Block Pallets vs Stringer Pallets: Which One Should You Build?
The two main wooden pallet designs compared — four-way vs two-way entry, strength, cost and typical uses — so you can choose the right one for your product.
Almost every wooden pallet is either a block pallet or a stringer pallet. They look similar from above but are built differently underneath, and that difference decides how forklifts and pallet jacks can pick them up, how much they cost, and how much load they carry. Here is how to choose.
Stringer pallets
A stringer pallet uses three (sometimes more) parallel boards — the stringers — running the length of the pallet, with deck boards nailed across the top and usually the bottom. The stringers create two-way entry: a forklift enters from the front or back. Notched stringers allow a pallet jack to enter from the sides too, giving 'partial four-way' access.
- Lower material and labor cost — fewer components.
- Common in North America (the 48×40 GMA pallet is a stringer pallet).
- Two-way, or partial four-way entry when the stringers are notched.
Block pallets
A block pallet uses solid wooden blocks — usually nine of them (four corners, four edges, one center) — instead of stringers. Top and bottom deck boards are fixed to these blocks, often with perimeter stringer boards between them. Because the blocks leave clearance on all four sides, a block pallet offers true four-way entry.
- True four-way entry — forklifts and pallet jacks enter from any side.
- Generally stronger and more durable; the EUR / EPAL pallet is a block pallet.
- More components, so higher material and build cost.
How to choose
Choose a stringer pallet when cost matters most and two-way entry is enough — light to medium loads, domestic distribution, single-use or limited-reuse shipping. Choose a block pallet when you need four-way access, higher strength, automated handling, or a returnable/pooled pallet that will make many trips. Export programs often standardize on block pallets for compatibility.
Design both in minutes
PalletDrawing supports block, perimeter-base (closed-bottom block) and stringer pallets. Switch the pallet type with one click, adjust board and block dimensions in the table, and compare weight and estimated load capacity between the two designs before you commit to production.