[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":310},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F42x42":3},{"tier":4,"sections":5,"faq":185,"sources":192,"related":202,"plate":237,"form":249,"scene":250,"path":251,"crumb":51,"ruler":252,"answer":253,"title":254,"h1":254,"description":253,"type":255,"schema":256,"reviewed":258,"crumbs":259,"jsonld":267},3,[6,20,29,38,65,72,152,160,167],{"h2":7,"blocks":8},"What rides on a 42 x 42 in pallet",[9,15,18],{"t":10,"items":11},"ul",[12,13,14],"Paint and coatings","Telecom and equipment cabinets","A nestable best seller for one plastic supplier",{"t":16,"text":17},"p","42 x 42 in is the second most produced pallet size in the United States across all materials, and one plastic supplier lists a 42 x 42 in nestable among its best sellers. The size appears in products packed square, such as paint, and in trade that moves in the telecom and building sectors.",{"t":16,"text":19},"Few makers list per-trailer counts at this size, so the way to price the empty return is to ask for the per-stack and per-trailer figures and enter them in the calculator.",{"h2":21,"blocks":22},"Shape and size",[23],{"t":10,"items":24},[25,26,27,28],"Perimeter: 168.0 in (4,268 mm).","Diagonal corner to corner: 59.4 in (1,509 mm), which is the room a pallet needs to turn in an aisle.","Area: 1.138 square metres, 12.25 square feet.","Aspect: the long side is 1.000 times the short side, so the deck is square.",{"h2":30,"blocks":31},"In practice",[32,34,36],{"t":16,"text":33},"A 42 in square sits in the awkward middle: too big to be a display pallet, too small for a drum block. It earns its place because the products that use it, paint cans and telecom cabinets for example, are packed square, and a square pallet wastes no corner. If your product is square, the size is a candidate; if not, it is probably not.",{"t":16,"text":35},"The practical hurdle is supply. Fewer makers print figures at 42 x 42 in than at the common size, so the buyer does more asking and the sheet carries more blanks. Treat any missing per-stack or per-trailer figure as a question for the maker rather than an invitation to copy a neighbouring size's number.",{"t":16,"text":37},"Paint is a good example of why a square works: cans are cylinders, a square deck takes a tight grid of them, and a square stack is steady in both directions. If your product is a grid of round or square units, count how many fit the deck in each direction before you choose.",{"h2":39,"blocks":40},"Against its nearest footprints",[41,63],{"t":42,"head":43,"rows":49,"caption":62},"table",[44,45,46,47,48],"Footprint","Millimetres","Area, sq in","Area, sq ft","Against 48 x 40",[50,56],[51,52,53,54,55],"42 x 42 in","1067 x 1067","1,764","12.25","91.9 percent",[57,58,59,60,61],"43 x 43 in","1092 x 1092","1,849","12.84","96.3 percent","Inches converted at 25.4 mm. Area is length times width, ignoring corner cuts.",{"t":16,"text":64},"The table orders the closest four by area. A 42 x 42 in pallet is 1,764 sq in; the nearest listed footprint differs by 85 sq in. Footprint is the choice the container makes for you, and a small difference in area is a large difference to a rack beam or a drum.",{"h2":66,"blocks":67},"Counting the empty trailer",[68,70],{"t":16,"text":69},"Few makers print per-stack or per-trailer figures for a 42 x 42 in nestable, so this site does not invent them. Ask for the two numbers, enter them in the [calculator](\u002Fnest-calculator) under another footprint, and the trailers follow.",{"t":16,"text":71},"As an illustration of the arithmetic only: if a maker printed 1,500 per trailer, 3,000 returning pallets would need 2 trailers, 5,000 would need 4, and 10,205 would need 7. Use the maker's real figure, not this one.",{"h2":73,"blocks":74},"42 x 42 in against every other footprint",[75],{"t":42,"head":76,"rows":81,"caption":151},[77,78,45,46,79,80],"Compared with","Inches","42 x 42 in as a multiple","Area gap, sq in",[82,88,94,100,106,110,117,124,131,137,144],[83,83,84,85,86,87],"48 x 40 in","1219 x 1016 mm","1,920","0.919","-156",[89,89,90,91,92,93],"48 x 48 in","1219 x 1219 mm","2,304","0.766","-540",[95,95,96,97,98,99],"48 x 45 in","1219 x 1143 mm","2,160","0.817","-396",[101,101,102,103,104,105],"45 x 45 in","1143 x 1143 mm","2,025","0.871","-261",[57,57,107,59,108,109],"1092 x 1092 mm","0.954","-85",[111,112,113,114,115,116],"Euro 1200 x 800 mm","47.2 x 31.5 in","1199 x 800 mm","1,487","1.186","+277",[118,119,120,121,122,123],"1200 x 1000 mm","47.2 x 39.4 in","1199 x 1001 mm","1,860","0.949","-96",[125,126,127,128,129,130],"56 x 44 in beverage","56 x 44 in","1422 x 1118 mm","2,464","0.716","-700",[132,132,133,134,135,136],"48 x 32 in","1219 x 813 mm","1,536","1.148","+228",[138,139,140,141,142,143],"1200 x 1200 mm","47.2 x 47.2 in","1199 x 1199 mm","2,228","0.792","-464",[145,146,147,148,149,150],"1165 x 1165 mm","45.9 x 45.9 in","1166 x 1166 mm","2,107","0.837","-343","Area is length times width. A multiple above 1.000 means 42 x 42 in has more deck than the footprint named.",{"h2":153,"blocks":154},"Questions for the maker",[155],{"t":10,"items":156},[157,158,159],"Per-stack and per-trailer figures","Static and dynamic ratings for the square base","Whether the model is one the maker keeps in stock",{"h2":161,"blocks":162},"From the dock",[163],{"t":10,"items":164},[165,166],"Hollow legs collect meltwater and grit; a rinse before nesting keeps stacks from sticking together.","A trailer loaded to the roof is limited by cube, not weight, which is why empties are priced by the trailer.",{"h2":168,"blocks":169},"Words on this page",[170],{"t":171,"rows":172},"dl",[173,176,179,182],[174,175],"Stretch wrap","Elastic film wound around a loaded pallet to hold the load together.",[177,178],"Dynamic load","The weight a pallet holds while it is moved by a forklift, pallet jack or conveyor. It is lower than static because motion adds shock.",[180,181],"Recycled content","The share of a pallet moulded from reground plastic. Makers print it as a range, often by colour.",[183,184],"Racking load","The weight a pallet holds when it rests on two rack beams with an open gap between them. It is usually the lowest rating and only exists for pallets built for racks.",[186,189],[187,188],"Is a 42 x 42 in pallet always nestable?","No. Nestable is a style, not a size. Check the sheet for the model: a stackable or rackable in 42 x 42 in will not nest, and its empties take full height.",[190,191],"Where do I find ratings for 42 x 42 in?","On the maker's sheet for the named model. Static, dynamic and racking are three separate numbers; if one is missing, the pallet is not rated for it.",[193,196,199],{"label":194,"url":195},"Container Exchanger, plastic pallet dimensions","https:\u002F\u002Fblog.containerexchanger.com\u002Fplastic-pallet-dimensions\u002F",{"label":197,"url":198},"PHS Plastic, nestable plastic pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.phsinc.com\u002Fpallet\u002Fplastic-pallets\u002Fnestable\u002F",{"label":200,"url":201},"Nelson Company, common plastic pallet sizes","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelsoncompany.com\u002Fblog-post-common-plastic-pallet-sizes.cfm",[203,207,211,215,218,221,225,229,233],{"path":204,"title":205,"blurb":206},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints","Footprints","Every footprint a nestable plastic pallet comes in, with the rating range and pallets per stack for each.",{"path":208,"title":209,"blurb":210},"\u002Fnest-calculator","Nest calculator","Pick a footprint and style, enter stacks, and see how many nestable pallets fit an empty 53 ft trailer against loaded ones.",{"path":212,"title":213,"blurb":214},"\u002Fnestable","Nestable Plastic Pallets by Footprint","Nestable plastic pallets sorted by footprint, rating and pallets per stack, with the empty-trailer count worked out.",{"path":216,"title":83,"blurb":217},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40","A 48 x 40 in nestable covers 13.33 sq ft, 100.0 percent of a standard 48 x 40 in pallet, and is the choice for general shipping, grocery, retail and.",{"path":219,"title":89,"blurb":220},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x48","A 48 x 48 in nestable covers 16.00 sq ft, 120.0 percent of a standard 48 x 40 in pallet, and is the choice for chemicals and drums.",{"path":222,"title":223,"blurb":224},"\u002Ffire-rated","Fire rated","FM 4996 and UL 2335 listing for plastic pallets: what the tests are and why an unlisted pallet can change sprinkler design.",{"path":226,"title":227,"blurb":228},"\u002Fguides","Plastic Pallet Guides","Guides on nest ratio, the three load ratings, ISPM 15, fire listing, creep and cold, written from maker spec sheets.",{"path":230,"title":231,"blurb":232},"\u002Fexport","Export Plastic Pallets by Destination Footprint","Export pallets in plastic: light, one-way or low-return, and sized to the receiving country's footprint.",{"path":234,"title":235,"blurb":236},"\u002Frequest","Request a Load of Plastic Pallets","Send the footprint, style and quantity of plastic pallets you need, and what the pallet will do, to start a request.",{"title":238,"rows":239,"foot":248},"42 x 42 in, in numbers",[240,242,243,247],[78,241],"42 x 42",[45,52],[244,245,246],"Area","12.25 sq ft","1,764 sq in",[48,55],"Arithmetic from the footprint; ratings come from the maker's sheet for the model.",false,null,"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F42x42",8,"A 42 x 42 in nestable covers 12.25 sq ft, 91.9 percent of a standard 48 x 40 in pallet, and is the choice for paint and coatings.","Nestable Pallets, 42 x 42 in Footprint","product",[257],"CollectionPage","November 12, 2026",[260,263,265,266],{"path":261,"name":262},"\u002F","Home",{"path":212,"name":264},"Nestable",{"path":204,"name":205},{"path":251,"name":51},{"@context":268,"@graph":269},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org",[270,279,287,297],{"@type":257,"@id":271,"name":254,"url":272,"description":253,"inLanguage":273,"isPartOf":274,"publisher":276,"about":278},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F42x42#collectionpage","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F42x42","en-US",{"@id":275},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#website",{"@id":277},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#org",{"@id":277},{"@type":280,"@id":277,"name":281,"url":282,"email":283,"areaServed":284},"Organization","Nestable Plastic Pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F","info@nestableplasticpallets.com",{"@type":285,"name":286},"Country","United States",{"@type":288,"@id":289,"mainEntity":290},"FAQPage","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F42x42#faq",[291,295],{"@type":292,"name":187,"acceptedAnswer":293},"Question",{"@type":294,"text":188},"Answer",{"@type":292,"name":190,"acceptedAnswer":296},{"@type":294,"text":191},{"@type":298,"itemListElement":299},"BreadcrumbList",[300,303,306,308],{"@type":301,"position":302,"name":262,"item":282},"ListItem",1,{"@type":301,"position":304,"name":264,"item":305},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable",{"@type":301,"position":4,"name":205,"item":307},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints",{"@type":301,"position":309,"name":51,"item":272},4,1794519997995]