Pallet guides, in plain shop-floor words
Plain guides to sizes, grades, heat treatment, the Canada question, mould, trailer counts and clearing a dock, written for the person on the floor.
Pick a question
| Question | Guide |
|---|---|
| What does the HT stamp on a pallet mean? | How to read the HT stamp |
| Do pallets going to Canada need heat treatment? | Shipping pallets to Canada |
| How do I keep pallets from going mouldy? | Mould and moisture |
| What is the difference between a skid and a pallet? | Skid vs pallet |
| How many pallets fit in a 53-foot trailer? | Trailer counts |
| How do I get rid of pallets? | How to get rid of pallets |
| Stringer or block? | Stringer vs block |
| How are pallets repaired? | Plugs, plates and companion stringers |
| What do Fruit Ridge packers need at harvest? | Fruit Ridge harvest pallets |
What the standard pallet size is
The most common wood pallet size in North America is 48 by 40 inches. The standard GMA pallet of the 1960s was a 48-inch by 40-inch wooden platform that permitted four-way entry. Today the figure still anchors most conversations, though no universally accepted standard for pallet dimensions exists. See sizes for the table.
How these guides are written
Each guide answers its question in the first sentence and then goes into the detail. Where a guide quotes a standard or a regulator, it links the source and shows the date it was last reviewed. Anything that could not be confirmed is left out.
Tools live here too: the cutting list turns choices into a typed list of parts.
Where to start
To buy, start with the trailer counts and stringer versus block. With a pile to move, start with how to get rid of pallets. Shipping overseas? Start with the HT stamp.
A reading order for a first-time buyer
- Learn the three vocabulariesSize, build and grade, in that order; the hubs for sizes, types and grades each fit on one screen.
- Learn the moisture ruleWood below 20 percent moisture does not support mould; the mould guide shows how to check.
- Learn the border ruleIf the load crosses a border, read the HT stamp and the Canada guide.
- Do the arithmeticThe trailer guide turns a pallet size into a load.
A guide is not a quote. It tells you what to ask.
A note on dates
Where a guide quotes a regulator, it gives the date it was read. Border rules and quarantine standards can change, so a date older than a few months deserves a second look at the source.
Guides by question
How many pallets fit in a trailer? Trailer counts. Stringer or block? Stringer versus block. Skid or pallet? Skid versus pallet. What do plugs and plates do to a grade? Plugs, plates and repairs.
Shipping out of the country: the HT stamp and shipping pallets to Canada. Keeping a stack fit for food: mould and moisture. Harvest season on the Fruit Ridge: harvest pallets. Too many pallets: how to get rid of them.
The numbers that recur: a 53-foot dry van is about 636 by 100 inches inside and holds 26 pallets of 48x40 straight or 30 turned. HT means the core of the wood reached 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Wood under about 20 percent moisture content will not support mould. A pallet heat treated for export keeps its stamp only while repairs use treated lumber, so a repaired pallet needs a second look before it ships overseas, and Canada's rule for wood from the continental United States has a review date on its guide. Weight, not floor space, often ends a load first, especially stamped steel, liquids and beverage cases.
Ready to ask? Send us the request.