[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":336},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40":3},{"tier":4,"sections":5,"faq":206,"sources":213,"related":223,"plate":262,"form":274,"scene":275,"path":276,"crumb":49,"ruler":277,"answer":278,"title":279,"h1":279,"description":280,"type":281,"schema":282,"reviewed":284,"crumbs":285,"jsonld":293},1,[6,20,29,36,63,93,173,181,188],{"h2":7,"blocks":8},"What rides on a 48 x 40 in pallet",[9,15,18],{"t":10,"items":11},"ul",[12,13,14],"General shipping, grocery, retail and manufacturing","Anything that goes on a standard North American rack","Closed loops between a plant and a distribution centre",{"t":16,"text":17},"p","This is the North American default, also called the GMA pallet. It is the size makers list most models in: PHS Plastic's nestable list leans on it, and Container Exchanger puts it first among plastic pallet dimensions. Because the most models exist at this size, the range of ratings is the widest, from light nestables to a used one-piece HDPE rated 30,000 lb static.",{"t":16,"text":19},"It is also the only footprint on this site where the maker figures for empty-trailer counts are on file for several models. The calculator uses them: 1,200 to 2,340 per 53 ft trailer, depending on model.",{"h2":21,"blocks":22},"Shape and size",[23],{"t":10,"items":24},[25,26,27,28],"Perimeter: 176.0 in (4,470 mm).","Diagonal corner to corner: 62.5 in (1,587 mm), which is the room a pallet needs to turn in an aisle.","Area: 1.239 square metres, 13.33 square feet.","Aspect: the long side is 1.200 times the short side.",{"h2":30,"blocks":31},"In practice",[32,34],{"t":16,"text":33},"Because so many racks, trailers and conveyors were built around 48 x 40 in, choosing it removes questions. A receiver rarely refuses it, a rack rarely needs a pallet-specific beam, and a spare is easy to find. The cost of that freedom is that the footprint tells you nothing about the load: it fits drums badly, bulk bags awkwardly and tall boxed freight well, so the rating, not the size, becomes the thing to read.",{"t":16,"text":35},"Where a 48 x 40 in loop goes wrong is in assuming every pallet of the size behaves alike. Two nestables can share a footprint and differ by 540 pallets on a trailer, and a static rating of 10,000 lb can sit beside a racking rating of none. Treat the size as the start of the sheet, not the end of it.",{"h2":37,"blocks":38},"Against its nearest footprints",[39,61],{"t":40,"head":41,"rows":47,"caption":60},"table",[42,43,44,45,46],"Footprint","Millimetres","Area, sq in","Area, sq ft","Against 48 x 40",[48,54],[49,50,51,52,53],"48 x 40 in","1219 x 1016","1,920","13.33","100.0 percent",[55,56,57,58,59],"1200 x 1000 mm","1199 x 1001","1,860","12.91","96.9 percent","Inches converted at 25.4 mm. Area is length times width, ignoring corner cuts.",{"t":16,"text":62},"The table orders the closest four by area. A 48 x 40 in pallet is 1,920 sq in; the nearest listed footprint differs by 60 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":64,"blocks":65},"Counting the empty trailer",[66,68],{"t":16,"text":67},"This is the one footprint where several makers print the figures. The table counts trailers for three return volumes at each model's published per-trailer number, next to a rackable comparison.",{"t":40,"head":69,"rows":77,"caption":92},[70,71,72,73,74,75,76],"Pallets to return","Rehrig Pacific Heavy-duty nestable (1,200 per trailer)","Rehrig Pacific Standard-duty nestable (1,260 per trailer)","Nelson Company Nestable, stackable, rackable (1,800 per trailer)","PHS Plastic EXP 116 nestable (1,260 per trailer)","PHS Plastic EXP 100 nestable (2,340 per trailer)","Rackable (540 per trailer)",[78,83,88],[79,80,80,81,80,81,82],"3,000","3","2","6",[84,85,86,80,86,80,87],"5,000","5","4","10",[89,90,90,82,90,85,91],"10,400","9","20","Trailers = pallets ÷ the maker's per-trailer figure, rounded up. An example of arithmetic, not a quote.",{"h2":94,"blocks":95},"48 x 40 in against every other footprint",[96],{"t":40,"head":97,"rows":102,"caption":172},[98,99,43,44,100,101],"Compared with","Inches","48 x 40 in as a multiple","Area gap, sq in",[103,109,115,121,127,133,140,145,152,158,165],[104,104,105,106,107,108],"48 x 48 in","1219 x 1219 mm","2,304","0.833","-384",[110,110,111,112,113,114],"48 x 45 in","1219 x 1143 mm","2,160","0.889","-240",[116,116,117,118,119,120],"45 x 45 in","1143 x 1143 mm","2,025","0.948","-105",[122,122,123,124,125,126],"43 x 43 in","1092 x 1092 mm","1,849","1.038","+71",[128,128,129,130,131,132],"42 x 42 in","1067 x 1067 mm","1,764","1.088","+156",[134,135,136,137,138,139],"Euro 1200 x 800 mm","47.2 x 31.5 in","1199 x 800 mm","1,487","1.291","+433",[55,141,142,57,143,144],"47.2 x 39.4 in","1199 x 1001 mm","1.032","+60",[146,147,148,149,150,151],"56 x 44 in beverage","56 x 44 in","1422 x 1118 mm","2,464","0.779","-544",[153,153,154,155,156,157],"48 x 32 in","1219 x 813 mm","1,536","1.250","+384",[159,160,161,162,163,164],"1200 x 1200 mm","47.2 x 47.2 in","1199 x 1199 mm","2,228","0.862","-308",[166,167,168,169,170,171],"1165 x 1165 mm","45.9 x 45.9 in","1166 x 1166 mm","2,107","0.911","-187","Area is length times width. A multiple above 1.000 means 48 x 40 in has more deck than the footprint named.",{"h2":174,"blocks":175},"Questions for the maker",[176],{"t":10,"items":177},[178,179,180],"Which of static, dynamic and racking applies to the way the pallet is used","The per-stack and per-trailer figures, if the pallet returns empty","Entry type: 2-way or 4-way",{"h2":182,"blocks":183},"From the dock",[184],{"t":10,"items":185},[186,187],"A trailer loaded to the roof is limited by cube, not weight, which is why empties are priced by the trailer.","Nesting pays only when pallets come back. A one-way shipment gains nothing from a deep nest except cheaper freight out.",{"h2":189,"blocks":190},"Words on this page",[191],{"t":192,"rows":193},"dl",[194,197,200,203],[195,196],"GMA pallet","The 48 by 40 inch North American standard, named for the Grocery Manufacturers Association that popularised it.",[198,199],"HDPE","High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.",[201,202],"Closed loop","A route where pallets return to the sender after delivery, so the empty trip is a standing cost.",[204,205],"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.",[207,210],[208,209],"Is a 48 x 40 in pallet always nestable?","No. Nestable is a style, not a size. Check the sheet for the model: a stackable or rackable in 48 x 40 in will not nest, and its empties take full height.",[211,212],"Where do I find ratings for 48 x 40 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.",[214,217,220],{"label":215,"url":216},"Container Exchanger, plastic pallet dimensions","https:\u002F\u002Fblog.containerexchanger.com\u002Fplastic-pallet-dimensions\u002F",{"label":218,"url":219},"PHS Plastic, nestable plastic pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.phsinc.com\u002Fpallet\u002Fplastic-pallets\u002Fnestable\u002F",{"label":221,"url":222},"Nelson Company, common plastic pallet sizes","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelsoncompany.com\u002Fblog-post-common-plastic-pallet-sizes.cfm",[224,228,232,236,239,242,246,250,254,258],{"path":225,"title":226,"blurb":227},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints","Footprints","Every footprint a nestable plastic pallet comes in, with the rating range and pallets per stack for each.",{"path":229,"title":230,"blurb":231},"\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":233,"title":234,"blurb":235},"\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":237,"title":104,"blurb":238},"\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":240,"title":110,"blurb":241},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x45","A 48 x 45 in nestable covers 15.00 sq ft, 112.5 percent of a standard 48 x 40 in pallet, and is the choice for north American automotive plants.",{"path":243,"title":244,"blurb":245},"\u002Fnestable\u002Fnesting-pallets","Nesting pallets","How nesting pallets sit inside one another, what the nest increment adds to each stack, and why it matters on the return leg.",{"path":247,"title":248,"blurb":249},"\u002Fwhere-we-ship\u002Fstates","Plastic Pallets by State","All 50 states, with the packaging industries and job counts that drive pallet demand in each.",{"path":251,"title":252,"blurb":253},"\u002Fstackable\u002Fstackable-pallets-guide","Stack height","How high stackable pallets can go, what the bottom pallet must hold, and where a stack stops being safe.",{"path":255,"title":256,"blurb":257},"\u002Fwhere-we-ship\u002Fcorridors","Corridors","Twelve interstate corridors and the warehouse, food and auto industries along each.",{"path":259,"title":260,"blurb":261},"\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":263,"rows":264,"foot":273},"48 x 40 in, in numbers",[265,267,268,272],[99,266],"48 x 40",[43,50],[269,270,271],"Area","13.33 sq ft","1,920 sq in",[46,53],"Arithmetic from the footprint; ratings come from the maker's sheet for the model.",true,null,"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40",10,"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 manufacturing.","Nestable Pallets, 48 x 40 in Footprint","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.","product",[283],"CollectionPage","November 12, 2026",[286,289,291,292],{"path":287,"name":288},"\u002F","Home",{"path":233,"name":290},"Nestable",{"path":225,"name":226},{"path":276,"name":49},{"@context":294,"@graph":295},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org",[296,305,313,323],{"@type":283,"@id":297,"name":279,"url":298,"description":280,"inLanguage":299,"isPartOf":300,"publisher":302,"about":304},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40#collectionpage","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40","en-US",{"@id":301},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#website",{"@id":303},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#org",{"@id":303},{"@type":306,"@id":303,"name":307,"url":308,"email":309,"areaServed":310},"Organization","Nestable Plastic Pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F","info@nestableplasticpallets.com",{"@type":311,"name":312},"Country","United States",{"@type":314,"@id":315,"mainEntity":316},"FAQPage","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints\u002F48x40#faq",[317,321],{"@type":318,"name":208,"acceptedAnswer":319},"Question",{"@type":320,"text":209},"Answer",{"@type":318,"name":211,"acceptedAnswer":322},{"@type":320,"text":212},{"@type":324,"itemListElement":325},"BreadcrumbList",[326,328,331,334],{"@type":327,"position":4,"name":288,"item":308},"ListItem",{"@type":327,"position":329,"name":290,"item":330},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable",{"@type":327,"position":332,"name":226,"item":333},3,"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints",{"@type":327,"position":335,"name":49,"item":298},4,1794519997918]