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Florida Pallet Supply
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Custom Pallet Sizes Guide 2026
48x48, 42x42, half-pallets, Euro pallets, runner pallets, and custom designs -- specs, pricing, and lead times. Florida Pallet Supply delivers new, recycled, custom, and ISPM-15 heat-treated pallets to all 67 Florida counties, with same-day dispatch from its Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, and Lakeland yards and a 50-pallet minimum order.
What Sizes Do Custom Pallets Come In?
Short answer: a custom pallet size is any footprint other than the 48x40 GMA standard. The sizes ordered most often are 42x42 (telecom, paint), 48x48 (drums), 48x42 (chemical, beverage), 40x40 (dairy), 48x45 (automotive), 44x44 (drums, chemical), 36x36 and 48x36 (beverage), 48x20 half pallets for retail display, and the 1200x800 mm Euro pallet for European export. Near-standard sizes typically ship in 3-5 business days, Euro and extended sizes in 5-10, and fully engineered designs in 7-14, as shown in the pricing table below. To get a number for your load, request a custom pallet quote.
Rank (US production)
Size (inches)
Size (mm)
Industries using
1
48x40
1219x1016
Grocery, many others
2
42x42
1067x1067
Telecommunications, paint
3
48x48
1219x1219
Drums
4
40x48
1016x1219
Military, cement
5
48x42
1219x1067
Chemical, beverage
6
40x40
1016x1016
Dairy
7
48x45
1219x1143
Automotive
8
44x44
1118x1118
Drums, chemical
9
36x36
914x914
Beverage
10
48x36
1219x914
Beverage, shingles, packaged paper
Source: North American production ranking compiled in the Wikipedia article Pallet, citing John Clarke, Pallets 101: Industry Overview and Wood, Plastic, Paper, and Metal Options (ISTA, 2004), which also puts the GMA 48x40 at about 30% of new US wood pallet production. Industry labels are from that source; the 40x48 and 48x40 entries differ by which side the stringers run.
Standard GMA 48x40 pallets are the most produced size in the US, at roughly 30% of all new wood pallets. Much of the rest -- automotive parts, aerospace components, oversized industrial equipment, specialty chemicals, display-ready retail formats, and pharmaceutical packaging -- requires custom pallet sizes and configurations. Getting the wrong pallet size wrong means load instability, product damage, equipment incompatibility, and retailer chargebacks. This guide covers every common custom pallet size, the industries that need them, how to spec a custom pallet correctly, and lead times and pricing for custom pallet production from Florida Pallet Supply.
48x40
GMA Standard (~30% of new wood pallets)
50+
Common Custom Sizes in Use
5-10 day
Custom Pallet Lead Time
4x4
Typical Block Pallet Grid
When Do You Need a Custom Pallet Size?
Pallet Lumber & Sawmill Operations
Stamped kiln-dried pallet lumber, bulk warehouse stock, dimensional yard inventory, raw softwood logs, and sawmill operations - the supply chain behind every custom and standard pallet we ship.
Kiln-dried stamped pallet lumber boards in stack at sawmillBulk pallet lumber storage in covered warehouse - dimensional pallet stockDimensional pallet lumber stacks with grading marks in lumber yardSoftwood pallet logs - raw timber for pallet lumber millingSawmill aerial view of lumber yard with pallet supply inventory
Standard GMA 48x40 pallets fail to meet requirements in several scenarios:
Situation
Problem with 48x40
Custom Solution
Oversized product (machinery, HVAC)
Product overhangs excessively on all sides
60x48, 72x48, or custom large-format pallet
Narrow aisle racking (AS/RS)
48" width may not fit racking entry
40x32 or custom narrow pallet
European container shipments
ISO standard requires 1200x800mm (Euro pallet)
47.2x31.5 inch Euro pallet
Retail floor display (half pallet)
Full pallet too tall for display floor
48x20 or 40x24 half-pallet
Chemical drums (55-gallon)
Drum footprint doesn't match GMA deckboard spacing
48x48 square pallet for 4-drum configuration
Pharmaceutical unit dose trays
Standard pallet overhang creates handling risk
Custom medical-grade pallet with side boards
Automotive body panels
Panel width or length exceeds GMA capacity
Custom-length pallet (72x48, 96x48)
Carpet rolls
12-foot carpet rolls require custom runner pallet
Runner pallet: 2 stringers, no deckboards
What Are the Most Common Custom Pallet Sizes?
Size (inches)
Common Name
Primary Industries
Notes
48x40
GMA Standard
All -- universal
Most available, lowest cost
48x48
Square / Drum Pallet
Chemical, drum, paint
4-drum configuration; chemical industry standard
42x42
Telecom Pallet
Telecom, cable, paint
No. 2 by US production; ISO 6780 size
40x40
Dairy / Beverage
Dairy, beverage, CPG
Fits 8-case layer of some beverage formats
48x42
Grocery / Beverage
Chemical, beverage
No. 5 by US production
48x45
Automotive Pallet
Automotive
No. 7 by US production
60x40
Extended GMA
Building materials, HVAC
For products slightly longer than standard 48" loads
60x48
Industrial Extended
HVAC, machinery, appliances
Common for large appliances and commercial equipment
36x36
Small Square
Specialty chemical, lab equipment
Quarter pallet equivalent; high-value small loads
48x20
Half Pallet
Retail display, Costco, Sam's Club
Display-ready; floor merchandising
40x24
Half Pallet Variant
Retail display, grocery
Alternative half-pallet format
47.2x31.5 (1200x800mm)
Euro Pallet (EUR/EPAL)
European export, pharma
ISO 6780 standard; required for EU market
45.9x45.9 (1165x1165mm)
ISO Pallet
Australia, international
ISO 6780 size; the Australian standard pallet
Custom runner pallet
Runner / Carpet Pallet
Carpet, flooring, tube/roll goods
2-3 stringers only; no top deck; supports rolls
How Do You Specify a Custom Pallet Size?
When requesting a custom pallet quote, provide these specifications:
Footprint dimensions (L x W): Overall pallet dimensions in inches (or mm if metric). Measure the footprint your load requires, not just the load itself -- include overhang tolerance.
Deck board configuration: Full deck (boards covering entire top surface), open deck (boards with gaps), or single-face (top deck only, no bottom boards).
Stringer or block design: Stringer (2-way entry) or block (4-way entry). Specify if 4-way entry is required for your equipment.
Load capacity required: Dynamic load (forklift moving), static load (racking), and racking load (in selective pallet rack). Specify all three if applicable.
Material: New Southern Yellow Pine (most common), hardwood, LVL stringers, or plastic. For food/pharma use, specify if material certification is required.
ISPM-15 heat treatment: Required or not? If yes, we add cost for HT treatment and IPPC marking.
Quantity and delivery: Order quantity and destination -- this affects pricing significantly.
Special requirements: Block height, notch placement, color, branding (if any), edge boards, or side boards.
Custom pallets have longer lead times and minimum order quantities. Plan custom pallet orders 2-3 weeks ahead of need. For one-time projects (trade shows, special shipments), standard size pallets cut to fit are sometimes more cost-effective than full custom production. Florida Pallet Supply can cut standard pallets to custom dimensions for small quantities -- ask about cut-to-size options for orders under 25 pallets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Any custom wood pallet can be heat treated to ISPM-15 standards. Heat treatment adds $1-3 per pallet to the cost and requires that the pallet go through our heat treatment chamber after construction. The IPPC mark is stamped on both stringers or blocks after treatment. Certificate of Heat Treatment is available on request for customs documentation. Custom ISPM-15 pallets have a longer lead time than non-treated custom pallets -- factor in an additional 1-3 business days.
Minimum order quantities for custom pallets vary by size complexity. Near-standard sizes (48x48, 42x42, 40x40) typically have a 50-pallet minimum for economical production. Larger or more complex designs (60x48, runner pallets, engineered designs) have minimums of 25-50 pallets. For genuinely unique one-off requirements, Florida Pallet Supply can often accommodate smaller quantities by cutting or modifying standard pallets -- contact us to discuss what's possible for your specific application.
Half-pallets (48x20, 40x24) used for Costco, Sam's Club, Aldi, or Whole Foods floor display are subject to the same Grade A condition requirements as full pallets, with an additional visual standard because the pallet is visible to shoppers. Display half-pallets should be new or near-new Grade A -- no visible staining, clean wood, no odor. Some retailers specify the exact half-pallet dimensions they require -- verify before ordering. Florida Pallet Supply produces display-ready half-pallets to custom specifications.
Yes. Florida Pallet Supply can produce EUR/EPAL-specification pallets (47.24 x 31.50 inches, equivalent to 1200x800mm) on custom order. Euro pallets are most commonly needed for international exports to EU markets, pharmaceutical exports requiring EU GDP pallet compliance, and some pharmaceutical companies with European parent companies who standardize on Euro pallet specifications across all facilities. Euro pallets have a 5-10 business day lead time and 50-pallet minimum. EPAL-stamped pallets (official European Pallet Association certification) are available for shipments requiring EPAL documentation.
The 48x40 inch GMA pallet, standardized by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, is the most common pallet size in the United States and accounts for about 30% of new wood pallets produced, according to Clarke's 2004 Pallets 101 industry overview. It is also one of the six footprints recognized in ISO 6780. The next most produced sizes are 42x42 for telecommunications and paint, and 48x48 for drums.
Start from the load footprint plus your overhang tolerance, then check it against the equipment the pallet has to fit: rack beam depth, AS/RS entry width, conveyor width and trailer or container floor. Decide whether you need 2-way stringer or 4-way block entry, give dynamic, static and racking load ratings, and say whether ISPM-15 heat treatment is required. With those inputs a supplier can quote a design; near-standard sizes such as 48x48 or 42x42 usually carry a 50-pallet minimum.
Request Custom Pallet Quote
Any size, any configuration, ISPM-15 available. 5-10 day lead time FL, GA, NJ, MD, DE.
