Sizes · 40 x 40

Sell 40 x 40 plastic pallets

A 40 x 40 lot is the sixth most produced pallet size in the US across all materials, with plastic availability not stated. Send the count, the grade, any marks and the ZIP, and the desk reads it against that footprint.

Last reviewed November 12, 2026

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40 x 40 in: plan view drawn to scale

40 x 40 at a glance

Footprint: 40 x 40 in (1016 mm square)
Rank: Sixth most produced pallet size in the US (all materials)

What a buyer reads in a 40 x 40 lot

A buyer reads a 40 x 40 lot cautiously. The size is common in the US across all materials, but nothing here shows how much of it is plastic, so a buyer will ask for a photo and a style before saying more. The lot sells when it is whole, unmarked and uniform.

A square 40 x 40 is easy to confuse with 40 x 48 turned on its side. Measure both sides before you count.

Who sells 40 x 40 pallets

Send this with a 40 x 40 lot

Photos from above and from the side
Style and any model mark
Count, by stack where the pallets nest
The ZIP and dock access

Put the footprint, the count and the ZIP into the pile sorter first. It rules the lot sold, returned or scrapped, then hands the same answers to the form below.

SOLD

40 x 40 pallets that are whole, flat and unmarked.

RETURN

40 x 40 pallets with a pool name, logo or RFID tag: the owner's, not yours.

SCRAP

40 x 40 pallets with cracked, burnt or crushed decks, by weight.

Do you take 40 x 40 plastic pallets?

Send the lot. The desk reads it like any other size: marks, grade, style, count and ZIP.

How do I tell 40 x 40 from 40 x 48?

Measure both sides of the deck. If one side is longer, it is a 40 x 48 turned, which is the GMA pallet.

Words you will meet

Nest ratio: How many empty pallets fit in the height of one.
Euro pallet: 800 x 1200 mm footprint.
Welding repair: Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
Recycled-content pallet: A pallet moulded partly or wholly from post-industrial or post-consumer resin.
Open deck: Top deck with gaps between slats or ribs; lighter and drains.
Closed deck: Solid top deck with no gaps; keeps small items from falling through.
Picture frame: A raised rim around the deck edge that keeps cartons from sliding off.
Lip: Raised edge on the deck, or an optional soft lip, that keeps the load in place.
Anti-slip: Textured deck or rubber grommets that reduce load slip.
4-way entry: Forks or a jack can enter from all four sides.
2-way entry: Forks enter from two opposite sides only.
Nest increment: How much height each extra nested pallet adds to a stack.
Rackable: Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
Fork pocket: Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
Heat treated (HT): ISPM 15 treatment for wood: core at 56 C for 30 minutes. Not needed for plastic.
Pooling: Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.

Who asks, and what they need

Pharmaceutical and healthcare shippers: Hygienic pallets that can be sanitised; documents on resin and colour; PP sometimes preferred for sterilisation.
Chemical and drum shippers: 48 x 48 and 45 x 45 pallets for drums and bags; chemical resistance.
Closed-loop and captive pallet users: Large uniform lots of one size and style; repair and replacement parts.

What the sources say

North American plastic pallets in the common sizes are about 5 to 6 in tall. (blog.containerexchanger.com)
Private warehousing and storage (NAICS 493) paid an average of $56,706 a year across 1,901,976 jobs in 2025 (BLS QCEW). (data.bls.gov)
Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. (en.wikipedia.org)
Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more, and can cost roughly 10 times as much as hardwood pallets. (en.wikipedia.org)
A 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood. (iccsafe.org)
HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. (nelsoncompany.com)
Advanced composite material pallets are 100 percent recycled polyolefins, cheaper with a shorter life, and suit export where the pallet is not returned. (nelsoncompany.com)
HDPE has resin identification code 2, a density of 930 to 970 kg/m3, melts at 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded. (en.wikipedia.org)
Greystone Logistics processed about 60 million pounds of recycled plastic in the year ended May 31, 2024, using damaged plastic pallets from a buy-back program among its feedstock. (resource-recycling.com)
In April 2017, HDPE HMW regrind from drums and IBCs was 24 to 27 cents per pound picked up in the US South (historical, not current). (resource-recycling.com)
Counties with the most private warehousing and storage jobs (NAICS 493) in 2025, BLS QCEW: San Bernardino County, California (67,058), Riverside County, California (51,310), Dallas County, Texas (44,657), Maricopa County, Arizona (42,291), San Joaquin County, California (28,518), Clark County, Nevada (28,250), Middlesex County, New Jersey (26,309), Will County, Illinois (25,357). (data.bls.gov)
Refrigerated warehouse facility counts on October 1, 2025 (USDA NASS): California 106, Wisconsin 94, Georgia 62, Texas 56, Washington 52, Florida 50, Pennsylvania 38. (esmis.nal.usda.gov)
Pennsylvania had 228 million cubic feet and New Jersey 137 million of gross refrigerated warehouse space on October 1, 2025 (USDA NASS). (esmis.nal.usda.gov)
Port Houston's public terminals handled 4,303,345 TEUs in 2025 (up 4 percent, a record) and 54,491,066 short tons of cargo; the Houston Ship Channel is described as the nation's largest port for waterborne tonnage, with more than 200 private and eight public terminals. (porthouston.com)
Georgia Ports Authority moved 5.7 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), up 8.6 percent or 450,000 TEUs, the Port of Savannah's second-busiest year after 5.76 million in FY2022. (container-news.com)
The Port of New York and New Jersey was the nation's second-busiest port for loaded containers in 2025, per the Port Authority's full-year volume release as reported by Air Freight News. (airfreight.news)

Wikipedia: Pallet

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Size, count, grade, branding and ZIP. Photos help, and you can reply to the first answer with them. This site states no price or pickup date.