Pallets: dimensions & payload capacity
Footprints and load ratings for the pallet standards that decide how everything else packs: the GMA 48 x 40, the Euro EPAL, and the ISO 6780 footprints used across Asia and Australia.
Interior cargo dimensions in inches; payload is maximum cargo weight, not gross vehicle or gross container weight. Figures are the published specifications of the manufacturer, carrier, or standards body linked on each row, and vary by make, model, and year. Treat them as planning numbers and confirm the specific unit before you load it. Pallet height is a planning stack height, not a physical dimension. The footprint (length x width) and the load rating are the real specifications.
About these numbers
Pallets are the unit almost all other cargo space is designed around. A 53 ft trailer is 100 in wide because two 48 in GMA pallets fit across it with a little clearance; a pallet-wide 45 ft container exists because two 1200 mm Euro pallets do not fit in a standard box. Get the footprint right and everything downstream falls into place. North America runs on the GMA 48 x 40 in pallet, which accounts for roughly a third of all new pallets made in the US. Europe runs on the EPAL Euro pallet at 1200 x 800 mm, sized so three fit across a 2.4 m trailer bed. ISO 6780 recognises six footprints in total, including the square 1100 x 1100 mm used across Asia and the 1165 x 1165 mm Australian standard, which exists because it fits the RACE rail containers Australian freight was built around. Two numbers matter beyond the footprint: the pallet's own deadweight, which you carry but never sell, and its dynamic load rating, the weight it can carry while a forklift is moving it. The height figure in this library is a planning convention rather than a physical dimension. Pallets have no ceiling, so the value shown is a typical maximum stack height for load planning; change it to whatever your own stacking rules or trailer height allow.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a standard pallet size?
- In North America the standard is the GMA pallet at 48 x 40 in (1219 x 1016 mm). In Europe it is the EPAL Euro pallet at 1200 x 800 mm (47.2 x 31.5 in). ISO 6780 recognises six footprints in total, and which one is 'standard' depends entirely on where the freight is going.
- What size is a Euro pallet?
- A Euro pallet, EPAL 1, measures 1200 x 800 mm (47.2 x 31.5 in) and stands 144 mm tall empty. It weighs about 25 kg and is rated to roughly 1,500 kg dynamic load, up to 4,000 kg static. Its width is chosen so three fit across a 2.4 m trailer bed.
- How many pallets fit in a 40ft container?
- About 25 standard 48 x 40 in GMA pallets, or 25 to 30 Euro pallets depending on orientation, loaded in a single layer. A 20ft container takes roughly 11 GMA or 11 Euro pallets. Double-stacking doubles those counts if the freight and the container height allow it.
- How much weight can a pallet hold?
- A standard wooden GMA or Euro pallet is rated for roughly 1,500 kg (about 3,300 lb) of dynamic load, meaning while a forklift is moving it, and considerably more static load when it is sitting still. Ratings vary by construction, so check the manufacturer's specification for anything near the limit.
- Why does the Australian pallet have a different size?
- The Australian standard pallet is 1165 x 1165 mm under AS 4068, a square footprint sized to fit the RACE rail containers the Australian freight network was built around. It does not interchange efficiently with either the GMA or the Euro pallet, which is a real cost for anyone shipping into or out of Australia.
- Why is a height listed for a pallet?
- For load planning only. A pallet has no ceiling, so the height shown is a typical maximum stack height so the pallet can be treated as a volume when laying out a truck or container. Change it to whatever your own stacking rules, product, or trailer height allow.
