Pallet sizes are essential to incorporate into the planning of any warehouse. This ensures the warehouse design includes the correct dimensions to allow for the timely flow of inventory. It also prevents costly backups.Even within the supply chain and logistics industry, surprisingly, few people are aware that pallets come in different sizes. Most people don’t know about the differences in pallet dimensions by region and industry. All in all, there are thought to be dozens, if not hundreds, of different sizes of pallets in use in across the globe.
Knowing about the size of pallets that is standard in your region and industry can help your business design a time-efficient and cost-effective warehouse facility. Of course, there are many different types of pallets other than wood. Plastic, steel, and anti-spill pallets are also common.
Sizes of Pallets in the USA
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recognizes six standard pallet sizes worldwide.
In the USA, the most common standard pallet size is 40” x 48.” This size is considered standard in the grocery business, as well as many other industries in North America.
The 40” x 48” size is favored by the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA), a major force within the consumer goods business. The GMA is the producer of almost a third of new wooden pallets in the United States.
Though the 40” x 48” pallet is by far the most common in the USA, the 42” x 42” and 48” x 48” square pallet dimensions are not uncommon. Other pallet sizes are somewhat less common and vary by industry.
Standard Pallet Sizes by Industry
Several industries favor the smaller 42” x 42” square pallet dimensions. These include paint and telecommunications.
Meanwhile, transportation of products in steel drums commonly uses the 48” x 48” pallet size.
The dairy industry in North America generally uses 40” x 40” pallets, though some operations will employ 40” x 48” pallets. The beverage industry in the USA and Canada use smaller 36” x 36” pallets, which are standard in this sector.
In the retail sector, many enterprises use pallets of highly unusual dimensions: 48” x 20” which allows for compact storage.
Standard Pallet Sizes by Region
The wooden pallet dimensions that are favored across industries vary from continent to continent.
Though 48” x 40” is standard in much of North America, the same is not true for the rest of the world.
Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of Oceania have their own standard pallet dimension: 1,165 x 1,165 mm, or approximately 46” x 46.” These pallet dimensions are among the six standard pallet dimensions recognized by the ISO.
Asia, meanwhile, favors 1,100 x 1,100 mm pallet, though 1,000 x 1,200 mm pallets are also used. Additionally, 1,200 by 1,200 mm pallets are used in India and China.
European Pallet Dimensions
Europe, in turn, has its own standard pallet sizes. Much like North America, there are many different sizes of pallets used. However, two European pallet sizes are recognized by the ISO.
First, the 1,000 x 1,200 mm pallet size is ISO standard, is German in origin and is used widely in Europe and Asia. This is the closest in dimensions to the America 40” x 48” pallets. These pallets are also the most common across Central and South America.
Secondly, and ISO standard, the relatively small 800 x 600 mm pallets are also widely used in Europe, as well as South Africa. They are especially common in the retail sector. This size of wooden pallets has a special advantage in many industries: they are small enough in width to fit through a standard doorway.
Considerations for Pallets and Inventory Management
The design of your warehouse needs to accommodate the correct pallet size to ensure simplified movement through buildings. Forklifts and jacks need to be sourced that can ideally be used with all pallet dimensions utilized in the warehouse.
Perhaps most importantly of all, the pallet racks that are used to stack and store pallets containing inventory must accommodate the correct pallet dimensions. Incorrectly sized pallet racks could mean a serious waste of space per square foot and significant associated financial losses.
Designing your infrastructure with pallet dimensions in mind is essential, and this extends beyond merely the physical infrastructure of your warehouse.
To reduce wasted space, the vans or shipping containers used to transport items on pallets should be selected to fit the correct pallet dimensions to avoid wasted space in transportation.
How Pallet Sizes Impact Your Operations
In the construction and design of any warehouse, accommodating standardized pallet dimensions is paramount. This allows for optimization of workflows to allow for efficient movement of inventory in and out of the warehouse.
Having a warehouse designed to accommodate the correct pallet size for your industry represents enormous financial savings. Warehouse space is valuable, and procuring the most suitable racking systems to accommodate your inventory is a good financial investment.
It is especially important to know the pallet sizes you will be working with in instances where you are having goods shipped from overseas.
If you are not completely certain of the pallet dimensions used for your products or industry, it might be worth measuring those currently in usage. Alternatively, contacting your suppliers may yield information in this regard.
Incorporating the standard pallet dimensions for your industry and region into your warehouse design will ensure efficient use of resources, time and prevent blockages of inventory flow.
