Standard Pallet Sizes, Dimensions & Weight (US, ISO, EUR)

By Owen Hartley, Editor · Last updated November 11, 2026

The standard North American pallet is 48 × 40 inches (1,219 × 1,016 mm), one of the ISO 6780 sizes and listed by GS1 as used mainly in the Americas. The standard European pallet is the EPAL Euro pallet: 1,200 × 800 × 144 mm, about 25 kg, with a safe working load of 1,500 kg.

Source: GS1 Sweden, T2244 Platform type code list (codes 11, 12, 40, 41, 42, 43, 25); WFP Logistics Cluster, Standard Pallet Specifications; European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL Euro Pallet (EPAL 1) specifications; European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL 2 Pallet specifications, checked Oct 30, 2026

• ISO 1 pallet (Euro footprint): Size as listed by GS1, which labels it the ISO 6780 ISO 1 pallet. The ISO standard itself is sold by ISO and was not consulted.
• ISO 3 pallet (48 x 40 in): Commonly called the GMA pallet in the US. No published GMA specification was found, so no weight or load rating is given.
• ISO 6 pallet: Sources disagree: GS1 lists 1,140 × 1,140 mm as the sixth ISO 6780 size; the WFP Logistics Cluster sheet lists 1,165 × 1,165 mm instead.
• Australian standard pallet: GS1: sized to fit the RACE containers of the Australian railway, and listed by GS1 as a national size. The WFP Logistics Cluster sheet lists it as an ISO size.
• EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1): EPAL writes the size as 800 mm long and 1,200 mm wide; shown here long side first. Weight is approximate. The stacking limit applies to the bottom pallet on a solid, even surface.
• EPAL 2 pallet: Weight is approximate. The stacking limit applies to the bottom pallet on a solid, even surface.

The 48 × 40 pallet in the United States

The 48 × 40-inch footprint is the ISO 3 pallet in the GS1 code list, 1,219 × 1,016 mm, described as used primarily in the Americas. In US shipping it is usually called the GMA pallet. Length comes first: the 48-inch side is the length, the 40-inch side the width.

This page does not give a weight or load rating for the 48 × 40 pallet. Those depend on wood, design and grade, and we found no published GMA specification to cite. Weigh the pallet you ship and include its height in the handling unit: carriers measure and weigh the pallet together with the freight, and both change the density and the freight class.

The ISO 6780 pallet sizes and where they are used

ISO 6780:2003 lists the pallet footprints meant for intercontinental shipping. The GS1 code list gives six: 1,200 × 800, 1,200 × 1,000, 1,219 × 1,016 (48 × 40 in), 1,067 × 1,067 (42 × 42 in), 1,100 × 1,100 and 1,140 × 1,140 mm. The standard itself is sold by ISO, so these figures come from GS1.

The two sources we checked disagree on the sixth size. GS1 lists 1,140 × 1,140 mm as the ISO 6 pallet, used mainly in Europe. The UN World Food Programme's Logistics Cluster sheet lists 1,165 × 1,165 mm for Australia instead. GS1 lists 1,165 × 1,165 mm separately as the Australian standard pallet, sized for the RACE containers of the Australian railway. The table above shows both and marks the disagreement.

How much does a pallet weigh?

A wooden 48 × 40 pallet weighs 39 to 64 lb in the published specs below: 39 lb pressed wood, 44 lb for a new stringer pallet, 45 lb for a recycled wood pallet and 64 lb for a block pallet. Plastic 48 × 40 pallets weigh 15 to 54 lb. A Euro pallet weighs about 25 kg (55 lb).

Source: European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL Euro Pallet (EPAL 1) specifications, checked Oct 30, 2026; European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL 2 Pallet specifications, checked Oct 30, 2026; Uline, New Wood GMA Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-1218) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; Uline, Recycled Wood Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-750) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; Uline, Block Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-4793) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; Uline, Pressed Wood Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-1032) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; Uline, Export Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-1449) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; Uline, Plastic Pallet - 48 x 40" (H-990) product page, checked Nov 10, 2026; iGPS, Pallet Spec Sheet (igps.net), checked Nov 10, 2026

Weights of specific products as published by their sellers; there is no standard weight for a 48 × 40 pallet.

• EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1): EPAL gives the weight as approximately 25 kg.
• EPAL 2 pallet: EPAL gives the weight as approximately 35 kg.
• Uline H-1218 New Wood GMA Pallet: Uline lists a unit weight of 44 lb and 42 lb in its product chart, and notes that weight varies with moisture and wood species.
• Uline H-1449 Export Pallet: Uline does not say whether the capacity is static or dynamic.
• iGPS Gen 6 pooled pallet: iGPS gives the weight as about 50 lb (Gen 6.1: under 50 lb). iGPS: dimensions and weights are approximate.
• iGPS Gen 3 pooled pallet: iGPS gives a range of 50 to 54 lb.

These are weights of specific products as their sellers publish them, not an industry standard; no standard weight exists for a 48 × 40 pallet. Wood species, moisture and board thickness move the number, which is why Uline lists both 42 and 44 lb for the same pallet. For a freight bill, weigh the pallet you ship: carriers count it in the weight and the density.

Euro pallet vs EPAL 2: weight and load limits

The EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1) is 1,200 × 800 × 144 mm, weighs about 25 kg and has a safe working load of 1,500 kg. The EPAL 2 industrial pallet is 1,200 × 1,000 × 162 mm, weighs about 35 kg and carries 1,250 kg. Both figures come from the European Pallet Association's specifications.

Source: European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL Euro Pallet (EPAL 1) specifications; European Pallet Association (EPAL), EPAL 2 Pallet specifications, checked Oct 30, 2026

• EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1): EPAL writes the size as 800 mm long and 1,200 mm wide; shown here long side first. Weight is approximate. The stacking limit applies to the bottom pallet on a solid, even surface.
• EPAL 2 pallet: Weight is approximate. The stacking limit applies to the bottom pallet on a solid, even surface.

EPAL also sets a limit for stacking loaded pallets on a solid, even floor: the bottom Euro pallet must not carry more than 5,500 kg, and the bottom EPAL 2 no more than 4,250 kg. EPAL writes the Euro pallet as 800 mm long and 1,200 mm wide; the tables here put the long side first to match ISO.

How many pallets fit on a container floor

On one layer with no overhang, a 20 ft dry container takes 9 pallets of 48 × 40 in or 11 Euro pallets. A 40 ft dry or high cube takes 20 and 25; a 45 ft high cube takes 24 and 27. Counts use the smallest inside floor that Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM publish.

Calculated from: Maersk, Our fleet - equipment specifications: dry containers (PDF, maersk.com local information); Hapag-Lloyd, Container Specification (booklet, 03/2016), pp. 9, 11, 13, 15; CMA CGM, Containers - technical specifications (web page), checked Oct 30, 2026

Inside floor used: 20 ft 5,896 × 2,350 mm; 40 ft 12,032 × 2,350 mm; 45 ft 13,556 × 2,352 mm — the smallest published by Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM

The counts come from a two-lane floor plan: pallets in one lane face lengthwise, in the other crosswise, and every split of the width is tried. A plain grid with all pallets facing the same way fits fewer, and the table shows that number too. The 45 ft Euro pallet count matches CMA CGM's own statement that a standard ISO 45 ft container takes 27 Euro pallets per tier.

Treat the 40 ft Euro pallet count as tight. Ten Euro pallets lengthwise need 12,000 mm and the smallest published inside length is 12,032 mm, which leaves 32 mm for pallets built slightly oversize. Pallet height and the container door matter too: see the door openings in the container dimensions table.