Stackable Pallets, 48 x 40 in Footprint
The widest range of stackable ratings is at the common size. A 48 x 40 in stackable covers 13.33 sq ft and is judged by the load on the bottom pallet.
48 x 40 in stackable
- Inches
- 48 x 40
- Millimetres
- 1219 x 1016
- Area
- 13.33 sq ft
- Against 48 x 40
- 100.0 percent
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Stackable pallets at 48 x 40 in
PHS Plastic lists stackables at 48 x 40 in with dynamic ratings of 2,500 to 5,000 lb and static ratings of 3,000 to 30,000 lb. Nelson Company lists a used one-piece HDPE pallet at the size rated 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic and 2,200 lb racking. Most warehouse racks are built for this footprint, so it is also where a racking rating matters.
Stackables do not nest, so their empties stand at full height. For scale, a 30,000 lb static rating spread over the 1,920 sq in of a 48 x 40 in deck is 15.6 lb per sq in; the same rating on a 48 x 40 in deck is 15.6 lb per sq in. This is arithmetic for comparison only, and the rating that counts is the maker's.
Shape and size
- 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.
In practice
Stackables at the common size are the pallet that most warehouses mean when they say "plastic pallet". Their job is simple and demanding: stay flat under a stack. The range of static ratings is wide, from 3,000 to 30,000 lb on one maker's list, so the first act of a buyer is to work out the stack, not to shop for a size.
Pair the static figure with the dynamic one from the same sheet. A pallet that holds 20,000 lb at rest may carry a fraction of that on forks, and a warehouse moves its stacks far more often than it leaves them. If the pallet also goes on a rack, a third figure, the racking load, governs, and it is the lowest.
The area, next to the common size
| Footprint | Millimetres | Area, sq in | Area, sq ft | Against 48 x 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 in | 1219 x 1016 | 1,920 | 13.33 | 100.0 percent |
48 x 40 in against the other sizes
| Compared with | Inches | Millimetres | Area, sq in | 48 x 40 in as a multiple | Area gap, sq in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 48 in | 48 x 48 in | 1219 x 1219 mm | 2,304 | 0.833 | -384 |
| 48 x 45 in | 48 x 45 in | 1219 x 1143 mm | 2,160 | 0.889 | -240 |
| 45 x 45 in | 45 x 45 in | 1143 x 1143 mm | 2,025 | 0.948 | -105 |
| 43 x 43 in | 43 x 43 in | 1092 x 1092 mm | 1,849 | 1.038 | +71 |
| 42 x 42 in | 42 x 42 in | 1067 x 1067 mm | 1,764 | 1.088 | +156 |
| Euro 1200 x 800 mm | 47.2 x 31.5 in | 1199 x 800 mm | 1,487 | 1.291 | +433 |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 47.2 x 39.4 in | 1199 x 1001 mm | 1,860 | 1.032 | +60 |
| 56 x 44 in beverage | 56 x 44 in | 1422 x 1118 mm | 2,464 | 0.779 | -544 |
| 48 x 32 in | 48 x 32 in | 1219 x 813 mm | 1,536 | 1.250 | +384 |
| 1200 x 1200 mm | 47.2 x 47.2 in | 1199 x 1199 mm | 2,228 | 0.862 | -308 |
| 1165 x 1165 mm | 45.9 x 45.9 in | 1166 x 1166 mm | 2,107 | 0.911 | -187 |
Questions for the maker
- Which rating applies in your use
- Entry: 4-way on all but one PHS model
- Racking load, if on beams
From the dock
- A damaged pallet at the bottom of a stack is the one nobody sees; inspect before building high.
- Weigh a sample loaded pallet before trusting any estimate; stacked weight grows faster than people expect.
Words on this page
- Slip sheet
- A thin sheet of plastic or fibreboard used under a load in place of a pallet, handled by a push-pull attachment.
- Polypropylene
- Another common pallet resin, lighter and stiffer than some others, with its own behaviour in the cold.
- Static load
- The weight a pallet holds while standing still on a flat floor, spread evenly across the deck. It is the highest of the three ratings.
- 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.
Questions people ask
Does a 48 x 40 in stackable nest?
Generally not. Count the empty return with the maker's per-trailer figure in the calculator.
Tell us the footprint and how many stacks you move.
We work out the empty trailer, then take the request for a load.