Plastic pallet sizes, by footprint
Sixteen footprints
- Standard
- 48 x 40 in GMA pallet
- Automotive
- 48 x 45 in
- Beverage
- 56 x 44 in
- Chemical
- 45 x 45 in, 48 x 48 in
- Export
- 48 x 32 in Euro, 1200 x 1000 mm
- Display bases
- Half and quarter pallets
Buyers choose the footprint first. In North America that is usually the 48 x 40 in GMA pallet, which Nelson Company says is just over half of the plastic pallets it lists. Automotive docks lean to 48 x 45, beverage to 56 x 44 and chemical plants to 45 x 45 or 48 x 48.
Each page below gives the footprint in inches and millimetres, where it is used, the example ratings a maker or dealer has published, and what to check before you order.
How to choose a footprint
Start from what the pallet carries and what it moves through. A 48 x 40 suits general shipping, grocery and retail. A 48 x 48 holds four 55-gallon drums without overhang. A 48 x 45 matches the heavy-duty bulk containers North American automotive plants use. A 56 x 44 is the beverage pallet. A 43 x 43 is built for bulk bags, and the 45 x 45 is the CP9 chemical standard.
Then check the building. Racks, conveyors, trailers and container floors each have a footprint they fit best. A footprint that wastes trailer floor costs freight on every load, which is why we write orders in trailers.
Sizes outside North America
ISO 6780 lists 1016 x 1219 mm for North America, 1000 x 1200 mm for Europe and Asia and 800 x 1200 mm for Europe. The 800 x 1200 mm Euro footprint is the second most popular plastic pallet size worldwide. Buyers shipping into Europe often need it, and many lightweight versions exist for one-way export. A 1100 x 1100 mm square footprint is used in Asia.
Reading the table above
The table gives every footprint in inches and millimetres with its deck area and its area against the 48 x 40. Area is arithmetic, not a rating: a larger deck can carry less, and a smaller one more, depending on the model. Use the table to see how footprints relate, and the size pages for use and published examples.
How to pick a footprint
A footprint is rarely a free choice. It comes from the racks, the trailers, the conveyors and the receiver's specification. When none of these decide it, the common North American size is 48 x 40 in, the common European size is 1200 x 800 mm, and the common Asian size is 1100 x 1100 mm. The rest of the list exists for the cases where something else decided.
From request to trailer
- Send the ship-to. A delivery ZIP, a footprint and a quantity, in pallets or in trailers. If you do not know a rating, describe the load.
- We match a model. We pick a maker and model whose published static, dynamic and racking load fit the load, and say so when only one maker fits.
- You get a count. The quote carries the maker's own per-trailer figure where one is published, and says plainly where none is.
- Papers and delivery. For food or pharma we attach the resin and colourant documents. A standing supply repeats the same line on every order.
What a complete request carries
- The footprint, in inches or millimetres, and whether it is fixed by a rack bay or a container.
- How many pallets, or how many 53 ft trailers.
- The ratings the load needs: static for the stack, dynamic for the move, racking only if the pallet sits on beams.
- Food, pharma, chemical, automotive, warehouse or export use, which sets the papers.
- One load now, or a standing supply with the same line on every order.
- Where it goes and when, and anything marked on the pallet: colour, logo, RFID tag.
All sixteen footprints
| Footprint | Inches | Millimetres | Deck area | Against a 48 x 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | 48.0 x 40.0 | 1,219 x 1,016 | 13.33 sq ft | 100.0 percent |
| 48 x 48 | 48.0 x 48.0 | 1,219 x 1,219 | 16.00 sq ft | 120.0 percent |
| 48 x 45 | 48.0 x 45.0 | 1,219 x 1,143 | 15.00 sq ft | 112.5 percent |
| 45 x 45 | 45.0 x 45.0 | 1,143 x 1,143 | 14.06 sq ft | 105.5 percent |
| 43 x 43 | 43.0 x 43.0 | 1,092 x 1,092 | 12.84 sq ft | 96.3 percent |
| 42 x 42 | 42.0 x 42.0 | 1,067 x 1,067 | 12.25 sq ft | 91.9 percent |
| 40 x 40 | 40.0 x 40.0 | 1,016 x 1,016 | 11.11 sq ft | 83.3 percent |
| 36 x 36 | 36.0 x 36.0 | 914 x 914 | 9.00 sq ft | 67.5 percent |
| 48 x 32 Euro | 48.0 x 32.0 | 1,219 x 813 | 10.67 sq ft | 80.0 percent |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 47.2 x 39.4 | 1,200 x 1,000 | 12.92 sq ft | 96.9 percent |
| 1200 x 1200 mm | 47.2 x 47.2 | 1,200 x 1,200 | 15.50 sq ft | 116.3 percent |
| 1100 x 1100 mm | 43.3 x 43.3 | 1,100 x 1,100 | 13.02 sq ft | 97.7 percent |
| 56 x 44 | 56.0 x 44.0 | 1,422 x 1,118 | 17.11 sq ft | 128.3 percent |
| 48 x 20 half | 48.0 x 20.0 | 1,219 x 508 | 6.67 sq ft | 50.0 percent |
| 40 x 24 half | 40.0 x 24.0 | 1,016 x 610 | 6.67 sq ft | 50.0 percent |
| 24 x 20 quarter | 24.0 x 20.0 | 610 x 508 | 3.33 sq ft | 25.0 percent |
- 48 x 40 GMA48 x 40 GMA plastic pallets by the trailer: published counts for six models, the three ratings, nestable against stackable, and a way to ask for a load.
- 48 x 45 automotive48 x 45 plastic pallets for automotive bulk containers: what the footprint is for, how it compares with a 48 x 40, what to ask for and why no trailer count is quoted.
- 56 x 44 beverage56 x 44 beverage plastic pallets: the PHS STK 285 ratings, how the footprint compares with a 48 x 40, and what a bottler should ask before a trailer order.
- 48 x 48 in48 x 48 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 45 x 45 in45 x 45 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 43 x 43 in43 x 43 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 42 x 42 in42 x 42 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 40 x 40 in40 x 40 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 36 x 36 in36 x 36 plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 48 x 32 in Euro48 x 32 Euro plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 1200 x 1000 mm ISO 21200 x 1000 mm plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 1200 x 1200 mm1200 x 1200 mm plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 1100 x 1100 mm1100 x 1100 mm plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 48 x 20 in half pallet48 x 20 half plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 40 x 24 in half pallet40 x 24 half plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
- 24 x 20 in quarter pallet24 x 20 quarter plastic pallets: use, a published rating example where one exists, the arithmetic of the footprint and what to check before a trailer order.
Terms on this page
- GMA pallet
- The 48 x 40 in North American standard footprint.
- PP
- Polypropylene. More rigid than HDPE and better with heat and harsh chemicals; used where rack stiffness matters.
- CP9
- A chemical-industry pallet standard, 1140 x 1140 mm.
- Picture frame
- A raised rim around the deck edge that keeps cartons from sliding off.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Lip
- Raised edge on the deck, or an optional soft lip, that keeps the load in place.
- Anti-slip
- Textured deck or rubber grommets that reduce load slip.
- Multi-trip pallet
- A pallet designed to be returned and reused many times.
- One-way pallet
- A cheaper pallet shipped with the load and not expected back.
- Captive pallet
- A pallet owned and kept inside one company or loop.
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.