pallets in the US are stringer pallets.
What is a stringer pallet?
A stringer pallet is a pallet built on stringers: continuous lumber beams that run the full length of the pallet. Deckboards are nailed across the stringers on top and usually on the bottom. By North American convention, the stringer length is the pallet's first dimension, so a 48 × 40 in pallet has 48 in stringers and 40 in deckboards.
How is a stringer pallet built?
A standard 48 × 40 in stringer pallet has three component groups. The values below are from a typical GMA-style design.
| Component | Count | Typical size (in) | Metric (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top lead deckboards | 2 | 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 | 16 × 140 × 1016 |
| Top interior deckboards | 5 | 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 | 16 × 89 × 1016 |
| Stringers | 3 | 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 | 35 × 89 × 1219 |
| Bottom lead deckboards | 2 | 5/8 × 5-1/2 × 40 | 16 × 140 × 1016 |
| Bottom interior deckboards | 3 | 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 | 16 × 89 × 1016 |
| Overall height | 4-3/4 | 121 |
The two outer stringers sit flush with the pallet edges and the centre stringer is centred. Top boards are usually spaced evenly with the lead boards flush to the ends; in the design above the gaps are 3.25 in (83 mm). The fastener schedule is typically 3 nails per joint for 5-1/2 in lead boards and 2 per joint for 3-1/2 in boards, giving 84 nails per pallet.
Notches and partial 4-way entry
A notch is a cutout in the bottom edge of each stringer so forklift tines can enter from the sides. The Uniform Standard recommends an opening about 2 in (51 mm) high (notch depth plus bottom deckboard) and 9 in (229 mm) long, with a radiused profile and at least 7 in (178 mm) of flat top between notches. Square notches are not acceptable. Bottom deckboards are placed so they do not cover the notches.
With notches, a forklift can enter from all four sides, but a pallet jack can only enter the two ends. The pallet is then partial 4-way. Without notches it is two-way.
Where are stringer pallets used?
Stringer pallets carry most one-way and in-house loads in North America: grocery and consumer goods, building products, bagged goods, paper, beverages and industrial parts. They suit custom sizes because only board lengths change. Retail distribution often specifies the GMA pallet, while pooled programs (CHEP, PECO) use block pallets.
Pros and limits
| Pros | Limits |
|---|---|
| Lowest cost wooden design | Pallet jacks enter from two sides only |
| Easy to build in any size | Notches weaken stringers |
| Easy to repair (companion stringers, new boards) | Less stable in racking across the width than many block designs |
| Light for its strength | Deckboard ends can split when forks strike them |
Weight and capacity
A 48 × 40 in stringer pallet usually weighs 30–70 lb (14–32 kg). Species and moisture drive the spread. Capacity depends on how the pallet is supported:
- Stacked on a flat floor, a well-built 48 × 40 can carry several thousand pounds.
- Racked across its length (stringers spanning the beams) it carries much less, and racking across the width (deckboards spanning the beams) is often the weakest case.
- Notched stringers lose section at the notch, which reduces racking strength across the length.
One published analysis of a GMA-style design rated it 1,558 lb (707 kg) racked across the length and 5,223 lb (2,369 kg) stacked one high. Treat such numbers as examples only. The manufacturer's PDS analysis or ASTM D1185 test is authoritative for a given design. See pallet load capacity and racking and deflection.
ISPM 15
Stringer pallets are solid wood, so they need heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export. Domestic loads do not. See heat-treated pallets.
What drives the cost?
- Board feet: the GMA-style design above uses 13.5 board feet at actual dimensions. Thicker decks, more boards or a fourth stringer add lumber.
- Species: SPF and SYP are usually cheaper per board foot than dense hardwood, but prices vary by region.
- Notching: a machining step, usually small.
- Heat treatment and kiln drying.
- Volume and freight.
As a 2026 US estimate, a new standard 48 × 40 costs about $10–25, and prices move with lumber markets. The board feet calculator shows how lumber volume changes with the design.
Specifying a stringer pallet for a quote
- Length × width (stringer length first) and overall height
- Top deck: number of boards, thickness, lead and interior widths, spacing
- Bottom deck: number of boards and widths, or single-face
- Stringers: count, width × height, notched or not (notch depth, length and location)
- Wing or flush
- Species or species group, grade, green or kiln-dried
- Fasteners: type (helical or annular), length, wire diameter
- Load weight, load type and support (racked across length or width, stacked N high)
- ISPM 15 HT, yes or no
- Quantity, annual volume, delivery ZIP
Related: block vs stringer, block pallet, four-way pallet. Start from the GMA template or the 42 × 42 template and open it in the designer.
Drawing and parts listEdit in the design app
48×40 GMA template, generated from the model. Every dimension is editable.
Pallet
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Overall height
- 4.75 in
- Classification
- 48.00 x 40.00, Stringer-Class, Double-Face Non-Reversible, Flush, Partial 4-Way, Reusable, New Manufacture
Construction
- Build
- Wood stringer pallet
- Wings
- Flush
- Top deck
- 7 boards × 0.625 in (5/8); leads 5.50 in (5-1/2), interior 3.50 in (3-1/2)
- Bottom deck
- 5 boards × 0.625 in (5/8); interior grouped between notches
- Stringers
- 3 × 1.375 in (1-3/8) wide × 3.50 in (3-1/2) tall
- Notches
- Partial 4-way: 1.25 in (1-1/4) deep × 9.00 in (9) long, 6.00 in (6) from each end, R 0.75 in (3/4)
- Lumber
- Mixed Hardwood, Standard & Btr, green, new
- Fasteners
- 84 × 2.25 in (2-1/4) 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
How many stringers does a pallet have?
A 48 × 40 in stringer pallet normally has three. Heavy-duty or wide pallets use four or more, and narrow pallets such as the 48 × 20 in half pallet use two.
What size is a pallet stringer?
Hardwood stringers are commonly 1-1/4 or 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 in (32 or 35 × 89 mm). Softwood stringers are usually 2 × 4 lumber at 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in (38 × 89 mm). Length equals the pallet length.
Can a pallet jack enter a stringer pallet from the side?
No. Notches let forklift tines enter from the sides, but a pallet jack needs its wheels to reach the floor, and the bottom deckboards block that. That is why notched stringer pallets are called partial 4-way.
Is a stringer pallet the same as a GMA pallet?
A GMA pallet is one specific stringer pallet: 48 × 40 in, three notched stringers, seven top and five bottom deckboards. Stringer pallets come in any size and board layout.
Related
- TypesBlock pallet: construction, dimensions and usesA block pallet is a wooden pallet whose deck sits on blocks, usually nine arranged 3 × 3, joined by stringerboards. The gaps between blocks give full 4-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. EUR/EPAL, CP and the pooled 48 × 40 in pallets of CHEP and PECO are all block pallets.
- TypesGMA pallet: 48 × 40 in dimensions, construction, weight and gradesA GMA pallet is a 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wooden stringer pallet built to the grocery industry's standard: three notched stringers for partial 4-way entry, seven top and five bottom deckboards, and an overall height of about 4-3/4 in (121 mm) in the standard build. It is the most common pallet in the United States.
- ComparisonsBlock vs stringer pallets: differences and when to use eachChoose a stringer pallet when you want the lowest cost, one-way or closed-loop use and mostly 2-way handling. Choose a block pallet when you need true 4-way entry for forklifts and pallet jacks, heavy reuse, pooling, automation or the European 1200 × 800 footprint.
- GlossaryWhat is a pallet stringer?A stringer is the continuous beam that runs the full length of a stringer pallet between the top and bottom decks. Most 48 × 40 pallets use 3 stringers about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 in wide and 3-1/2 in (89 mm) tall.
- GlossaryWhat is a pallet notch?A notch is a cutout in the lower edge of a pallet stringer that lets forklift tines enter from the sides, making the pallet partial four-way. A typical 48 × 40 notch is 9 in long and 1-1/4 in deep, starting 6 in from each end.
- 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.
- GuidesParts of a pallet: deckboards, stringers, blocks and fastenersA wood stringer pallet has top deckboards, stringers (often notched) and bottom deckboards, joined with nails. A block pallet swaps the stringers for 9 blocks and 3 stringerboards. The outermost deckboards are lead boards. Openings between the deck layers take the forks.
More in Wood pallets
- TypesWooden pallets: types, construction, sizes and how to specify themA wooden pallet is a flat transport platform built from lumber deckboards fastened to stringers or blocks. In North America most are 48 × 40 in stringer pallets weighing about 30–70 lb (14–32 kg); in Europe the 1200 × 800 mm EPAL block pallet dominates. Wood must be ISPM 15 treated for most export.
- TypesEuro pallet (EUR / EPAL 1): dimensions, weight and constructionThe Euro pallet (EUR or EPAL 1) is a licensed European block pallet measuring 1200 × 800 × 144 mm (47.2 × 31.5 × 5.7 in). It weighs about 25 kg (55 lb), has 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, and carries a safe working load of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb). Only EPAL licensees may build and mark it.
- TypesCP pallets (CP1 to CP9): dimensions, construction and usesCP pallets are nine standardised wooden block pallets (CP1 to CP9) designed for the European chemical and plastics industry. They range from 760 × 1140 mm to 1300 × 1100 mm. CP1 to CP5 are 138 mm (5.4 in) high with bottom boards in one direction; CP6 to CP9 are 156 mm (6.1 in) high with perimeter or full-frame bottoms.
- TypesPerimeter-base pallet: picture-frame bottom block pallets explainedA perimeter-base pallet is a block pallet whose bottom deckboards form a closed frame around the edges, often with a centre board. The frame gives full 4-way entry, rides roller conveyors in either direction and spreads load in stacks. Pooled 48 × 40 in and UK 1200 × 1000 mm pallets use it.
- TypesRecycled pallets: grades, remanufacturing, cost and how to buy themA recycled pallet is a used wooden pallet that has been sorted, repaired or rebuilt and resold. Used 48 × 40 in pallets are sold as Grade A (few or no repairs) or Grade B (repaired). They cost less than new, but grade definitions vary by supplier and any repair voids an existing ISPM 15 mark.
- TypesWhite wood pallets: what the term means and when to use themIn North American logistics, a white wood pallet is an unpainted wooden pallet that the shipper buys and owns, as opposed to a rented pooled pallet painted blue (CHEP) or red (PECO). Most are 48 × 40 in stringer pallets, new or recycled. In Europe, "whitewood" also names the spruce and fir lumber used for pallets.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 959 words.