New 48x40 GMA pallets

The 48 x 40 is called the GMA pallet after the Grocery Manufacturers Association, whose members standardised on it. The GMA pallet of the 1960s was a 48 by 40 inch wooden platform that allowed four-way entry. The association no longer governs pallet specifications, but the footprint stuck: it is the most common wood pallet in North America, it fills a standard trailer neatly, and racking, stretch wrappers and dock equipment across the country are built around it. Nine 16 x 12 inch cartons fit on each layer.

“48 x 40” says nothing about the pallet underneath. Two pallets of that footprint can differ in stringer count, notches, deck board count and thickness, lead boards and lumber, and carry very different loads. A common build has three notched stringers for partial four-way entry and seven top deck boards, as drawn below. Lighter one-way builds use fewer boards; racked and heavy loads use more and thicker ones, or a block build.

For a standard wood 48 x 40, published figures put the empty weight at 33 to 49 lb, and reinforced builds at 55 to 66 lb. The same source gives 2,000 to 2,800 lb under dynamic loading and 2,500 to 4,600 lb static. Height is typically 5.5 to 6 inches; another reference gives 6½ inches and a typical weight of 37 lb. Those numbers describe common builds. A pallet we quote is worked out to your load, not to a table, which is why the request asks for the weight. See GMA pallet dimensions and pallet weight.

Most standing orders are 48 x 40s. If you ship on them every week, write the build down once and order it the same way each time: new pallets by the truckload explains how that works.

A starting point for the spec at this size. Your load sets the final numbers.

Stringers

Three, 48 in long; notched if forklifts need the sides

Top deck

Five to nine boards, 40 in long, by load

Bottom deck

Three or more boards, clear of any notches

Entry

Two-way, partial four-way or a block build

Lumber

Pine, hardwood or mixed; dried if mold matters

Is a “GMA pallet” a particular build?

No. GMA names the footprint, not the construction. Grading terms such as grade A and grade B describe the condition of recovered pallets, not new ones. When ordering new 48 x 40s, write down the stringers, boards and lumber, or let us draw them from your load.

Will a 48 x 40 fit my racking?

The pallet has to span your beams with its load. Measure the beam-to-beam depth and say whether the stringers or the deck boards sit on the beams.

Can you match pallets I already use?

Yes. Measure one, count its boards, or send a photo with a tape measure in it, and we write the same build down.