Pallet Dimensions

Pallet dimensions

The standard US pallet, the GMA pallet, is 48 × 40 inches (1219 × 1016 mm). Makers list its height anywhere from 4.5 to 6.5 inches, most often 4.75 in for a wood stringer pallet and about 5.6 in for a pooled block pallet. Empty, a wood one weighs about 30 to 59 lb.

Checked November 14, 2026 against PECO Pallet, CHEP (sheet hosted by Qimarox), Nelson Company and Kamps Pallets.

Common US pallet sizes

Length × width, inches
Length is the side the forks enter along a stringer pallet, so 48 × 40 and 40 × 48 are different pallets. The first ten are the long-running “most common” list; Wikipedia and two pallet sellers print the same ten in the same order, so they likely share one source.
Size, inSizeUsed forSource
mm
48 × 401219 × 1016Grocery and general warehousing (the GMA pallet)14151617
42 × 421067 × 1067Telecommunications, paint1415161819
48 × 481219 × 1219Drums: four 55-gallon drums fit without overhang14151619
40 × 481016 × 1219Military, cement141516
48 × 421219 × 1067Chemicals, beverages141516
40 × 401016 × 1016Dairy141516
48 × 451219 × 1143Automotive141516
44 × 441118 × 1118Drums, chemicals141516
36 × 36914 × 914Beverages14151618
48 × 361219 × 914Beverages, shingles, packaged paper141516
48 × 201219 × 508Retail displays (half of a 48 × 40)1415201

Cite this table: Common US pallet sizes, Pallet Dimensions, checked November 14, 2026, https://palletdimensions.com/pallet-dimensions/#sizesDownload CSV

The 48 × 40 GMA pallet

The size comes from a specification the Grocery Manufacturers Association drew up in the 1970s.31 The 48 × 40 accounts for about 30% of the wood pallets made in the US each year.15

A GMA-style stringer pallet has three stringers running the 48 in length, seven top deck boards and five bottom boards. Forks can enter from all four sides, but from the 40 in sides only through notches in the stringers, which is why it is called partial four-way.30 Block pallets, the kind pooled by PECO and CHEP, stand on blocks instead of stringers.

How tall a 48 × 40 pallet is

Overall height, by source
Each row is one maker’s or reference’s figure. Pooled block and plastic pallets cluster at 5.56 to 5.63 in; wood stringer pallets vary more with the lumber used.
SourcePalletHeightHeightSource
inmm
PECOWood block, pooled5.561411
CHEPWood block, pooled5.61422
iGPSPlastic, pooled5.621433
Rehrig PacificPlastic, rackable5.631434
Nelson PWN-4840-GMA-SWood stringer, GMA4.751215
NWPCA design exampleWood stringer4.7512121
Interlake MecaluxWood stringer, GMA (typical)5.5–6140–15222
Kamps PalletsWood stringer (typical)about 4.511417
WikipediaWood stringer, GMA (typical)6.516514

Cite this table: How tall a 48 × 40 pallet is, Pallet Dimensions, checked November 14, 2026, https://palletdimensions.com/pallet-dimensions/#heightDownload CSV

Empty weight by material

48 × 40 pallets
Ranges across the makers and references named. The pallet weight page breaks each down and gives load ratings.
MaterialEmpty weightEmpty weightSource
lbkg
Wood, stringer (GMA)30–5914–2721221423520
Wood, block55–6825–3162322
Plastic, nestable12–185–8789
Plastic, rackable or pooled30–5414–24101143
Presswood (moulded wood fibre)34–3915–181224
Aluminium46–5121–232526
Steel, galvanized65–7629–342728

Cite this table: Empty weight by material, Pallet Dimensions, checked November 14, 2026, https://palletdimensions.com/pallet-dimensions/#weightDownload CSV

US sizes beside the ISO and Euro sizes

ISO 6780
ISO 6780 recognises six footprints for pallets that cross oceans. Two are US sizes; the 1200 × 800 mm is the Euro pallet.
Size, mmSizeWhere it is usedSource
in
1219 × 101648 × 40North America (the 48 × 40 in GMA)1429
1200 × 100047.2 × 39.4Europe, Asia1429
1165 × 116545.9 × 45.9Australia1429
1067 × 106742 × 42North America, Europe, Asia1429
1100 × 110043.3 × 43.3Asia1429
1200 × 80047.2 × 31.5Europe (the EPAL 1 footprint)1429

Cite this table: US sizes beside the ISO and Euro sizes, Pallet Dimensions, checked November 14, 2026, https://palletdimensions.com/pallet-dimensions/#isoDownload CSV

What changes the answer

Stringer or block
A block pallet of the same footprint is usually taller and heavier than a stringer pallet, and takes forks from all four sides.
Which side is the length
US sizes are quoted stringer length first. A 40 × 48 has its stringers along the 40 in side and loads differently in a trailer.
Wood moisture
New pallets of green lumber weigh far more than dried ones. The NWPCA design example puts a new 48 × 40 at 59 lb.21
Loaded height for freight
Carriers measure the loaded unit, pallet included. Add the pallet’s 4.5 to 6.5 in to the height of the goods before you work out density.

Questions about pallet sizes

What is the standard pallet size in the US?

48 × 40 inches, the GMA pallet. In metric that is 1219 × 1016 mm.

How tall is a standard pallet?

Between 4.5 and 6.5 inches depending on the maker. Pooled block pallets from PECO, CHEP and iGPS are 5.56 to 5.63 in; a typical GMA wood stringer pallet is about 4.75 in.

Is a Euro pallet the same as a US pallet?

No. The Euro pallet (EPAL 1) is 1200 × 800 mm, about 47.2 × 31.5 in, narrower than a 48 × 40. See Euro pallet dimensions.

How many pallets fit in a trailer?

It depends on the trailer, how the pallets are turned and whether they stack. Pallets per trailer gives the counts and a calculator.

Sources

  1. Pallet specifications, PECO Pallet. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  2. CHEP North America 48 × 40 in pallet specification, CHEP (sheet hosted by Qimarox). Primary source. Read November 14, 2026. chep.com itself refused automated reads; this is CHEP’s sheet on a third-party site.
  3. Pallet spec sheet, iGPS. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  4. 40 × 48 GMA rackable 2800 pallet, Rehrig Pacific. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  5. PWN-4840-GMA-S wood pallet specification, Nelson Company. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  6. Pallet spec sheet (Spanish edition), PECO Pallet. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  7. CP-4840-N-100 plastic pallet specification, Nelson Company. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  8. GL-4840-N-ExNest plastic pallet specification, Nelson Company. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  9. NPP-4840-N-RackNest plastic pallet specification, Nelson Company. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  10. 40 × 48 P3 pallet, ORBIS. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  11. 40 × 48 RCKO LD pallet, ORBIS. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  12. PWN-4840-PRESS-N presswood pallet specification, Nelson Company. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  13. EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1), EPAL. Primary source. Read November 14, 2026.
  14. Pallet, Wikipedia. Read November 14, 2026. Its line that a GMA pallet holds “up to 460 pounds” is a typo and is not used.
  15. Industry standard pallet sizes: a complete list, Nelson Company. Read November 14, 2026.
  16. Standard pallet sizes, Eastern Lift Truck Co.. Read November 14, 2026. Calls its size list ISO; ISO 6780 has only six sizes.
  17. Standard pallet sizes with chart, Kamps Pallets. Read November 14, 2026.
  18. Beyond the standard pallet size, Millwood. Read November 14, 2026.
  19. Standard pallet size guide, 48forty Solutions. Read November 14, 2026.
  20. Standard pallet size and dimensions, CSA Transportation. Read November 14, 2026.
  21. Pallet Design System specification, drawings and analysis (example printout), Pallet Foundation / NWPCA. Read November 14, 2026. One example design run through NWPCA’s PDS software, not a published standard.
  22. GMA pallet, Interlake Mecalux. Read November 14, 2026.
  23. Understanding pallet weight, Kamps Pallets. Read November 14, 2026.
  24. Pressed wood pallet, 48 × 40 in (H-1032), Uline. Read November 14, 2026.
  25. Aluminum pallet, 48 × 40 in (H-4062), Uline. Read November 14, 2026.
  26. Aluminum pallet 40 × 48 × 5¼ in, four-way (New Age), Global Industrial. Read November 14, 2026.
  27. Galvanized steel open-deck pallet 40 × 48 in (Vestil SPL-4048), Global Industrial. Read November 14, 2026.
  28. Vestil SPL-4048 galvanized steel pallet, WebstaurantStore. Read November 14, 2026.
  29. What are ISO standard pallet dimensions?, iGPS. Read November 14, 2026. Prints 1000 mm as 39.27 in; 39.37 is correct.
  30. GMA pallet guidelines, Kamps Pallets. Read November 14, 2026.
  31. Pallet standards and specifications: the evolution to today, Pallet Enterprise. Read November 14, 2026.