Cross-Retailer Reference
Pallet Specifications by Retailer: What Each Program Actually Requires
Short answer: almost every major US retailer wants a 48x40 four-way pallet, and then differs on the three things that actually get loads rejected - maximum loaded height, maximum loaded weight, and which wood and repairs are allowed. Amazon FBA caps a load at 1,500 lb and 72 in including the pallet. Walmart Fulfillment Services allows under 2,100 lb. Costco allows 2,500 lb on a block pallet. Publix sets no widely published weight ceiling but rejects whitewood outright and takes no metal-plate repairs. The table below puts those side by side.
The most common and most expensive mistake we see is quoting a pallet's rated capacity as though it were a retailer's limit. A 48x40 GMA pallet is rated to 2,800 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. No retailer in this table will accept a 2,800 lb load. That distinction is the last row.
Cross-retailer pallet specification matrix. Compiled by Florida Pallet Supply and verified against published supplier and program documentation on 2026-08-17. Supplier manuals are revised without notice: confirm against your current retailer agreement before your first shipment.
| Retailer or program | Pallet required | Entry | Max loaded height | Max loaded weight | The trigger most often missed | Detail |
|---|
Amazon FBA
LTL/FTL into US fulfillment centers | 48x40 GMA, Grade A wood | Four-way | 72 in including the pallet | 1,500 lb including pallet, wrap and banding | Stretch wrap overlap of less than 5 in between layers. Non-compliant loads are refused at the dock and trigger manual processing fees. | Full guide |
Walmart Fulfillment Services
WFS inbound only | 48x40 GMA, Grade A | Four-way | Under 72 in | Under 2,100 lb | Applying the WFS limit to a Walmart DC supplier shipment, or the reverse. They are separate programs with separate ceilings. | Full guide |
| Costco Wholesale | 48x40x5.5 block pallet | Four-way | Program dependent. Both 52 in and 58 in including the 5.5 in pallet are published for different programs. Confirm in writing before the first shipment. | 2,500 lb | Product overhang beyond roughly 1 in per side. Pallet approvals are handled by Costco packaging, not by the buyer. | Full guide |
| Publix | 48x40, hardwood only | Four-way | See current supplier manual | See current supplier manual | Whitewood. Pine, cedar and spruce pallets are rejected outright. So are broken, split or double stringers and any metal-plate repair. Publix runs no pallet exchange, so poolers are the expected route. | Full guide |
The 48x40 GMA pallet itself
not a retailer limit | n/a | Four-way typical | n/a | 2,800 lb dynamic, 30,000 lb static rated capacity | This is the pallet's rated capacity, not a retailer's cap, and the two are routinely quoted as if they were the same number. Every retailer ceiling in the rows above is lower than the pallet's rating. Ship to the retailer's number, not the pallet's. | Full guide |
Where a cell reads "see current supplier manual" the retailer does not publish a single public figure for that field and we will not invent one. Costco's height limit is shown as a range because two different figures are published for two different programs, and guessing between them is how a truck gets turned away.
