EPAL Euro pallet (1200 × 800 mm)
Specifications
| Construction | Deck | Entry | Pallet height | Pallet weight | Rated load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPAL 1, 4-way entry | block | 4-way entry | 144 mm ≈ 5.67 in (converted) | 25 kg | 1500 kg (safe working load) |
All heights are the empty pallet. Freight class is calculated from the handling unit, so the pallet's height is added to the load height before the volume is worked out.
The EPAL Euro pallet — EPAL 1 — is the exchange pallet behind most European pallet pools, and it is one of the few pallet types whose dimensions come with published tolerances from the association that licenses its manufacture. If you are receiving or shipping freight that was palletized in Europe, this is the platform you are most likely looking at, and its metric dimensions are not a round number of inches.
What the licence actually specifies
EPAL publishes the Euro pallet as 800 mm by 1,200 mm, with a tolerance of plus or minus 3 mm on each edge, and a height of 144 mm with a tolerance of +7 mm and −0 mm. The asymmetric height tolerance is not a typo: the pallet may be slightly taller than nominal but never shorter. PECO and CHEP list the GMA block pallet to three significant figures; EPAL is telling you how close to nominal any given pallet is required to be.
The construction is a nine-block design: 11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 nails, weighing approximately 25 kg. EPAL states accessibility from all four sides and compatibility with industrial trucks, conveyor systems and high-bay racking. The 1,500 kg safe working load is EPAL's own figure, and it comes with a stacking condition attached — when laden pallets are stacked on a solid, even surface, the bottommost pallet must not exceed 5,500 kg.
Note that \"safe working load\" is a European convention, not the same thing as a North American static or dynamic rating. We keep the term as EPAL writes it and convert only the unit, because calling 1,500 kg a dynamic load would be a translation no source supports.
For a U.S. shipment the practical consequence is unit conversion. The Euro pallet is 47.24 inches by 31.50 inches by roughly 5.67 inches — every one of those is a converted figure, which is why the source values stay in millimetres in our data and are converted at calculation time.
Frequently asked
Is the Euro pallet the same as a EUR 1 or a EPAL 1?
Those names refer to the same platform. EPAL 1 is the designation in the European Pallet Association's own product data sheet, which gives 800 × 1,200 mm and a 144 mm height.
Why does the height have a +7 / −0 mm tolerance?
That is how EPAL publishes it. The pallet is allowed to be up to 7 mm taller than the 144 mm nominal and not shorter than it. If you are working to a tight trailer or rack opening, the upper bound is the number that matters.
Can I use a Euro pallet for a U.S. LTL shipment?
You can, and freight that was palletized in Europe arrives on them. Two things to check: whether your receiver's equipment is set up for a metric footprint, and whether the pallet carries the ISPM 15 heat-treatment mark, which EPAL applies during production.
Data source verified: