Standard Wooden Pallet Sizes: EUR, GMA, ISO and Regional Dimensions
The wooden pallet sizes used worldwide — 1200×800 EUR, 48×40 in GMA, 1200×1000, 1100×1100 and more — with heights, tolerances and where each is used.
There is no single global pallet size — different regions standardized around different footprints for historical and logistics reasons. Choosing the right one depends on your market, the shipping containers you load, and the racking in your customers' warehouses. This guide lists the most common wooden pallet sizes, their heights, and where each is used.
The six ISO pallet sizes
ISO 6780 recognizes six pallet footprints. If you export, staying on one of these keeps you compatible with standard containers and handling equipment worldwide:
- 1200 × 800 mm — the EUR / EPAL footprint, dominant across Europe.
- 1200 × 1000 mm — common in Europe and Asia for heavier loads.
- 1219 × 1016 mm (48 × 40 in) — the North American GMA standard.
- 1140 × 1140 mm — used across Asia and for drums / big bags.
- 1100 × 1100 mm — the standard square pallet in Japan and much of Asia.
- 1067 × 1067 mm (42 × 42 in) — used in North America for chemicals and telecom.
Europe: the EUR / EPAL pallet
The 1200 × 800 mm EUR pallet (also called EUR 1) is the most produced wooden pallet in the world. Its overall height is 144 mm and it weighs roughly 22–25 kg depending on wood moisture. Larger variants include the EUR 2 (1200 × 1000 mm) and EUR 3 (1000 × 1200 mm) for bigger or heavier loads, and the half-pallet EUR 6 (800 × 600 mm) for retail display.
North America: the GMA pallet
The 48 × 40 inch (1219 × 1016 mm) GMA pallet is the grocery-industry standard and the most common pallet in the United States. It is a stringer pallet with a nominal height around 5 inches (127 mm). Other North American sizes include 42 × 42 in for chemical and paint, 40 × 40 in for dairy, and 48 × 48 in for drums.
Height, tolerance and deck coverage
Footprint is only half the spec. Overall height, deck-board thickness (typically 18–22 mm), block or stringer height, and deck coverage (the ratio of board width to gaps) all affect strength, weight and stackability. A rule of thumb: more deck coverage and thicker boards mean a stronger, heavier — and more expensive — pallet.
Pick a size and check it against your spec
Start from a standard footprint, then verify board widths, block sizes and total height against your own production drawing. In PalletDrawing you can load EUR 1, EUR 2, EUR 3, GMA 48×40 and the ISO square sizes as presets, adjust any dimension, and see the weight, height and load estimate update instantly — then export a technical drawing for the shop floor.