Pallet Rack Systems: Standard measurements of pallets in the United States

You might be accustomed to seeing one size of pallet on the pallet rack in your facility, but pallets come in countless shapes and sizes. According to John W. Clarke in his study “Pallets 101,” almost 500 million new pallets are produced in North America every year, and almost 2 billion pallets are in use at any given time. As a matter of fact, there are so many pallets in use that warehouses often find a need to install special pallet storage rack to handle the empty, loose pallets that would otherwise litter the warehouse floor.

While about 40 percent of pallets are tailored in size for specific customers, the remaining 60 percent of pallets come in one of these standard sizes (all measurements are in inches, length and width):

1. 48x40 (the “grocery pallet,” the most common size in the United States)
2. 42x42
3. 48x48
4. 40x48
5. 48x42
6. 40x40
7. 48x45
8. 44x44
9. 36x36
10. 48x36

The size of pallet you use would depend on several factors, including your style of pallet rack and the type of products you’re storing. For more details on new or used pallet rack, call Ace Industrial at (800) 300-6034.