Three stringers
Nominal 1.5 × 3.5 inch members running the 48-inch length. Double-notched on the outer faces to allow four-way fork entry, though partial entry on the 48-inch side is weaker than on the 40-inch side.
Product 03
GMA 48x40 Pallets
In short
The 48x40 GMA stringer pallet is the most-produced pallet footprint in North America, accounting for roughly 30% of all new wood pallets built each year. It exists because it is exactly half the width of a standard 96-inch trailer and fits two-across with no wasted space. We hold it in every grade, all year, in quantity.
Quote: GMA 48x40 Pallets
Send the details and a named person at the Evendale yard replies within one business day with pricing, freight and a piece count — in writing.
Why 48 by 40 and not something else
The dimension is not arbitrary and it is not American exceptionalism. A standard North American trailer has an interior width of roughly 98 to 100 inches. Two 48-inch pallets sit side by side at 96 inches with clearance for loading. Twenty-eight of them fill a 53-ft floor. The 40-inch depth then matches the standard grocery store aisle module and the standard retail display footprint. Every other common North American size is a deviation from this one for a specific reason.
28pallet positions per 53-ft trailer floor
~30%of all new North American wood pallets
2×across a standard trailer with loading clearance
Construction anatomy
Seven top deck boards
Lead boards at each end are wider (5.5 in) because they take the impact of fork entry. Interior boards are typically 3.5 in with gaps up to 3.5 in.
Five bottom deck boards
Three of these sit under the lead and centre positions. The bottom deck is what makes the pallet rackable and what distributes load on a conveyor.
Chamfered bottom boards
The leading edges of the bottom deck are bevelled so a pallet jack rolls up rather than catching. A detail that is missing on cheap builds and immediately noticeable on a busy dock.
What we stock
| Offering | Grade | Lead time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled A / #1 | Premium | 24–72 hours | No companions, no plugs, uniform appearance |
| Recycled B / #1 | Standard | 24–72 hours | Plugs permitted, racking approved |
| Recycled B / #2 | Economy | 24–72 hours | Companion stringers permitted, floor use |
| Recycled, heat-treated | A or B | 5–7 business days | Re-treated and stamped under our program |
| New hardwood build | New | 10–15 business days | Built to GMA spec on a fixed jig |
| New softwood build | New | 10–15 business days | Lighter, lower cost, export friendly |
The complete dimensional record
Every dimension on a GMA 48×40 that anybody has ever asked us for, in both units. Where a range is given it is because recycled stock genuinely varies within it and pretending otherwise is not useful.
| Dimension | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Length, stringer axis | 48.0 in | 1219 mm |
| Width, deck board axis | 40.0 in | 1016 mm |
| Overall height | 5.5 – 6.5 in | 140 – 165 mm |
| Stringer section, nominal | 1.5 × 3.5 in | 38 × 89 mm |
| Stringer count | 3 (4 on heavy-duty builds) | — |
| Notch width | 9.0 in | 229 mm |
| Notch depth | 1.5 in | 38 mm |
| Notches per outer stringer | 2 | — |
| Top deck boards | 7 | — |
| Lead board width | 5.5 in | 140 mm |
| Interior board width | 3.5 in | 89 mm |
| Deck board thickness | 0.5 – 0.75 in | 13 – 19 mm |
| Maximum deck gap | 3.5 in | 89 mm |
| Bottom deck boards | 5 | — |
| Fork entry height | 3.5 in minimum | 89 mm |
| Fork opening width, 40-in side | ~35 in clear | ~889 mm |
| Chamfer on bottom boards | ~0.25 in bevel | ~6 mm |
| Empty weight | 33 – 48 lb | 15 – 22 kg |
| Wood volume, approximate | 0.85 – 1.05 ft³ | 0.024 – 0.030 m³ |
| Fastener count | 70 – 100 | — |
| Steel content | ~2.0 lb | ~0.9 kg |
| Deck surface area | 13.33 ft² | 1.24 m² |
Everything it fits into
| Equipment | Floor positions | Double stacked | Empty stacked and banded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53-ft dry van | 26 – 28 | 52 – 56 | ~560 |
| 48-ft dry van | 24 | 48 | ~500 |
| 26-ft box truck | 12 | 24 | ~140 |
| 40-ft ocean container | 20 – 21 | 40 – 42 | ~440 |
| 40-ft high cube container | 20 – 21 | 40 – 42 (more headroom) | ~470 |
| 45-ft high cube container | 24 – 25 | 48 – 50 | ~500 |
| 20-ft ocean container | 10 – 11 | 20 – 22 | ~220 |
| Standard selective rack bay, 96-in beam | 2 across | — | — |
| Standard selective rack bay, 144-in beam | 3 across | — | — |
The rack rows are the ones worth checking against your own building. A 96-inch beam opening takes two 48×40 pallets across with essentially no clearance, which is fine until a load overhangs by an inch. If your loads run to the deck edge, a 108-inch beam is a far more forgiving standard and it costs very little more at the point of installation.
Failure modes specific to this footprint
Because we handle around 900,000 of these a year, the failure distribution is unusually clear. These are the six that account for almost everything.
Stringer crack at the notch
By far the most common. The notch removes 1.5 in of depth at the point of highest bending stress. If a unit is cracked, look here first — you will almost always be right.
Lead board split
Lead boards absorb every fork entry. They are wider than interior boards for exactly this reason, and they still go first. Two-to-one over interior board failures in our intake.
Bottom board splintering
Pallet jack damage on a non-chamfered or worn chamfer. Invisible from above, which is why a grader turns every unit once.
Shiner after a field repair
Somebody hammered a proud nail flat instead of replacing it. The wood beneath compresses and it works proud again within a week.
Deck gap bridging failure
Small cartons or a drum chime resting across a 3.5-in gap. A specification problem rather than a pallet problem — tight-laid deck solves it.
Racked across the notches
The dangerous one. Stringers should run across the beams, front to back. Loaded the other way, a unit rated 2,000 lb racked is doing considerably less.
Common questions
Is GMA the same as a grocery pallet?
Yes. GMA stands for Grocery Manufacturers Association, the body that standardised the specification. The terms are used interchangeably in the trade.
Is a 48x40 the same as a 40x48?
Dimensionally yes, but the convention is length first along the stringer direction. A 48x40 has 48-inch stringers. If a drawing says 40x48 it may mean stringers running the 40-inch direction, which is a different pallet — worth confirming.
How much weight can a 48x40 hold?
Typically 4,000–6,000 lb static, 2,000–2,800 lb dynamic and 1,500–2,500 lb racked for a sound recycled hardwood unit. Exact figures depend on species and construction.
How many fit in a truck?
Around 550 to 600 empty pallets stacked and banded in a 53-ft dry van, or 28 loaded positions per floor.