Sizes in print: 48 x 40
48 x 40 pallets: the GMA standard in detail
ORLANDO — A 48 x 40 pallet measures 48 inches long by 40 wide, or 1,219 by 1,016 mm. It is the GMA standard and the most common wood pallet size in North America.
The numbers
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 40 in (1,219 x 1,016 mm) |
| Height | About 5.5 to 6 in (140 to 150 mm); GMA pallets are typically 6.5 in (170 mm) tall in some references |
| Weight, unloaded | About 33 to 49 lb (15 to 22 kg); reinforced pallets 55 to 66 lb (25 to 30 kg) |
| Dynamic load | 2,000 to 2,800 lb (900 to 1,270 kg) |
| Static load | 2,500 to 4,600 lb (1,100 to 2,100 kg) |
| Usable surface | About 13.3 sq ft (1.23 m²) |
| Boxes per layer | Nine 16 x 12 in (400 x 300 mm) boxes |
Where it ships
Because this is the default, it turns up in every district: the infill warehouses of Orlando Central Park and Southpark, the air-cargo and fulfillment buildings near the airport, the distribution parks of Osceola County and the Turnpike cross-docks in Lake County. It is the size that grocery, retail and general freight assume.
A 48 x 40 pallet takes four-way or two-way entry depending on how it is built: notched stringers or blocks give four-way, solid stringers give two-way.
Grades in this size
This size has the deepest supply of every grade: A, B, C, combo and cores. The grade sheet's drawing is a 48 x 40.
Why ask for it by name
"Standard" is not a specification. No universally accepted standards for pallet dimensions exist, so the request should say 48 x 40 and whether it means stringer or block.
The size in a trailer
Laid with the 48-inch side along the trailer, two pallets stand across 80 of the 98 inches and thirteen rows use 624 of the 636 inches of length, which is the 26 pallets that loading guides quote. Turned with the 48-inch side across the trailer, two pallets use 96 inches and fifteen rows of 40 use 600 inches, giving 30, at the cost of stability and a harder unload. The pinwheel layouts sources report between the two come to 28. The 48-inch length nearly fills the box width when turned, which is why this footprint suits North American trailers.
Reading a stringer length off a pallet
The first number in a pallet measurement is the length of the stringers and the second is the length of the deck boards. On a 48 x 40 the three stringers run the 48 inches and the boards span 40. Racks that support a pallet on its ends need the long side facing the beams, which is why a request should keep that order, and why a pallet turned the wrong way can sit unsupported.
Weights that matter at a dock
- Empty weight 33 to 49 pounds for a standard stringer build; reinforced builds reach 55 to 66.
- A heavy-duty 44 x 48 inch build with three 4 by 3 inch stringers is listed at about 135 pounds.
- A pallet rated for one short ton moving and three at rest is a design figure, not a promise for a repaired pallet.
How the pallet came about
The pallet follows the forklift. The Wikipedia article dates the earliest cited United States patent for a lift-truck platform to 1924, names Raymond and House as filing in 1937 for a pallet designed around a new pallet jack, and records a patent for a disposable pallet in 1949. Logistics during the Second World War used pallets on a large scale, and the grocery makers' 48 x 40 settled afterwards as the footprint most others were measured against.
Sources
Last reviewed 10 November 2026.