UK pallet sizes – what are they, and do they affect your packaging?

A common question you might have if you need to bulk ship many smaller products or particularly large items, is what are UK pallet sizes?

A UK standard pallet is 1200x1000mm. These dimensions refer to the pallet footprint (i.e., length x width). A full UK pallet height is a maximum of 2,200mm, a half pallet 1,200mm, and a quarter pallet 800mm.

However, even with this information, is a UK standard pallet the right option for your business (and for use in your industrial, transit, or export packaging)? In this guide, we’ll cover everything your business needs to know when choosing the best pallet for your specific application.

The main difference between UK standard pallets and Euro pallets is their size. At 1,200×1,000mm, UK pallets are 20% larger than the 1,200x800mm Euro pallet.

However, both pallets are among the six accepted sizes for international export defined by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

As such, the pallet size you select for your business is primarily influenced by two factors. These are the size of the goods you are shipping (e.g., which pallet is the closest fit in terms of size) and which format your customer would prefer you deliver the items in.

Besides the pallet’s footprints, it is common for loads to be referred to as full, half, and quarter pallets. This terminology refers to the height of the load on the pallet.

A full pallet has a maximum height of 2.2m (2,200mm), a half pallet has a height of 1.2m (1,200mm), and a quarter pallet has a height of 0.8m (800mm). These heights apply to both Euro and UK pallet sizes.

Less standard is a light pallet, which has the same height as a full UK pallet but a lower weight allowance (maximum weight of 750kg vs 1200kg for a full pallet). Some suppliers also provide micro pallets with a height of 0.6m (600mm).

Various pallet sizes can accommodate different weights. A UK standard full pallet can have a maximum load of 1,200kg, whilst a half pallet can carry 500kg, and a quarter pallet 250kg. These weight limits apply to Euro and UK standard pallet sizes.

There are many applications where a standard pallet size is unsuitable for a specific product. For example, businesses shipping furniture, industrial parts, aerospace components, large medical devices, or other large products will require oversized pallets.

Oversized pallets are any custom pallet larger than the UK standard size of 1,200 x 1,000 mm. Goods shipped on custom-size pallets are often referred to as “ugly freight” in the transport industry and may incur additional costs.

Other potential issues include being unable to store oversized pallets in warehousing racking, difficulty loading and unloading with forklifts, and disposal after delivery.

However, using custom-sized pallets (and bespoke pallet boxes or composite packs) is unavoidable for specific products.

The size of the pallets that your business uses can significantly impact the success (or otherwise) of your packaging.

Whilst a range of standard cardboard pallet boxes is available, optimising your pallet loads can sometimes be challenging. While there are processes you can follow to do this, working with a packaging manufacturer that can analyse, design, and manufacture pallet-optimised boxes can be essential.

There are many applications where using bespoke pallets is unavoidable.

Pallets are often an essential part of other packaging types, too. For example, they are integrated into composite packs that combine foam, corrugated, and timber, used for specialist, high-value equipment and products. Many wooden shipping crates, such as plywood cases and softwood crates, have an integral pallet base to aid manoeuvrability.

Knowing Euro and UK pallet sizes, along with the allowed heights and weights, can help you decide on the most suitable option for your business.

If you are struggling to decide on the most suitable pallet sizes and boxes for your application, including whether a custom-sized pallet may be more cost-effective, please get in touch with our team of packaging experts today. With extensive experience in industrial packaging, our experts can provide unbiased advice on the best pallet size and compatible packaging for your business.