Last Quarter 2008
Negative vote for the new Draft Revision of ISO 8611 - Pallet Testing
The Draft revision of ISO/DIS 8611: 2007 failed some major European pallets. The main test at issue was the Bending Strength Test that has been a useful comparison between pallet designs since 1990. This has caused enough participating nations across the world to register their opposition and as a result all 3 parts of the draft standard have failed the obligatory ballot. The PalletLink Newsletter raised the issue of unwarranted failures in the draft ISO test in the Autumn 2006 issue, see below. For more details of what led up to this, go to Datasheet 21k on the PALLETS/PALLET TESTING page.
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ISO pallets
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sanctions six pallet dimensions, detailed in ISO Standard 6780: Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling -- Principal dimensions and tolerances:[9]
| Dimensions (mm) | Dimensions (inches) | Wasted floor, ISO Container | Region |
| 1219 x 1016 |
48.00 x 40.00 |
3.7% |
North America |
| 1200 x 1000 |
47.24 x 39.37 |
6.7% |
Europe, Asia; similar to 48x40". |
| 1140 x 1140 |
44.88 x 44.88 |
8.1% |
Australia |
| 1067 x 1067 |
42.00 x 42.00 |
11.5% |
North America, Europe, Asia |
| 1100 x 1100 |
43.30 x 43.30 |
14% |
Asia |
| 1200 x 800 |
47.24 x 31.50 |
15.2% |
Europe; fits many doorways |
[edit]North American pallets
Of the top pallets used in North America, the most commonly used by far is the Grocery Manufacturers' Association (GMA) pallet, which accounts for 30% of all new wood pallets produced in the United States.[10] The ISO also recognizes the GMA pallet footprint as one of its six standard sizes.
| Dimensions (mm) | Dimensions (in.) | Production Rank | Industries Using |
| 1219 x 1016 |
48 x 40 |
1 |
Grocery, many others |
| 1067 x 1067 |
42 x 42 |
2 |
Telecommunications, Paint |
| 1219 x 1219 |
48 x 48 |
3 |
Drums |
| 1016 x 1219 |
40 x 48 |
4 |
Military[11], Cement |
| 1219 x 1067 |
48 x 42 |
5 |
Chemical, Beverage |
| 1016 x 1016 |
40 x 40 |
6 |
Dairy |
| 1219 x 1143 |
48 x 45 |
7 |
Automotive |
| 1118 x 1118 |
44 x 44 |
8 |
Drums, Chemical |
| 914 x 914 |
36 x 36 |
9 |
Beverage |
| 1219 x 914 |
48 x 36 |
10 |
Beverage, Shingles, Packaged Paper |
| 889 x 1156 |
35 x 45.5 |
Unknown |
Military 1/2 ISO container, fits 36" standard doors[12] |
| 1219 x 508 |
48 x 20 |
Unknown |
Retail[13] |
[edit]European pallets
In Europe, the EuroPallet (an EUR standard pallet), also called a CEN pallet, is widely used in many industries. It measures 80 by 120 by 12 cm.[14] Manufacturers of EuroPallets must be sanctioned by the EuroPallet Pallet Association (EPAL), which governs the smallest details, even which types of nails and lumber may be used. The strict standardization is based on the existence of europool pallet swap organizations - their mutual swap agreements across country boundaries does only include EuroPallets of a specific EPAL/EUR type (mostly restricted to type 1). Most freight forwarders will accept pool palettes handling the cost clearing between sender and receiver even for international transport to countries that take part in the europool system. The ongoing harmonization of freight handling within the European Economic Area has led to a decline of the europool system.
The four common sizes of EuroPallets are:[15]
Plastic pallets standards bottom
