If you buy, ship, or store anything on pallets in the United States, you are almost certainly using the GMA pallet. It measures 48 inches by 40 inches, and it is the closest thing the freight industry has to a universal unit. Racking, trailers, forklifts, and warehouse management systems are all built around it.
This post covers exactly what the GMA spec is, how much a GMA pallet weighs and carries, and when you should stop forcing your product onto a 48×40 and order something that fits.
What “GMA” means
GMA stands for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the trade group that standardized the 48×40 footprint for grocery distribution in the 1960s. The association has since been folded into the Consumer Brands Association, but the pallet kept the name. Today “GMA pallet,” “48×40,” “40×48,” and “standard pallet” all mean the same thing in practice.
GMA pallet dimensions
| Dimension | Spec |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 in long × 40 in wide (the 48 in side runs along the stringers) |
| Height | Approximately 5 to 6 in; 5.5 in is the common figure |
| Top deck | 7 boards, typically 5/8 in thick; lead boards wider than interior boards |
| Bottom deck | 5 boards |
| Stringers | 3, each 1.5 in × 3.5 in (a nominal 2×4) |
| Entry | 4-way (notched stringers allow forklift entry from all four sides; pallet jacks enter from two) |
Write the size as 48×40, not 40×48, when you are ordering. Both are the same pallet, but the first number is conventionally the stringer length, and a supplier who hears “40×48” may quote you a pallet built with 40 inch stringers and 48 inch deck boards. It exists, and it is not what you want in a standard rack.
How much a GMA pallet weighs
A new hardwood GMA pallet weighs roughly 35 to 50 pounds depending on lumber species and moisture content. Softwood and mixed-material versions land toward the low end. Heavy-duty block-style 48x40s can reach 60 to 70 pounds. Recycled GMA pallets are usually lighter than new ones because the wood has dried out.
We cover this in more detail in How Much Does a Pallet Weigh?.
How much a GMA pallet holds
Typical published ratings for a standard new hardwood GMA pallet:
- Dynamic load (being moved by forklift or pallet jack): about 2,500 lb
- Static load (sitting on the floor): about 4,600 lb
- Racked load (supported only at the edges on beams): about 2,800 lb, and this is the number that matters most in a warehouse
These are industry norms, not guarantees. Lumber grade, board thickness, fastener pattern, and repair history all move the numbers, so ask your supplier for the rating of the pallet you are actually buying, not the category it belongs to.
GMA pallet grades
Not every 48×40 is equal. Recycled GMA pallets are sorted into grades based on condition and prior repairs. A Grade A has clean stringers and full decks. A Grade B has had a stringer reinforced with a companion board. Both are a fraction of the price of new. Pallet Grades Explained walks through how to pick.
When a GMA pallet is the wrong answer
The 48×40 is standard because it fits a 53 ft trailer two across and fits most racking. It is not standard because it fits your product. Common reasons DFW customers move off it:
- Product overhangs the deck, which is the fastest way to crush corners in transit
- Product is far smaller than the deck and you are paying to ship air
- Load is heavy and concentrated, so you need thicker deck boards or a block design
- Export freight needs ISPM-15 heat-treated pallets and the customer overseas uses a different footprint
- Automated handling equipment specifies a different entry or a plastic pallet
In those cases a custom pallet built to your product costs less overall than the damage claims and wasted cube from forcing a standard.
Frequently asked questions
48 inches by 40 inches, about 5.5 inches tall, with three 2×4 stringers and a 7-board top deck. It is the standard pallet for North American freight.
Yes in footprint. By convention the first number is the stringer length, so order it as 48×40 if you want the standard configuration that fits racking and trailers the normal way.
Roughly 2,500 lb dynamic and 4,600 lb static for a new hardwood unit, with racked capacity around 2,800 lb. Confirm the rating on the specific pallet you buy.
A&A Pallets stocks new and recycled 48×40 GMA pallets in Dallas, sorted by grade, with delivery across Dallas–Fort Worth. Call (214) 398-3555 for current pricing.
Need 48x40s in DFW?
A&A Pallets has been building, repairing, and recycling GMA pallets in Dallas since 1998. Tell us your monthly volume and whether you need new, Grade A, or Grade B, and we’ll quote it. If your product doesn’t fit a 48×40, we’ll build the size that does.
Related services: New & Recycled Pallets · Custom Pallets · Heat-Treated Pallets · All services
Photo: W.carter via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (source)