Euro Pallet Dimensions and Standard Pallet Sizes

Pallet dimensions: compare the footprint, construction and load rating

When buying from China, use the receiving warehouse’s requirements to specify the pallet. A pallet name alone is not a complete packaging specification.

The table separates nominal footprint, empty pallet weight and safe working load. EPAL figures apply to the named EPAL designs; do not apply them to an unmarked pallet merely because its dimensions match.

If an enquiry refers to EUR 2 or EUR 3, confirm the required design and certification. The specifications below are for EPAL 2 and EPAL 3 respectively; the names should not be treated as proof of equivalence.

Weight tolerances: approximate tare is not an allowance to overload

The cited EPAL specifications give approximate empty weights; they do not state a universal plus-or-minus kilogram tolerance. Request actual pallet tare and weigh the finished load where weight affects acceptance. Loaded gross weight includes the goods, pallet and packaging.

ISO 6780:2003 addresses principal dimensions and dimensional tolerances for flat pallets. Do not use it as evidence of a universal pallet-weight allowance. Agree any required tare tolerance separately.

Use a pallet rating appropriate to the load, handling method and support conditions. For racking, stacking or concentrated loads, obtain confirmation that the actual pallet is suitable.

EPAL 2 and EPAL 3 have the same rectangular footprint when rotated, but their construction, height and published load ratings differ. Include fork-entry direction and unloading equipment in the loading plan.

How many pallets fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?

These are calculated, single-layer floor-layout estimates, not carrier guarantees or claims of maximum capacity. Hapag-Lloyd’s example internal dimensions are 5900 × 2352 mm for a 20ft standard container and 12032 × 2352 mm for a 40ft standard container. Actual equipment varies.

For Euro pallets, use adjacent lanes 800 mm and 1200 mm wide: total width is 2000 mm. In the narrower lane each pallet occupies 1200 mm of container length; in the wider lane each occupies 800 mm. Round each division down to whole pallets.

For 1200 × 1000 mm pallets, a pinwheel block places 4 rotated pallets around a central gap within a 2200 × 2200 mm square. The estimates below use those blocks. A final pair occupies 1200 mm of length and 2000 mm of width; a final single rotated pallet occupies 1000 mm of length and 1200 mm of width.

Why the calculated container count may not be loadable

The calculations use nominal pallet dimensions and assume no packaging overhang. Check actual dimensions, wrapping, pallet condition, securing space, weight distribution and equipment access before relying on the count. The 40ft layouts leave little lengthwise clearance, so obtain a practical loading and unloading plan before booking.

Check container payload and applicable inland vehicle weight limits separately from floor space. For double-stacking, confirm the suitability of the pallets and the supporting goods and packaging.

Check the container door opening as well as internal height, and allow working clearance for loading equipment. Use the container dimensions guide for equipment comparisons, including high-cube containers.

Measure the finished palletised load for volume, including its base and packaging. Follow how shipping CBM works rather than using carton volume alone.

Loaded height: a short UK road and retailer example

Agree the finished load height with the receiver and transport provider. Check doorway clearance, racking, stability and the retailer’s delivery specification.

HSE’s general stability guidance recommends keeping load height within the pallet’s longest base dimension, while recognising that suitable shrink- or stretchwrapping can allow taller loads. This is guidance, not a universal legal height limit.

For UK road delivery, check the maximum travelling height of the vehicle, load and equipment. Government bridge-strike guidance says routes for vehicles over 4.95 m should be checked with the relevant highway or road authorities. This is a route-check threshold in the guidance, not a permitted pallet height.

Ask the retailer to confirm maximum overall height including the pallet, maximum gross weight, accepted base construction and unloading arrangements. Use preparing palletised imports for retailer delivery for the detailed delivery checks.

Solid-wood pallets used to import goods from China into Great Britain must meet ISPM 15 requirements, including the required marking. Northern Ireland has separate guidance. For other destinations, confirm requirements with the destination authority.

For UK import VAT, HMRC starts with customs value and adds applicable import duties and charges, excluding VAT itself, plus relevant incidental expenses. These include packing, transport and insurance to the first UK destination and transport-related expenses to a further UK destination known at importation. Avoid counting costs already included twice.

What to put in your China supplier’s packing instruction

State the destination warehouse, required footprint, accepted pallet design, fork-entry requirements, maximum finished dimensions and maximum gross weight. Specify whether height includes the pallet and whether any overhang is permitted.

Request the pallet specification, declared tare, relevant load rating and photographs of the completed load and required markings. Have the forwarder check the loading plan and obtain the receiver’s acceptance before shipment.

An article in ISO Focus, October 2007, describes pallet footprints used in Europe, the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Use these as regional reference points and confirm the actual warehouse specification.

Agree the written packing instruction with the supplier before production or packing, and record the receiver’s requirements clearly.