Standard Pallet Sizes Reference
The footprint, deck size, own weight and dynamic load rating of every standard pallet, GMA, Euro, ISO, Australian, industrial, half and quarter, in one reference table.
A "standard" pallet is defined by three things: its footprint (length x width), its own weight (deadweight you carry but never sell), and its dynamic load rating (the load it can safely carry while being moved by a forklift or pallet jack). Static rating, what it holds when stationary and block-stacked, is usually higher. The figures below are the published nominal specs for each pattern; real pallets vary by a few millimetres and a few kilograms depending on timber, moisture and grade.
There is no single world standard. North America runs on the GMA 48 x 40 in pallet, Europe on the Euro / EPAL 1200 x 800 mm, and the ISO 6780 standard lists six footprints that cover most of the rest. Pick the footprint that matches your destination and your handling equipment before you plan a load, the footprint drives how many fit per layer in a container and how your cartons tile across the deck.
The reference table
| Pallet | Footprint (mm) | Footprint (in) | Own weight | Dynamic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMA / North American | 1219 x 1016 | 48 x 40 | ~37 lb (17 kg) | ~2,800 lb (1,270 kg) |
| Euro / EPAL 1 | 1200 x 800 | 47.24 x 31.5 | ~25 kg | ~1,500 kg |
| Industrial / EUR 2 | 1200 x 1000 | 47.24 x 39.4 | ~28 kg | ~1,500 kg |
| ISO / Asian | 1100 x 1100 | 43.3 x 43.3 | ~23 kg | ~1,000 kg |
| Australian Standard | 1165 x 1165 | 45.9 x 45.9 | ~40 kg | ~2,000 kg |
| Half pallet (EUR 6) | 800 x 600 | 31.5 x 23.6 | varies | varies |
| Quarter pallet | 600 x 400 | 23.6 x 15.7 | varies | varies |
The GMA pallet has a static rating around 7,500 lb, well above its 2,800 lb dynamic figure, block-stacking in a rack is gentler on a pallet than the flex and shock of being lifted and driven. Always size your load to the dynamic rating, because that is the condition under which it will fail.
How footprint drives the rest of the load
Footprint is the number that ripples through every downstream calculation. A 1219 x 1016 mm GMA deck is 1.24 m2; a 1200 x 800 mm Euro deck is 0.96 m2, about 22% smaller. That difference decides how your cartons tile per layer and how many pallets share a container floor.
Work it in two steps:
- Cartons per layer depends on how your box dimensions divide into the deck. A 12 x 10 in carton on a 48 x 40 in GMA deck tiles as 4 across x 4 deep = 16 boxes per layer with no overhang. Use the TI-HI calculator to test rotated patterns and find the densest fit.
- Layers depend on your maximum stack height divided by carton height, and on the load rating once you add weight. Run the full stack, pattern, layers and total units, in the pallet calculator, then check the gross figure against the dynamic rating with the pallet weight calculator.
Choosing between footprints
- Shipping into North America? Default to GMA 48 x 40, it is the grocery and retail standard and tiles efficiently into 53 ft trailers and 40 ft containers.
- Shipping into Europe? Use the Euro 1200 x 800; many European racking systems and truck beds are dimensioned around it, and EPAL pallets are part of an exchange pool.
- Heavier or square loads? The 1200 x 1000 industrial pallet gives more deck area than a Euro at the same length, and the 1100 x 1100 ISO is common across Asia.
If your origin and destination use different footprints, see GMA vs Euro pallets for the container-fit trade-off before you commit.