48 x 45 pallets for automotive parts

BOX 01A size built for parts

The extra five inches of width over a 48 x 40 suits crates and racks used for parts. It is the automotive size per Wikipedia, which ranks it seventh in North American production. That rank tells you supply is real but thin.

On an assumed 630 x 98 inch trailer interior, the better orientation puts 45 inches along the trailer and 48 across: 630 ÷ 45 gives 14 rows, 98 ÷ 48 gives 2 across, so 14 × 2 = 28 single stacked. Real loads vary with the trailer, the weight and the pattern.

BOX 02Memphis and the size

The metro is a freight and distribution center rather than an assembly one, so a 48 x 45 shows up where parts are distributed or where a supplier ships to an assembly plant elsewhere. If your dock handles auto parts you may see a mixed pile that includes this size next to 48 x 40s, which is a reason to say mixed in a sell request.

• A dock receiving auto parts may see 48 x 45 pallets from several suppliers.
• A supplier shipping out needs the size the customer's line expects.
• A buyer who can use either 48 x 45 or 48 x 40 gets more answers by saying so.

BOX 03Related

The size next to it is 48 x 48, heavier and square. The most common is 48 x 40. If you need a different footprint altogether, see custom pallets.

BOX 04Four-way entry and the automotive habit

The 48 x 45 footprint is tied to automotive parts and some returnable-container systems. It is usually a block or notched stringer pallet with four-way entry, since parts racks are filled from several sides.

A pile of these in a Memphis back lot is often part of a closed loop: the pallets belong to a program and are returned. If yours do, say so in the request, because a buyer may not be able to take them. Pallets with painted stencils or brand marks are the usual sign. Related types: four-way and block.

BOX 05Matching the rack

A rack designed for 48 x 45 pallets has a particular beam spacing. Putting a 48 x 40 pallet in it works, but a 48 x 48 does not. If your parts are packed to this footprint, check the rack drawing before you accept a substitute.

BOX 06Recognizing 48 x 45 by eye

A 48 x 45 pallet looks nearly square, wider than a 48 x 40 by five inches. It often has block construction and sometimes branded boards. If you see a stack of near-square block pallets with stenciled marks, measure one before assuming.

BOX 07Where the seventh-ranked size fits

Among the sizes in the Wikipedia table, the 48 x 45 ranks seventh, behind the 42 x 42 (second), the 48 x 48 (third) and the 48 x 42 (fifth). Fewer are made than those three.

Across a 98-inch trailer interior, two pallets with the 45-inch side across use 90 inches and leave 8; with the 48-inch side across they use 96 and leave 2. The 8 inches is not enough for a third pallet, but it is room for a strap or a load bar. The 102-inch outside width comes from FHWA.