Products · pallets
The thing your boxes stand on matters more than people think.
A bulk box is only as square as the deck under it. Pairing a box with the wrong pallet is one of the quickest ways to wreck an otherwise reusable container, so pallets and boxes are worth planning together.
- Core size
- 48 × 40 GMA
- Common grades
- A and B
- Availability
- Through partner suppliers
Ask about pallets
Size, grade, quantity and whether you need them heat-treated. Mixed box-and-pallet requests are fine.
Answer first
Pair the pallet to the box, not to the price list.
A 48 × 40 gaylord sitting on a pallet that measures 47½ × 39¾ overhangs at every corner. Every forklift move then loads the bottom edge of the corrugated instead of the deck, and a box that should have made several more trips degrades after one. The cheaper pallet ends up costing more than it saved.
That is why it helps to tell a supplier what deck your boxes are going onto before they quote. A plugged stringer and replacement deck boards can turn a scrap pallet into a serviceable B grade, but only the supplier can tell you what a particular lot has had done to it.
Types
Common pallet types and what they are for.
| Type | Size | Grade | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMA hardwood, 4-way | 48 × 40 | A | Racking, customer shipments, repeated box reuse |
| GMA hardwood, 4-way | 48 × 40 | B (mended) | In-plant movement, one-way outbound loads |
| Block pallet | 48 × 40 | A / B | Heavy loads, automated handling, four-way true entry |
| Half pallet | 42 × 30 / 40 × 32 | A / B | Half gaylords, retail back-of-store, tight aisles |
| Plastic pallet | 48 × 40 | Used, inspected | Wash-down environments and where wood is unwelcome |
| One-way / stringer skid | Various | Serviceable | Export and single-trip shipments |
| Remanufactured | 48 × 40 | Rebuilt from salvage | Cost-driven volume where cosmetics do not matter |
Questions
Pallets, answered.
What is the difference between an A grade and a B grade pallet?
Definitions vary by supplier, so ask. As a general description, an A grade 48x40 GMA pallet has sound stringers, full deck boards with no more than minor splits, and sits flat and square under load. A B grade has typically been mended, with a companion stringer or replaced boards, and is serviceable but cosmetically obvious. A grade suits customer-facing shipments and racking; B grade is often fine for in-plant use and one-way loads.
Do I need a heat-treated pallet?
Generally only for international shipments subject to ISPM 15, which calls for wood packaging heat-treated to 56 °C for 30 minutes and marked with the IPPC stamp. Check current regulations for your destination. Domestic freight inside the United States does not normally require it. Ask the supplier whether stamped pallets are available.
Will a gaylord box fit any 48x40 pallet?
Almost, but overhang is the thing to check. A 48x40 box on a 48x40 pallet has no tolerance: if the pallet is slightly undersized or a deck board is proud, the bottom edge of the box overhangs, and that is exactly where crush damage starts. For repeated reuse, pair bulk boxes with pallets that measure true.
Can I sell my used pallets?
You can ask through the quote request. Send counts, sizes and photographs. Buyers generally want pallets that are sound and dry; broken pallets may still have value as material, and wood is commonly recycled or ground where facilities accept it.
Anatomy
The parts of a pallet, and which ones matter to your boxes.
Most pallet buying is done on price per unit. Most pallet problems are caused by a few components nobody looks at.
- Top deck boards
- Carry the load and support the box base. Too few boards under a heavy box let the base sag between them; more boards, or a slip sheet, prevents it. The single most important spec for bulk boxes.
- Stringers or blocks
- The structure between decks. Stringers give partial four-way entry; blocks give true four-way. Fork tips clipping box corners on side entry come from notched stringers.
- Bottom deck boards
- Spread load into the floor or the rack. Missing bottom boards cause racking deflection that transmits straight into the box above.
- Lead boards
- The outermost top boards. These take the first fork contact and are the most frequently replaced part on a mended pallet.
- Chamfer
- The bevel on bottom deck boards that lets a pallet jack enter. Absent or damaged chamfers jam pallet jacks.
- Fasteners
- Nails or staples. Proud nail heads point-load the box base and cause punctures. Check mended pallets for them.
- Actual dimensions
- Not the nominal ones. A '48 × 40' measuring 47½ × 39¾ overhangs a 48 × 40 box at every corner and damages it quickly.
- Moisture content
- Wet pallets wick into the bottom course of corrugated. Dry, well-stored pallets are worth the difference on anything stored.
- IPPC stamp
- Heat-treatment mark used for international shipments under ISPM 15. Generally not needed domestically.
Grading
What separates A from B, and what fails outright.
Pallet grading is less standardised than box grading. Here is a common way to describe it; ask each supplier how they grade.
Grade A: sound or properly plugged
- All stringers sound or plugged with a full companion
- Full-width top deck boards, no more than minor splits
- Sits flat under load with no rocking
- Measures true to 48 × 40 within a small tolerance
- No protruding fasteners on the top deck
- Suitable for racking, customer shipments and repeated box reuse
Commonly rejected
- Cracked stringers through the fork opening
- Several missing top deck boards
- Protruding nails that cannot be removed or set
- Mould, or moisture you can feel
- Chemical staining of unknown origin
- Cut-down pallets passed off as standard sizes
Pairing
Which pallet for which box, and why.
| Box | Pallet | Entry | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 × 36, 4-wall, lighter loads | 48 × 40 GMA, B grade | Any | An economical default for internal use |
| 48 × 40 × 36, 5-wall, heavier loads | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | 4-way preferred | Overhang here is what damages 5-wall boxes |
| 48 × 40 × 24, shallow, dense load | 48 × 40 block | True 4-way | Dense loads deflect stringer pallets |
| 48 × 40 × 48, tall, light load | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | Any | Stability matters more than deck strength |
| 48 × 45 automotive | 48 × 45 custom | 4-way | Do not substitute a GMA; the overhang is severe |
| 44 × 44 square | 48 × 48 | 4-way | Slight underhang is fine and often preferable |
| 41 × 28 half | 42 × 30 half | Any | Two per standard pallet position |
| 44″ round octabin | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | 4-way | Base tray spreads load but still needs full support |
| Any, wash-down area | Plastic 48 × 40 | 4-way | Boxes and plastic pallets: watch condensation |
Ask for boxes and pallets together.
Matched sets arrive square and stop the overhang problem before it starts costing you containers. A partner supplier follows up.