Winged pallet: single-wing and double-wing construction
A 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.
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Height
- 4.875 in
- Lumber
- 16.0 bd ft
- Est. weight
- 70 lb (32 kg)
- Fasteners
- 96
Every dimension is editable. Get the drawing free, or request a quote.
Wings are a small change to a stringer pallet with a big effect on how it is handled. They are standard in bagged building products and in yards and ports where loads are lifted by crane.
What is a winged pallet?
A winged pallet has deckboards that extend past the outer stringers. The overhanging part is the wing. PDS spec sheets record it as a "Wing" overhang distance.
| Style | Top deck | Bottom deck | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush | No overhang | No overhang | General freight |
| Single-wing | Overhangs | Flush | Bagged goods, sling lifting |
| Double-wing | Overhangs | Overhangs | Heavy stacking, reversible designs |
Wings normally sit at the deckboard ends (the pallet's sides, along the stringers). Overhang past the lead boards at the pallet ends is unusual.
How is a winged pallet built?
The pallet.design winged template is a 48 × 40 in single-wing stringer pallet:
| Component | Template value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Top deckboards | 9, 3/4 in thick, 40 in long | 9, 19 mm thick, 1016 mm |
| Wing overhang | 2 in each side (single wing) | 51 mm |
| Stringers | 3, 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in, unnotched | 38 × 89 mm |
| Stringer frame width | 36 in (40 in deck less two 2 in wings) | 914 mm |
| Bottom deck | evenly spaced, flush with stringers | same |
| Fasteners | 2-1/2 in nails | 64 mm |
The overhang is unsupported, so wing deckboards are usually thicker than on a flush pallet (3/4 in rather than 5/8 in) to resist snapping. With 9 boards and no notches, the template is two-way entry. A double-wing design repeats the overhang on the bottom deck, which makes pallet-jack entry and floor-level strapping harder.
Where are winged pallets used?
- Bagged cement, mortar, fertiliser, feed, seed and sugar; see concrete bags and building materials
- Loads lifted by bar slings or cranes at ports, construction sites and yards
- Paper rolls and other loads strapped to the pallet
- Loads whose footprint is slightly larger than the stringer frame
For sling lifting, the bars pass under the top deck wings on each side, outside the stringers, and the crane lifts the whole unit.
Pros and limits
| Pros | Limits |
|---|---|
| Larger deck than the base | Wings can snap if struck by forks or other pallets |
| Allows bar-sling and crane lifting | Needs thicker deckboards, so more lumber |
| Edge for straps and stretch film | Wider than its base: check rack and trailer clearances |
| Reduces deckboard end splitting at the stringer | Usually two-way entry |
Capacity and weight
A winged 48 × 40 in stringer pallet with 3/4 in boards typically weighs more than a flush GMA-style pallet, often toward the upper end of the 30–70 lb (14–32 kg) range, depending on species and moisture. Because the stringers sit inboard, the deck span between stringers is shorter, which helps deckboards under load. The wings themselves carry little. Sling lifting puts the whole load into the wing boards and their nails, so a sling-lifted design needs its own analysis. The manufacturer's rating for your support condition is authoritative. See pallet load capacity.
ISPM 15
Winged wooden pallets need heat treatment and an ISPM 15 mark for most export.
What drives the cost?
- Thicker deckboards and often more of them
- Heavier stringers
- Longer nails for thicker boards
- Heat treatment, volume and freight
Specifying a winged pallet for a quote
- Deck size (overall) and stringer frame size, or deck size and overhang per side
- Wing style: single or double; which sides
- Top and bottom deckboards: count, thickness, widths
- Stringers: count and size, notched or not
- Sling or crane lifting, yes or no, and sling bar size
- Strap slots
- Load weight and type (bags, rolls), stacking height
- ISPM 15 HT
- Quantity and delivery location
Related: flush pallet, stringer pallet. The winged template shows the full drawing; open it in the designer to change the overhang.
Drawing and parts listEdit in the design app
Winged 48×40 template, generated from the model. Every dimension is editable.
Pallet
- Type
- Wood stringer
- Footprint
- 48.00 × 40.00 in
- Overall height
- 4.875 in
- Classification
- 48.00 x 40.00, Stringer-Class, Double-Face Non-Reversible, Single-Wing, 2-Way, Reusable, New Manufacture
Construction
- Build
- Wood stringer pallet
- Wings
- Single wing, 2.00 in (2) overhang
- Top deck
- 9 boards × 0.75 in (3/4); leads 5.50 in (5-1/2), interior 3.50 in (3-1/2)
- Bottom deck
- 5 boards × 0.625 in (5/8); evenly spaced
- Stringers
- 3 × 1.50 in (1-1/2) wide × 3.50 in (3-1/2) tall
- Notches
- None (2-way)
- Lumber
- Mixed Hardwood, Standard & Btr, green, new
- Fasteners
- 96 × 2.50 in (2-1/2) helical, 0.112 in wire, per Uniform Standard Table 5
Requirements
- Load
- 2,000 lb, bags
- Handling
- forklift, pallet jack, sling / crane
- 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 a single-wing pallet?
A pallet whose top deckboards overhang the outer stringers while the bottom deck stays flush. It is the most common winged design.
What is a double-wing pallet?
A pallet whose top and bottom deckboards both overhang the outer stringers. Some glossaries use the term for wings on two opposite sides instead, so define it on your spec sheet.
How far do pallet wings overhang?
Commonly 1 to 4 in (25–100 mm). There is no standard value; it is set by the load, the sling or strap method and the board thickness.
Why use a winged pallet for bags of cement?
The wings give sling bars a place to hook under the deck so cranes can lift the unit load, and they give straps and stretch film an edge to grip. The wider deck also carries the bulge of filled bags.
Can winged pallets go in racks?
Yes, if the stringers span the beams and the overhang clears the uprights. Check rack clearances first, because the deck is wider than the base.
Related
- 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.
- GlossaryWing (winged pallet)A wing is the part of a pallet deck that overhangs the outer stringers or stringerboards. A single-wing pallet has only the top deck overhanging; a double-wing pallet has both decks overhanging.
- 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.
- GlossaryLoad overhangLoad overhang is any part of a unit load that extends beyond the edges of the pallet's top deck. Unsupported case edges lose compression strength, get damaged in handling, and increase the measured size of the shipment.
- IndustriesPallets for building materials: bags, block, brick, pavers and roofingBuilding materials put the heaviest loads on ordinary pallets: bagged concrete, block, pavers and shingles often exceed 3,000 lb. The industry uses heavy-duty wood pallets, winged pallets for bags and product-specific bases for brick and drywall, stored outdoors and often returned for a deposit.
- What fits on a palletHow many bags of concrete are on a pallet?A full pallet of bagged concrete mix typically holds 42 bags of 80 lb, 56 bags of 60 lb, 64 bags of 50 lb or 80 bags of 40 lb. Each is about 3,200–3,360 lb of product (roughly 1.5 t) and yields about 0.9 cubic yards of concrete.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 709 words.