Size library
The 48″ × 48″ pallet: built for drums and everything else that is too wide.
Ask about 48" × 48" pallets
Give the quantity, the size and the ZIP code. We pass your request to a partner supplier, who follows up.
- Buy, sell, recycle or remove: tell us which way it flows
- Add the size, grade and quantity if you know them
- A partner supplier follows up
- Availability depends on partner suppliers
Loaded
Empty pallets fill a trailer's space long before they reach its weight limit.
Drawn to scale
48" × 48" — 1219 × 1219 mm
7,000 lb
Typical static load
3,500 lb
Typical dynamic load
2,400 lb
Typical racked load
56 lb
Typical unit weight
5.75″
Overall height
7/3
Deck boards, top / bottom
48" × 48" · 7 top boards · 3 stringers
The load case
Four drums is a harder problem than it looks
A 55-gallon drum of solvent weighs about 480 lb loaded, and it puts almost all of that weight onto a chime ring roughly 22 inches across. Four of them on a pallet is not a distributed load; it is four rings pressing into a deck.
That is why 48×48 units are built heavier than the footprint alone would suggest — thicker deck boards, tighter board spacing under the drum positions, and often four stringers instead of three on new builds. A standard-build 48×48 will carry the weight statically and then fail in a rack.
If you are racking drums, say so on the form. It changes which pallets are suitable.
Questions
48 × 48 questions
Is a 48×48 always four-way?
Most are notched four-way, but not all. Confirm before ordering if you run a pallet jack from the 48-inch side — a two-way unit will not accept it.
How many fit on a trailer?
About 26 on the floor of a 53-foot van. Empty, at about ten units to a floor stack, that is around 260. The stacks are shorter than a GMA's because the units are heavier and taller.
Can I use a GMA for drums instead?
Two drums, comfortably. Four, no — they overhang the 40-inch dimension and overhanging drums are how drums fall off pallets.
Construction
Why a drum pallet is built differently
| Element | Standard GMA | Drum-spec 48×48 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top deck thickness | 9/16″ | 9/16″ – ¾″ | Concentrated chime-ring loads |
| Deck gap | up to 3½″ | tighter under drum positions | Prevents deck deflection under the ring |
| Stringers | 3 | 3 or 4 | Four spreads a 2,000 lb load far better |
| Bottom deck boards | 3 | 3 – 4, wider | Racked capacity depends on beam contact |
| Fastener count | 78 – 90 | 90 – 110 | More members, more joints |
| Unit weight | 45 – 55 lb | 52 – 68 lb | The construction, not the footprint |
The load case
Four drums is not a distributed load
A 55-gallon drum of water-density product weighs around 480 lb full, and almost all of that lands on a chime ring roughly 22 inches across. Four of them is four rings pressing into a deck, with the area between them doing very little work.
Published capacities assume uniform distribution. This is not that, and the gap between the two is where standard-build 48×48 units fail — usually not on a floor, where they are fine, but in a rack, where the deck between the rings deflects and the load starts to walk.
A cautious rule of thumb: halve the published racked capacity for a four-drum load. On that rule a typical 2,400 lb rating becomes 1,200 lb, well under four full drums, so a standard unit should not rack them. If you are racking drums, say so on the form, because it changes which pallets are suitable.
Questions
More 48 × 48 questions
Is every 48×48 four-way?
Most are notched four-way but not all. Confirm before ordering if you run a pallet jack from the side — a two-way unit will not accept it and finding out on the dock is expensive.
How many fit on a trailer?
About 26 on the floor of a 53-foot van. Empty, at about ten units to a floor stack, that is around 260. Stacks are shorter than a GMA's because the units are heavier and slightly taller.
Can I put four drums on a GMA instead?
No. They overhang the 40-inch dimension, and overhanging drums are how drums come off pallets. Two drums on a GMA is fine and common.
Are 48×48 pallets available recycled?
Yes, in Grade A and B, depending on what partner suppliers have available. Heavy-deck variants come in batches, so say if you need them.
Trailer maths
How many of these fit where.
53′ dry van
26
on the floor
≈ 52 stacked two high
48′ dry van
22
on the floor
≈ 44 stacked two high
40′ container
9
on the floor
≈ 18 stacked two high
20′ container
4
on the floor
≈ 8 stacked two high
Questions
48" × 48" pallets, answered.
What are the exact dimensions of a 48" × 48" pallet?
48" × 48" (1219 × 1219 mm), standing about 5.75″ tall. A recycled unit weighs roughly 56 lb, built on 3 stringers with 7 top and 3 bottom deck boards.
How much weight can a 48" × 48" pallet carry?
Around 7,000 lb static, 3,500 lb dynamic and 2,400 lb racked. Racked capacity is the number that matters if the pallet is going into beam storage unsupported, and it is always the lowest of the three.
What is a 48" × 48" pallet typically used for?
Four-drum loads, chemicals, wide industrial parts. The default for a 2×2 array of 55-gallon drums. Heavier build, usually four-way notched.
Can I ask for 48" × 48" in recycled as well as new?
Yes. Choose the size and the condition on the form, and a partner supplier follows up. Recycled Grade A usually costs less than new; see pallet grades for what the letters mean before you ask.