Wooden pallets: types, construction, sizes and how to specify them

Wood is still the default pallet material worldwide. It is cheap, easy to repair, easy to build to any size, and strong for its cost. This page is the hub for every wooden pallet type on pallet.design: what separates them, how each is built, and how to specify one so a pallet shop can quote it without a phone call.

#What is a wooden pallet?

A wooden pallet is a flat, rigid base made of lumber that holds a unit load so a forklift or pallet jack can move it. It has a top deck of deckboards, a support structure (either stringers or blocks), and usually a bottom deck. The structure sets the openings the forks enter, which is why the two construction classes behave so differently.

#Stringer vs block: the two construction classes

Every wooden pallet belongs to one of two classes in the Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets: stringer-class or block-class.

A stringer pallet is simpler and cheaper. A block pallet takes pallet jacks from all four sides and usually handles automation and racking better. The block vs stringer comparison goes through the trade-offs in detail.

#Wooden pallet types by design

These are the named types, grouped by what defines them. Each link goes to a full page.

#Standard designs

#Construction styles

#Special-purpose wooden pallets

#Sourcing categories

#How a wooden pallet is built

A stringer pallet has three component groups: top deck, stringers and bottom deck. A block pallet adds stringerboards and replaces stringers with blocks. The parts of a pallet guide names each part. Typical North American dimensions:

Dimensions on pallet spec sheets are actual, not nominal. A "1 × 6" deckboard is about 5/8–3/4 × 5.5 in. The deckboard thickness and spacing guide explains how thickness and gaps drive strength.

Fasteners matter as much as lumber. Most pallets use helically or annularly threaded nails, and the Uniform Standard sets minimum counts per joint (2 for deckboards up to 5-1/4 in wide, 3 for 5-1/4 to 7 in). See pallet nails and fasteners.

#Wood species and grades

North American pallets are built from mixed hardwoods, southern yellow pine or SPF. Hardwood is denser and heavier. Softwood is lighter, more consistent and easier to nail. Lumber is sold green (fresh-sawn, often 50–80% moisture content in hardwood cants) or kiln-dried. Green pallets weigh more and can mould in closed containers; see pallet wood species and pallet lumber moisture.

#Weight and load capacity

A 48 × 40 in stringer pallet weighs about 30–70 lb (14–32 kg). A GMA-style design with 5/8 in decks and 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 in stringers (13.5 board feet) weighs about 59 lb green in mixed hardwood and about 39 lb kiln-dried, so moisture alone moves weight by about a third. Block pallets are usually heavier than stringer pallets of the same footprint.

Capacity is not one number. Every rating depends on the support condition:

• Static: the pallet sits on a flat floor, often in a stack. Highest number.
• Dynamic: the pallet is carried on forks or a pallet jack.
• Racking: the pallet spans two rack beams with nothing underneath. Lowest number.

In one published analysis, the same 48 × 40 pallet rated 1,558 lb (707 kg) racked across its length and 5,223 lb (2,369 kg) stacked one high on the floor. The authoritative rating for a design comes from the manufacturer, usually from PDS analysis or ASTM D1185 testing. See pallet load capacity.

#ISPM 15 and heat treatment

Solid wood packaging over 6 mm thick must be treated and marked under ISPM 15 for most international shipments. The usual method is heat treatment: the wood core held at 56 °C for 30 minutes, then stamped "HT". Repaired or remanufactured pallets must be re-treated and re-marked. Plywood, OSB and other processed wood are exempt. See heat-treated pallets and pallet stamps and markings.

#What drives the price of a wooden pallet?

Lumber is the largest share of a new wooden pallet's cost. Price is built mostly from board feet multiplied by the lumber price, plus labour, fasteners, treatment, freight and margin. As a 2026 US estimate, a new standard 48 × 40 in stringer pallet costs about $10–25, and prices move with lumber markets and tariffs. The main drivers:

• Board feet (thicker boards, more boards, more stringers)
• Species and grade
• Construction class (block pallets cost more than stringer)
• Heat treatment and kiln drying
• Order volume and release cadence
• Freight distance

The pallet cost guide covers pricing in detail.

#Wood vs other materials

Wood is the cheapest material per trip for most loads and can be built to any size. Plastic lasts longer, is washable and is ISPM 15 exempt, but costs several times more. Presswood, paper and metal cover narrower niches. See plastic vs wood and the plastic pallets hub.

#Specifying a wooden pallet for a quote

Send these fields and a pallet shop can price it without back-and-forth:

• Footprint, length first (the stringer or stringerboard direction), and maximum overall height
• Class (stringer or block) and entry (2-way, partial 4-way, full 4-way)
• Top and bottom deckboards: count, thickness, width
• Stringers or blocks: count and size
• Species or species group, grade, and moisture condition (green or kiln-dried)
• Fastener type and length
• Load weight, load type (boxes, bags, drums) and how it is supported (racked, stacked, conveyor)
• ISPM 15 heat treatment, yes or no
• New, recycled or either
• Quantity, annual volume and delivery location

The pallet RFQ checklist has the full list. You can start from the 48 × 40 GMA template and open it in the designer to change any board.