48 x 32 Euro plastic pallets, by the trailer
48 x 32 Euro
- Inches
- 48.0 x 32.0
- Millimetres
- 1,219 x 813
- Deck area
- 10.67 sq ft
- Typical use
- Shipments into Europe; one-way export
- Example
- STK 783, 3,500 lb dyn., 15,000 lb static
The 48 x 32 in pallet is the 1200 x 800 mm Euro footprint. Nelson Company says it is often required for shipments into Europe, and that many lightweight versions exist for one-way export.
Globally it is the second most popular plastic size, per the same source. For a North American buyer it matters to importers and exporters.
Where the 48 x 32 Euro is used
Export and import flows. ISO 6780 lists 800 x 1200 mm for Europe. Plastic is exempt from the wood packaging rules of ISPM 15, which is one reason exporters ask for it.
The footprint, worked out
The 48 x 32 Euro figures below are arithmetic on the footprint (48.0 by 32.0 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 | 48.0 x 32.0 |
| Length x width, mm | 1,219 x 813 |
| Deck area | 1,536 sq in (10.67 sq ft) |
| Area against a 48 x 40 | 80.0 percent |
| Corner to corner | 57.7 in |
| Long side over short side | 1.50 |
The published example is PHS STK 783, a stackable at 3,500 lb dynamic and 15,000 lb static. Light one-way versions carry lower ratings, which is the trade for a lower price.
Next to its closest footprints
| Footprint | Deck area | Compared with this one |
|---|---|---|
| 40 x 40 | 1,600 sq in | 104.2 percent of this footprint |
| 42 x 42 | 1,764 sq in | 114.8 percent of this footprint |
| 36 x 36 | 1,296 sq in | 84.4 percent of this footprint |
| 43 x 43 | 1,849 sq in | 120.4 percent of this footprint |
Check the receiver. Ask the receiver which pallets it will accept.
What to settle before the order
- Whether the pallet leaves the country and does not come back.
- Weight rating suited to a light one-way design, or a heavier reusable one.
- Racking load if it will sit on beams abroad.
- Entry and deck type.
- Whether the receiver in Europe has a pool arrangement.
A 1200 x 800 pallet is 47.2 x 31.5 in; do not order it to fit a 48 in opening without checking the tolerance.
All sixteen footprints against the 48 x 32 Euro
The table sets every other footprint on this site against the 48 x 32 Euro, whose deck is 1,536 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 48 x 32 Euro | Difference, sq in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | 1,920 | 125.0% | +384 |
| 48 x 48 | 2,304 | 150.0% | +768 |
| 48 x 45 | 2,160 | 140.6% | +624 |
| 45 x 45 | 2,025 | 131.8% | +489 |
| 43 x 43 | 1,849 | 120.4% | +313 |
| 42 x 42 | 1,764 | 114.8% | +228 |
| 40 x 40 | 1,600 | 104.2% | +64 |
| 36 x 36 | 1,296 | 84.4% | -240 |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 1,860 | 121.1% | +324 |
| 1200 x 1200 mm | 2,232 | 145.3% | +696 |
| 1100 x 1100 mm | 1,876 | 122.1% | +340 |
| 56 x 44 | 2,464 | 160.4% | +928 |
| 48 x 20 half | 960 | 62.5% | -576 |
| 40 x 24 half | 960 | 62.5% | -576 |
| 24 x 20 quarter | 480 | 31.3% | -1,056 |
Measure this on your own dock
Ask the consignee for its pallet specification in writing. A European receiver may expect 1200 x 800 mm exactly, and 48 x 32 in is 1219 x 813 mm, so the two differ by 19 mm and 13 mm. Many lightweight versions exist for one-way export; ask which one the receiver has accepted before.
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
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- ISPM 15
- The international standard for treating wood packaging against pests. Plastic pallets are outside it.
- Stackable
- Loaded pallets can sit on top of each other, up to the static rating.
- Euro pallet
- 800 x 1200 mm footprint.
- Dynamic load
- Weight a pallet carries while moving on a forklift, pallet jack or conveyor.
- 4-way entry
- Forks or a jack can enter from all four sides.
- Nestable
- Empty pallets stack inside one another, cutting empty storage space by up to 75 percent.
- Cruciform base
- Bottom with a cross-shaped member as well as a perimeter, for strength and automated handling.
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- Nest ratio
- How many empty pallets fit in the height of one.
Questions at the dock
Is 48 x 32 the same as the Euro pallet?
In plastic, 48 x 32 in is the 1200 x 800 mm Euro footprint, to rounding.
Do exporters need ISPM 15 on plastic?
Plastic is exempt from ISPM 15, per USDA APHIS.
Keep reading
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.