48x40 pallets: the GMA standard
A 48x40 is 48 inches long and 40 inches wide, 1,219 by 1,016 millimetres. It is the pallet most docks mean when they just say pallet.
- Size
- 48 x 40 in
- Build
- Stringer, usually
- Grade
- A, B, C, new
- Trades
- Food, grocery, general freight
- Trailer
- 26 straight, 30 turned
Reading the name
The first number is the length, which runs along the stringers. The second is the width, which runs along the top boards. Turn a 48x40 on its side and it is the same pallet, but a forklift entering the 40-inch face is in a different place than one entering the 48-inch face.
The standard GMA pallet measures 48 by 40 inches. Its height is typically 5.5 to 6 inches. About nine 16 by 12 inch boxes fit on one layer, so a grocery case rarely hangs over the edge.
Where the size comes from
The size came out of grocery distribution in the 1960s, when the Grocery Manufacturers Association set one pallet that every manufacturer could ship on. The group no longer governs pallet specifications, but the footprint stuck. It is the most common wood pallet size in North America, and ISO accepts the 48 by 40 inch specification as the North American standard.
Fitting a trailer
| Pattern | How the pallets sit | Pallets |
|---|---|---|
| Straight | 48-inch side along the trailer, two across | 26 |
| Turned | 40-inch side along the trailer, two across with 48 inches on the width | 30 |
Turning gains four pallets because 100 inches holds two 48s with room left over, while 636 inches holds 15 forties but only 13 forty-eights. Weight often stops a load before space does, so this counts floor positions, not tons. The method is in the trailer guide.
When the 48x40 is the wrong answer
- The customer's sheet names another size, such as the 48x45 used at auto plants
- A rack bay was built around a different footprint
- The load is long and light, which wants a custom build
- The shipment goes to Europe, where the Euro pallet is the habit
What to put in a request
Say 48x40, then the grade, then the count and how often. If you are not sure the stack is all 48x40, measure three or four from the bottom of the pile; pallets that have been repaired sometimes drift an inch.
Buying? See used pallets and truckloads. Selling a stack of 48x40s? Start at what pallets are worth. Food dock? Read clean, dry pallets.
Weights, loads and the bottom line on strength
A GMA pallet typically weighs 37 pounds, and a standard wood pallet runs 33 to 49 pounds unloaded, depending on the lumber and how wet it is. Reinforced versions reach 55 to 66 pounds. Standard pallets support 2,000 to 2,800 pounds under dynamic loading and 2,500 to 4,600 pounds at rest.
Those figures describe a sound pallet on a flat floor. A rack beam, a bent board or a missing fastener lowers them quickly, which is why a rack load deserves Grade A and a floor load can be Grade B. See Grade A and Grade B.
Why 30 percent matters to a buyer
The 48x40 accounts for about 30 percent of all new wood pallets made in the United States, and roughly half a billion pallets are made each year. That scale means used 48x40s are the easiest to find, the easiest to sort and the easiest to resell, and a seller with a stack of them is better placed than a seller with an odd size.
| Question | Why it comes up |
|---|---|
| Stringer or block? | Sets the forklift entry; see types |
| Grade A, B or C? | Sets price and rack suitability |
| Dry? | Food docks refuse damp wood |
| Heat treated? | Export and some customers |
Used 48x40 market, in plain terms
Because so many 48x40s are made, so many reach the end of their first use at a dock that does not need them again. That surplus feeds the used market. A buyer wanting a hundred Grade B 48x40s can usually be served from existing stock, while a buyer wanting a hundred 48x45s may need to wait.
The same logic applies to cores. A recycler repairs 48x40s faster than any other size, and prefers them.
Stacking and wrapping
A 48x40 carries a layer of nine 16 by 12 inch cartons. Stacked five layers high, that is 45 cartons per pallet. A pallet that holds nine boxes per layer is a good one to build a load plan around, since each layer interlocks with the next.
Why it is the default
The 48x40 is the pallet most trailers, racks and conveyors in North America are built around. Used stock is plentiful, repairs are routine and almost every carrier handles it without comment.
Because it is so common, quality varies. Specify the grade, not only the size, when you order.
What to specify on a 48x40
Beyond the size, say the grade, the number of top boards, whether it is stringer or block, whether it needs the heat-treatment mark and how dry it must be. Five details describe the pallet completely.
A written spec also helps when the order repeats, since it can be copied from one request to the next.
Dimensions: Interlake Mecalux, "GMA pallet" (read 10 November 2026). Trailer counts: geometry on a 636 by 100 inch interior, last reviewed 12 November 2026.
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