40 x 40 plastic pallets, by the trailer
40 x 40
- Inches
- 40.0 x 40.0
- Millimetres
- 1,016 x 1,016
- Deck area
- 11.11 sq ft
- Rank
- Sixth most produced in US, all materials
- Metric
- 1016 mm square
A 40 x 40 in pallet is the sixth most produced size in the US across all materials, according to the Wikipedia article on pallets. Whether it is available in plastic is not something our sources settle, so this page says so rather than guessing.
If your dock runs 40 x 40 in wood and you want plastic, send the request. We will tell you which makers list that footprint, or that none does.
Where the 40 x 40 is used
Flows already built around a 40 in square deck. The footprint is a 1016 mm square, close to the 40 in side of a standard 48 x 40.
The footprint, worked out
The 40 x 40 figures below are arithmetic on the footprint (40.0 by 40.0 in), not a maker's claim. Inches convert to millimetres at 25.4, deck area is length times width, and the comparison is against the 48 x 40 GMA at 1,920 sq in.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Nominal length x width, inches | 40.0 x 40.0 |
| Length x width, mm | 1,016 x 1,016 |
| Deck area | 1,600 sq in (11.11 sq ft) |
| Area against a 48 x 40 | 83.3 percent |
| Corner to corner | 56.6 in |
| Long side over short side | 1.00 |
A 40 x 40 is smaller than a standard 48 x 40: its area is 83 percent of it. A smaller deck may carry less, and a smaller pallet may leave floor on a trailer unused.
Next to its closest footprints
| Footprint | Deck area | Compared with this one |
|---|---|---|
| 48 x 32 Euro | 1,536 sq in | 96.0 percent of this footprint |
| 42 x 42 | 1,764 sq in | 110.3 percent of this footprint |
| 43 x 43 | 1,849 sq in | 115.6 percent of this footprint |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 1,860 sq in | 116.3 percent of this footprint |
Availability is the real question for this footprint. Plastic availability is not sourced in our data.
What to settle before the order
- Whether the bay forces 40 x 40 or a 48 x 40 would fit.
- Weight and rating of the pallet you use today.
- Quantity per quarter and first delivery month.
- Four-way or two-way entry.
- Whether a custom mould is acceptable when no stock model exists.
A custom-moulded size is an option for large uniform lots; the custom plastic pallets page explains the trade-off.
All sixteen footprints against the 40 x 40
The table sets every other footprint on this site against the 40 x 40, whose deck is 1,600 sq in. A figure under 100 percent means the other deck is smaller. The last column is the plain difference in area, which is what a lift truck driver would call extra or missing deck.
| Footprint | Deck area, sq in | Against the 40 x 40 | Difference, sq in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | 1,920 | 120.0% | +320 |
| 48 x 48 | 2,304 | 144.0% | +704 |
| 48 x 45 | 2,160 | 135.0% | +560 |
| 45 x 45 | 2,025 | 126.6% | +425 |
| 43 x 43 | 1,849 | 115.6% | +249 |
| 42 x 42 | 1,764 | 110.3% | +164 |
| 36 x 36 | 1,296 | 81.0% | -304 |
| 48 x 32 Euro | 1,536 | 96.0% | -64 |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 1,860 | 116.3% | +260 |
| 1200 x 1200 mm | 2,232 | 139.5% | +632 |
| 1100 x 1100 mm | 1,876 | 117.2% | +276 |
| 56 x 44 | 2,464 | 154.0% | +864 |
| 48 x 20 half | 960 | 60.0% | -640 |
| 40 x 24 half | 960 | 60.0% | -640 |
| 24 x 20 quarter | 480 | 30.0% | -1,120 |
Measure this on your own dock
Ask whether you need exactly 40 x 40 or only a pallet that fits a 40 in bay. A 48 x 40 is 8 in longer on one side and may not fit the bay, but it is stocked far more widely, so the answer to that question changes the quote.
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.
Terms on this page
- Open deck
- Top deck with gaps between slats or ribs; lighter and drains.
- Closed deck
- Solid top deck with no gaps; keeps small items from falling through.
- 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.
- Edge rack
- Resting on the rack beams by the pallet's edges only, with no support in the middle.
Questions at the dock
Is a 40 x 40 pallet available in plastic?
Our sources do not settle it. Send the request and we will say what exists.
How common is 40 x 40?
Sixth most produced in the US across all materials, per Wikipedia.
Keep reading
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.