48 x 42 pallets for chemical and beverage loads

BOX 01The in-between size

Two inches wider than 48 x 40 and six narrower than 48 x 48, the 48 x 42 is the size that fits product which does not quite fit the standard. Wikipedia ranks it fifth in North American production, after the GMA size and others, and lists it for chemical and beverage use.

On an assumed 630 x 98 inch trailer interior, the better orientation puts 42 inches along the trailer and 48 across: 630 ÷ 42 gives 15 rows, 98 ÷ 48 gives 2 across, so 15 × 2 = 30 single stacked. Real loads vary with the trailer, the weight and the pattern.

BOX 02Who in the Mid-South

The chemical tenants on Presidents Island and beverage distributors in the Southeast Memphis warehouse belt are the likely users. A 48 x 42 in a mixed pile is easy to miss, because it looks like a 48 x 40 until a tape measure is out, so a seller who counts them separately gets a clearer request.

In a sell request, name the size: pallet buyers who need exactly this footprint are rare enough to be worth finding, and buyers who do not need it will skip your pile unless it says so.

BOX 03Nearby sizes

The beverage cousin is 42 x 42; the heavy cousin is 48 x 48; the common one is 48 x 40. If none fits, ask for a custom size.

BOX 04A size that hides in a mixed pile

At 14 square feet, a 48 x 42 pallet sits between the two common footprints and is easy to mistake for either. Pull one out of a stack and measure the short side: 42 inches, not 40 and not 45.

The size appears in chemical and beverage freight where a producer chose it to fit a particular case pattern. A buyer for standard 48 x 40 stock will usually take a few of them if the load is otherwise clean, but not hundreds. Count them apart and name the number. The mixed loads page shows how a buyer reads a pile with several sizes in it.

BOX 05Ordering this size

If you need a stock of 48 x 42 pallets, expect to ask for them by name. They are less common than 48 x 40 and 48 x 48, and a general pallet buyer may not have any. A custom order is a possible route; see custom pallets.

BOX 06Why 42 inches

A pallet width of 42 inches arises when a case pattern needs it. For a producer that packs a certain bottle or can, 42 inches may fit the layer exactly where 40 would leave a gap. The width is therefore a packaging decision, not a convention.

BOX 07A count worth making

In a mixed pile, count the 48 x 42 pallets before sending a request, even if there are only a few. A buyer who stocks the size will want to know, and a buyer who does not will want to set them aside.