1200 × 800 Euro / EPAL Pallet Size Guide
In short
The Euro pallet is 1200 × 800 mm (47.24 × 31.5 in), 144 mm tall, weighs 20–25 kg, and is built on nine blocks rather than stringers — giving genuine four-way fork entry. EPAL-licensed units carry branded corner blocks and a control nail, and are exchangeable across the European pool. Its footprint is designed around the 2400 × 800 mm European truck module, not the North American trailer.
Quote: 1200 × 800 Euro / EPAL Pallet Size Guide
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.
EPAL 1 specification
| Attribute | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 1200 mm | 47.24 in |
| Width | 800 mm | 31.50 in |
| Height | 144 mm | 5.67 in |
| Weight | 20 – 25 kg | 44 – 55 lb |
| Blocks | 9 (3 × 3 grid) | — |
| Top deck boards | 5 (3 wide, 2 narrow) | — |
| Bottom deck boards | 3 plus 2 bearer boards | — |
| Nails | 78, specified pattern | — |
| Static load | 4,000 kg | 8,818 lb |
| Dynamic load | 1,500 kg | 3,307 lb |
| Racked load | 1,000 kg | 2,205 lb |
The nail count and pattern are not decorative. EPAL specification fixes the number, type and placement of all 78 nails, which is what makes the pool exchangeable — any licensed pallet performs identically to any other, regardless of which of the several hundred licensed manufacturers built it.
How to identify a genuine EPAL pallet
- EPAL branding burned into both left and right corner blocks — not printed, burned.
- The country code and licence number of the producing manufacturer on the centre block.
- An oval EPAL control nail driven into the right-hand corner block on the diagonal. This is the anti-counterfeiting feature.
- IPPC / ISPM-15 heat treatment mark, mandatory on all EPAL pallets produced since 2010.
- Condition acceptable for exchange: no missing or broken boards, no more than one repaired block, no visible rot or contamination.
Euro versus GMA, directly compared
| Factor | 1200 × 800 Euro | 48 × 40 GMA |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint area | 0.96 m² (10.3 ft²) | 1.24 m² (13.3 ft²) |
| Construction | Block, 9 blocks | Stringer, 3 stringers |
| Fork entry | True four-way | Partial four-way |
| Weight | 20 – 25 kg | 15 – 22 kg |
| Racked rating | 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) | ~900 kg (2,000 lb) |
| Standardisation | Tightly controlled by EPAL licence | Loose — GMA is a guideline |
| Exchange pool | Yes, across Europe | No formal exchange |
| Truck efficiency in EU | Excellent — 33 per truck floor | Poor |
| Truck efficiency in NA | Poor | Excellent — 28 per trailer floor |
Exchange condition: what makes a Euro pallet acceptable
The EPAL pool works because any licensed pallet performs like any other. That only holds if exchange condition is enforced, and this is the practical checklist used at exchange points across Europe.
| Check | Acceptable | Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Boards | All present; minor wear | Any board missing, or a crack across the full width |
| Blocks | One repaired block permitted | More than one repaired, or a block missing |
| Branding | EPAL burned into both corner blocks, legible | Printed rather than burned, or illegible |
| Control nail | Oval EPAL nail in the right corner block, on the diagonal | Absent — this is the anti-counterfeiting feature |
| Treatment mark | IPPC mark present (mandatory on production since 2010) | Absent on a post-2010 unit |
| Condition | Clean, dry, sound | Rot, mould bloom, contamination, visible pest activity |
| Nail pattern | Full 78-nail specification intact | Nails missing from load-bearing positions |
The North American loading problem, in numbers
Euro pallets are excellent in European trucks and poor in North American ones, and it is worth seeing the arithmetic rather than taking it on trust.
| Configuration | Width used | Trailer interior ~98 in | Waste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Euro across (800 mm sides) | 1600 mm / 63.0 in | 98 in | ~35 in wasted per row |
| Two Euro across (1200 mm sides) | 2400 mm / 94.5 in | 98 in | Fits, but wastes depth instead |
| Two GMA 48×40 across | 96 in | 98 in | ~2 in — the design intent |
| One Euro plus one GMA | ~87 in | 98 in | Mixed loading; poor and hard to secure |
Roughly a third of the trailer floor width is lost loading Euro pallets the natural way in a North American van. That single fact is why Euro pallets remain uncommon in domestic US freight despite being a technically superior pallet in most other respects.
We hold recovered Euro and EPAL stock in rotating quantity — it arrives as import packaging and accumulates at importers, mainly on our Chicago lane. It was 2.6% of our intake last year. Ask for current stock rather than assuming availability.
Block construction, component by component
| Component | Count | Dimension | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corner blocks | 4 | 145 × 100 × 78 mm | Carry the corner load; the branded ones |
| Edge blocks | 4 | 145 × 100 × 78 mm | Support the mid-span of each side |
| Centre block | 1 | 145 × 145 × 78 mm | Carries centre-of-deck load; carries the licence mark |
| Top deck boards, wide | 3 | 1200 × 145 × 22 mm | Primary load surface |
| Top deck boards, narrow | 2 | 1200 × 100 × 22 mm | Fill between the wide boards |
| Bottom deck boards | 3 | 1200 × 100 × 22 mm | Distribute load; carry pallet jack wheels |
| Bearer boards | 2 | 800 × 100 × 22 mm | Tie the blocks together across the width |
| Nails | 78 | Specified pattern | Fixed by specification — this is what makes the pool exchangeable |
The nail count is not decoration. EPAL fixes the number, type and placement of all 78 fasteners, which is precisely why a pallet from any of several hundred licensed manufacturers behaves like a pallet from any other. There is no equivalent discipline anywhere in the North American whitewood market, which is the root of most grade disputes here.
Common questions
What size is a Euro pallet in inches?
Can I use a Euro pallet in a US warehouse?
Are Euro pallets heat treated?
Do you stock Euro pallets in Cincinnati?
Drawn to scale
The 1200 × 800 mm Euro / EPAL in plan and elevation, rendered at true proportion against a ghosted 48×40 GMA. Switch units if your drawing speaks millimetres.