Size Guide · North American standard
48" × 40" GMA Pallet
If you've ever seen a pallet, odds are it was a GMA. It is the default footprint of American commerce — the one every dock, rack, and trailer is built around.
The 48" × 40" GMA pallet is the North American standard, accounting for roughly a third of all new wood pallets built in the U.S. It carries about 2,800 lb dynamically, 4,600 lb statically, and up to ~2,800 lb in a racked position, and it's sized to fit two-across in a standard 96"-wide truck trailer and inside grocery distribution systems.
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Specifications
| Dimensions | 48" × 40" (1219 × 1016 mm) |
| Deck height (typical) | ~4.5"–6" overall (approx. 114–152 mm) |
| Deck boards (top) | Typically 7 (5 lead/field + 2 end) |
| Deck boards (bottom) | Typically 5, spaced for jack and airflow |
| Stringers / blocks | 3 stringers (stringer type) or 9 blocks (block type) |
| Entry | 4-way (notched stringer) or true 4-way (block) |
| Dimensional tolerance | Generally within ±0.5" on used stock |
| Dynamic load | ~2,800 lb (in motion on a forklift/jack) |
| Static load | ~4,600 lb (stacked, at rest) |
| Racking load | ~2,800 lb (unsupported in racking) |
| Typical weight | 33–48 lb depending on species and grade |
| Common lumber | Mixed hardwood (oak, poplar) or SYP softwood |
| Fasteners | Helically threaded (drive-screw) or ring-shank nails |
Why 48 × 40 became the standard
The name comes from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which standardized the 48" × 40" footprint in the 1960s so that food and consumer-goods makers, distributors, and retailers could all handle product on one common platform. Before that, every shipper used its own dimensions, which made warehousing and truck loading a logistical mess.
The dimensions aren't arbitrary. Two 40"-deep pallets sit side by side across the ~96" interior width of a standard dry van with room to spare, and the 48" length lines up cleanly with beam-and-upright pallet racking. The footprint also nests neatly with case counts for canned and boxed grocery product, which is exactly what the GMA was optimizing for. Today it's often just called the 'standard' or 'grocery' pallet, and the GMA's pallet work now lives under the Consumer Brands Association.
Because so much of North American infrastructure — racking beams, floor markings, warehouse-management slotting, and even trailer floors — was designed around this footprint, the 48 × 40 became self-reinforcing. Once a critical mass of the supply chain standardized on it, deviating cost money in wasted cube and custom handling, so the standard stuck. It now accounts for roughly a third of all new wood pallets produced in the U.S. each year.
Board layout and construction
A classic GMA stringer pallet has three stringers running the 48" length, with a top deck of seven boards and a bottom deck of five. The top deck usually uses wider lead boards at the ends for load support and to protect against forklift-tine damage, with narrower interior boards spaced for airflow and to shed weight and cost.
The stringers are notched on both 48" sides so that a pallet jack or forklift can enter from four directions — technically 'four-way entry,' though the notched ends are weaker than the full-height stringer faces. Block-style GMA pallets replace the three stringers with nine blocks (corners, mid-edges, and center) plus interior stringer boards, giving true, unobstructed four-way entry for both forks and pallet-jack wheels.
Fastening matters as much as the lumber. Quality GMA pallets are assembled with helically threaded (drive-screw) or ring-shank nails engineered to resist withdrawal under vibration and repeated handling, not smooth common nails. The number and pattern of fasteners per joint is a major driver of how many trips the pallet survives before a board pops loose.
Load ratings and tolerances
Capacity depends on lumber species, board thickness, fastener pattern, and grade, so treat published numbers as guidance rather than a guarantee. A typical hardwood #1 GMA handles roughly 2,800 lb dynamic (moving), about 4,600 lb static (stacked and stationary), and around 2,800 lb when racked with support only at the ends. Racking is the demanding case — the deck has to span the rack opening with no center support — so if you're racking heavy loads, spec the pallet for it or add support bars.
Grades matter for used stock. A #1 pallet has no missing or repaired stringers and clean, tight boards; a #2 has been repaired at least once with plugs, companion stringers, or replaced boards. Dimensional tolerance is generally within about a half inch. At Cincinnati Pallet we grade every recovered GMA, so you can buy #1 for consistent automated lines or #2 to cut cost on one-way or lighter shipments.
Remember that the three ratings answer three different questions. Dynamic load is what the pallet can carry while a forklift or jack is moving it; static load is what it can bear stacked and stationary on a flat floor; racking load is what it can hold when supported only at its ends across a rack opening. A pallet can be fine floor-stacked yet fail in a rack, so always match the number to how the pallet will actually be used.
Who uses the GMA and how to buy it right
The 48 × 40 is the default across grocery and food distribution, general retail and big-box supply chains, consumer packaged goods, paper and dry goods, e-commerce fulfillment, and most third-party logistics operations. If you don't have a specific reason to use another footprint, this is almost certainly the pallet your customers, carriers, and racking already expect.
When you order, specify four things: footprint (48 × 40), construction (stringer vs. block), grade (#1 vs. #2 vs. remanufactured), and whether you need heat treatment (ISPM 15 / HT) for export. Getting those right up front avoids the two most common mistakes — buying more grade than the job needs, or under-speccing a pallet that then fails in a rack. In the Cincinnati tri-state we keep graded 48 × 40 stock on hand and can usually quote the same day.
- Grocery, food & beverage distribution — the original use case
- General retail, big-box and club-store supply chains
- Consumer packaged goods and paper/dry goods manufacturing
- E-commerce fulfillment and third-party logistics (3PL)
- Any operation whose racking and trailers are already sized for 48 × 40
Good questions
48" × 40" GMA Pallet FAQ
What does GMA stand for on a pallet?
GMA stands for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the trade group that standardized the 48" × 40" footprint so grocery and consumer-goods companies could share one common pallet size across the whole supply chain.
How much weight can a 48x40 GMA pallet hold?
A standard hardwood GMA pallet handles roughly 2,800 lb in motion (dynamic), about 4,600 lb stacked and at rest (static), and around 2,800 lb when racked. Exact figures depend on lumber grade, species, and board thickness.
Is a GMA pallet the same as a standard pallet?
Yes. In North America, 'GMA,' 'standard,' and 'grocery' pallet all refer to the same 48" × 40" footprint. It's the most common pallet size in the U.S. and the default for most domestic freight.
How many GMA pallets fit in a truck?
A standard 53' dry van typically holds 26 GMA pallets floor-loaded in a single layer (two rows of 13, oriented 40" deep), or up to 52 if they're double-stacked and the load allows it.
How much does a 48x40 pallet weigh?
A typical GMA pallet weighs about 33 to 48 lb, depending on species and grade. Hardwood units (oak, poplar) sit at the heavier end; softwood (southern yellow pine) and lighter-duty builds fall lower. Moisture content also adds weight before the wood dries.
Should I buy stringer or block GMA pallets?
Buy stringer for economy, domestic freight, and standard forklift handling. Buy block-style GMA when you need true four-way pallet-jack access, feed automated or robotic lines, or handle heavy loads that punish notched stringers. Both share the same 48" × 40" footprint.
Need this size in bulk?
Tell us the footprint, grade, and quantity — we'll check the yard and quote it the same day.