White wood pallets: what the term means and when to use them
In 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.
- 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.
"White wood" is a commercial term, not a construction type. It separates pallets you own from pallets you rent. Knowing which one you are buying matters because the two carry different costs, return rules and retailer acceptance.
What is a white wood pallet?
A white wood pallet is an unpainted wooden pallet that belongs to whoever bought it. The name contrasts with pooled pallets, which are painted and branded so the pool operator can recover them: CHEP pallets are blue, PECO pallets are red. White wood pallets are usually 48 × 40 in GMA-style stringer pallets, bought new or recycled, and they often travel one way. See one-way pallet.
In Europe and in some lumber trading, "whitewood" also means the light-coloured softwoods, mainly spruce and fir. A pallet can be white wood in both senses at once.
How is a white wood pallet built?
There is no single design. The common case is the standard GMA-style stringer pallet:
| Component | Typical size | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 × 40 in | 1219 × 1016 mm |
| Top deckboards | 7, 1/2–5/8 in thick | 7, 13–16 mm thick |
| Stringers | 3, notched, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in | 32–38 × 89 mm |
| Bottom deckboards | 5 | 5 |
| Overall height | about 4-3/4 to 6 in | about 121–152 mm |
Buyers also buy white wood block pallets, custom sizes and heavy-duty designs. Anything that is not rented is white wood.
White wood vs pooled pallets
| White wood | Pooled (CHEP, PECO) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Yours | The pool operator's |
| Cost model | Purchase price per pallet | Issue fee, per-trip or daily hire, transfer and loss charges |
| Construction | Usually stringer, any size | 48 × 40 in block pallet, full 4-way |
| Returns | None required | Must flow back through the pool network |
| Retailer acceptance | Varies; some require pooled | Widely accepted in grocery |
The pooled vs white wood comparison covers the cost model in detail, and CHEP and PECO have their own guides.
Where are white wood pallets used?
- One-way outbound shipments to customers who do not return pallets
- Exports, where pooled pallets would not come back
- Closed-loop internal use (you own the pallets, so no hire fees)
- Custom sizes and heavy loads that pooled pallets do not cover
Pros and limits
| Pros | Limits |
|---|---|
| No return logistics or hire fees | You pay the full pallet cost up front |
| Any size, design and grade | Quality varies with the supplier and grade |
| Can be sold or recycled at end of life | Some retailers require pooled pallets |
| Full control of heat treatment and marking | Disposal or recovery is your problem |
Weight and capacity
A white wood 48 × 40 in stringer pallet typically weighs 30–70 lb (14–32 kg). Capacity depends on the design and support condition; there is no rating that comes with the name. If you need a rating (some retailers require one for purpose-built pallets), ask for a PDS analysis or an ASTM D1185 test. See pallet load capacity.
ISPM 15
White wood pallets are solid wood, so they need heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export. Because you own them, you decide whether to buy HT; many shippers buy HT as standard so any pallet can go to any destination.
What drives the cost?
- New vs recycled, and grade
- Lumber species and board thickness
- Heat treatment
- Volume and delivery distance
As a 2026 US estimate, a new standard 48 × 40 costs about $10–25; recycled costs less. See pallet cost.
Specifying a white wood pallet for a quote
- Size and design (or "GMA-style 48 × 40, 4-way notched")
- New, recycled (grade), or either
- Deckboard thickness and stringer size minimums
- Species preference, green or kiln-dried
- ISPM 15 HT, yes or no
- Load weight and racking
- Quantity, cadence, delivery ZIP
Start from the GMA template, or open it in the designer to build a purpose-made white wood pallet.
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
What is the difference between a white wood pallet and a CHEP pallet?
You buy a white wood pallet and it is yours to keep, reuse, sell or discard. A CHEP pallet is rented: you pay per use, CHEP owns it, and it must be returned through CHEP's network.
Is white wood a type of lumber?
It can be. In Europe and in some lumber markets, whitewood refers to spruce and fir. In US pallet logistics the term usually means an unpainted, non-pooled pallet regardless of species.
Are white wood pallets cheaper than pooled pallets?
The purchase price is per pallet, while pooling is a fee per trip plus transfer and loss charges. Which is cheaper depends on how many trips you get, how far pallets travel and whether they come back.
Can I send a white wood pallet to a retailer that requires pooled pallets?
Not if the retailer requires pooled pallets. Some large retailers require pooled or specified pallets and accept white wood only by exception, so check the current vendor guide.
Related
- ComparisonsPooled vs white wood pallets: rent or buy?Choose pooled pallets (rented from CHEP, PECO or iGPS) when you ship full pallets to retail and grocery DCs in the pool and want consistent pallets without managing returns. Choose white wood (pallets you buy) for one-way shipping, custom sizes, small volumes or customers outside the pools.
- GlossaryWhite woodWhite wood (whitewood) is the pallet trade's name for generic, unpainted wood pallets, usually 48 × 40 in GMA-style stringer pallets, that users buy, own and trade, as opposed to painted pooled pallets. In lumber, whitewood also names a group of light-colored softwoods such as spruce and fir.
- GuidesPallet pooling: how CHEP, PECO and iGPS rental worksPallet pooling is renting pallets instead of buying them. A pooler such as CHEP (blue), PECO (red) or iGPS (plastic) owns standard 48 × 40 in pallets, issues them to shippers, collects them from receivers, then inspects, repairs and reissues them. You pay fees per use, not a purchase price.
- GuidesCHEP pallets: what the blue pallets are, how rental works, and what to do if you have oneCHEP pallets are the blue pallets rented through CHEP's pool. In North America they are 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wood block pallets CHEP rates at 2,800 lb (1,270 kg). CHEP owns every one and never sells them: if you receive some, keep them apart and request a collection.
- GuidesPECO pallets: the red rental pallets, specs, and how to return themPECO pallets are the red pallets rented through PECO Pallet's pooling network in the US, Canada and Mexico. They are 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wood block pallets that PECO rates at 2,800 lb (1,270 kg). PECO owns them and does not sell them: if you find red PECO pallets, report them to PECO for pickup.
- 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.
- 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.
- GlossaryOne-way palletA one-way pallet is a pallet designed to make one trip and not come back, such as export pallets or shipments to customers who keep or discard the pallet. It is usually built lighter and from lower-grade material than a reusable pallet.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 718 words.