At INKA Pallets we’re proud to be able to offer a huge range of pallets. Not just our plastic pallets, but presswood pallets. Not to mention pallet-size containers and boxes. And these products all come in sizes, weight ratings, designs, shapes and even colours to suit all and any application.
The one thing we don’t make at INKA is a ‘standard’ sized plastic pallet. That’s because there really is no such thing as a standard plastic pallet size…and yet there is. But it’s probably not what many of our customers would be expecting if they were to ask for ‘a standard pallet’!
Confused? You have every right to be! But we aim to clear up the confusion in this blog – our ultimate guide to common pallet sizes.
A Series of Standards
The great benefit of the pallet when it comes to logistics is that it is a standardised design. Loads come in all sizes, shapes, weights and volumes that would be labour-intensive and slow to handle individually, as indeed they were before the pallet arrived in force in the first half of the 20th century. But by putting loads on a single pallet of a standardised design, load handling can be simplified and mechanised. Whether it’s a forklift truck on a farm or a fully automated logistics centre, all these machines and processes rely on the pallet being of certain dimensions and of a certain design.
That is the purpose of standards – agreed specifications for pallets. The issue is that pallets were adopted around the world at slightly different times, with different industries in different regions leading the way. And precisely because of the importance of all pallets being used in a supply chain being the same, whichever design of pallet first became common in a region tended to get rapidly adopted as a standard design (official or unofficial).
This means that there are multiple common pallet size dimensions in use around the world, and someone asking for a ‘standard size of plastic pallet’ in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan could have quite different products in mind.
The International Standards Organisation introduced a standard for shipping pallets in 1961, but all this did was confirm and regulate the six most common pallet sizes already in use, as well as introduce standards for materials, construction, weight capacity and markings. All these pallets are technically ‘ISO pallets’, even if they can differ in size.
The ISO Pallet – 1000x1200mm
However, in the UK if someone refers to an ‘ISO Pallet’ or even a ‘standard pallet’ they probably mean a 1000x1200mm pallet. This is what most people and businesses in the world of logistics will know as a standard plastic pallet size (or its wooden equivalent). While variants exist (closed or open deck, two- or four-way entry etc.) they’re all 1000x1200mm in size.
This is the most common size of UK pallet, and is also widely seen in Asia, and minimises unused space when loaded into a standard 40ft shipping container. Because the UK sends and receives so much of its international trade by sea, this was a critical consideration that pushed the British industry to use this pallet. This means that it’s often used in international shipping, but is also seen in a lot of domestic transport and storage settings. This size is also known as a EUR2 under the Euro pallet standards – which are our next port of call.
View INKA’s range of 1000x1200mm Plastic Pallets here.
The Euro Pallet – 800x1200mm
In the UK (as well as most of the rest of the world) this is usually called a Euro Pallet, but in Europe it is, unsurprisingly, regarded as the standard pallet size and will be what is provided if you just order ‘a pallet’ (or many pallets) without specifying.
Slightly narrower than the UK/ISO ‘standard’ pallet, the Euro pallet is better-sized for premises and houses in Europe with narrow doorways and handling in Europe’s smaller road and rail vehicles. Because of its smaller size, it leaves about three times as much unused space in a 40ft shipping container as the ISO pallet. Like the ISO pallet, Euro pallets come in many different varieties while all conforming to the 800x1200mm Euro pallet size.
The 800x1200mm Euro pallet size is officially designated EUR1. EUR2 is the ISO/UK ‘standard’ pallet size discussed above. There’s also EUR3, which has the same dimensions but with the length/width reversed and usually a higher weight rating. Then there’s EUR6, which is a ‘half Euro’ size (800×600) size, and ‘quarter Euro’ (400×600) pallets are also available. All of these are ‘standard Euro pallet size’, but the majority of the time, this means an EUR1 800x1200mm plastic Euro pallet size. INKA produces plastic pallets in all these sizes, ready for any use.
View INKA’s range of Euro pallets here.
American Standards – 1020x1220mm
America was the birthplace of the transport pallet as we know it, but the first widespread standards, devised by the US military during the Second World War, didn’t catch on in the post-war world, mostly because these early pallets were square. The favoured pallet was devised by the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association and so is often referred to as a ‘GMA’ pallet.
The GMA or ‘American standard’ pallet is laid out in Imperial dimensions – 40×48 inches – but now is often seen, including in INKA’s plastic pallet range, in metric equivalents of 1020x1220mm. This is one of the most common pallet types in the world, but isn’t usually seen in the UK or Europe. However, in North America, South America and much of Asia the standard pallet size is the American pallet size.
View INKA’s range of American pallet size products here.
Square Pallet Sizes
The common pallet sizes are all rectangular, but early pallets were square, and pallets of equal length on each side still have their uses. North America still favours a square 42×42 inch pallet for many jobs. And there are CP standard pallet sizes, approved by the Chemical Industry Association. Used in construction as well as chemical industries, CP3 pallets are sturdy heavy-duty pallets sized for carrying drums of chemicals and designed to prevent damage to the pallet if products spill. At INKA we have our own range of CP3-sized (1140x1140mm) pallets for storing and transporting drums of liquid products.
View INKA’s range of 1140x1140mm pallets here.
Other Plastic Pallet Size Dimensions
This is just an overview of the most common pallet sizes, all of which are ‘standard’ in their own way! INKA’s range of plastic pallets is vast, and we also manufacture and provide pallets to niche non-standard sizes as well as custom sizes for specific applications. Follow this link to see the full range of plastic pallets from INKA.