What Are the Dimensions of a Wooden Pallet?

Read height from the construction, not the material name

A wooden pallet’s height depends on its assembled structure. Deck boards, stringers or blocks, support members and bottom boards contribute according to the drawing. Do not add every listed component thickness indiscriminately: members can lie beside each other or occupy the same level. Identify which vertical elements actually stack at the section being measured. A product drawing with elevation views is more useful than a generic statement that all wooden pallets are about the same height.

For a simplified hypothetical stringer design, a 19 mm top board rests directly on an 89 mm stringer and a 19 mm bottom board. The section height is 19 + 89 + 19 = 127 mm. Changing the top and bottom to 22 mm gives 133 mm. These are illustrative constructions, not approved pallet designs or load ratings. The calculation explains why footprint, component thickness and assembled height must be recorded separately.

Use the measured base height in case-layer planning

Suppose an accepted total loaded-height limit is 1500 mm and cases are 250 mm tall. With the example 127 mm base, whole layers are floor((1500 − 127) / 250) = 5 and the arithmetic loaded height is 1377 mm. With an EPAL 1 reference base of 144 mm, five layers still fit but the loaded height becomes 1394 mm. An unchanged layer count can hide a seventeen-millimetre difference in entry or cargo-height residuals.

A 1380 mm accepted total limit gives a different result: the 127 mm base still permits five layers at 1377 mm, while the 144 mm base permits four layers at 1144 mm. Those limits are example inputs for a whole-layer comparison; they are not container or sprinkler regulations. Include caps and sheets in the physical height record and review packaging suitability. The calculator does not certify stacked cartons or infer the thickness of extra materials.

Measure tare instead of deriving it from a grade

Two pallets of the same footprint can differ in timber, construction, moisture, repairs or fittings. Weigh the actual units or obtain the applicable supplied-model information for the shipment. In an illustrative load, forty cases at 12 kg give 480 kg product mass. A measured 22 kg pallet plus 3 kg other materials makes 505 kg gross; a 30 kg pallet with the same cargo makes 513 kg gross. The footprint and case quantity are unchanged.

A supplier’s Grade A or Grade B name does not determine either tare or capacity. Define accepted construction and repairs in writing and obtain the application-specific working conditions. A repaired pallet must not inherit a rating merely because its new boards match the old dimensions. For authentic EPAL equipment, consult its current model and repair requirements; for another wooden design, use that design’s evidence rather than transferring EPAL values.

Inspect the actual assembly at receipt

Photograph the underside and entry openings as well as the top deck. A replacement board or runner can alter fork and conveyor interfaces even if the outside length and width still match. Check the actual load and support conditions before using the pallet in a new system. The dimensional worksheet helps identify these changes, but it does not assess timber strength, fastener performance, rack bearing or repair adequacy.

Keep treatment and material history separate. An HT mark addresses phytosanitary treatment in its applicable program; it does not supply a structural rating or prove freedom from later contamination. The existing wooden pallet specification guide explains those scope boundaries. For procurement, link this assembled-height and tare record to the drawing and written receiving criteria rather than asking the calculator to choose a load limit from a material label.

Primary reference for this task

EPAL 1 product specification supports the 144 mm reference height used in the layer comparison, not the hypothetical stringer design. The worked numbers on this page are original examples using stated inputs, not measurements of your shipment or an equipment approval.