A euro pallet measures 1200 by 800 millimetres and is the European Union standard. The industrial pallet common in the United Kingdom measures 1200 by 1000 millimetres. The deeper pallet takes more trailer space, so the same number of units on industrial pallets occupies noticeably more loading metres.
Where the two standards came from
The 1200 by 800 millimetre pallet began as a rail standard and spread across continental Europe, largely because three of them fit neatly across a trailer. The United Kingdom built its warehousing around the 1200 by 1000 millimetre pallet, which suits larger outer cases and different racking pitches. Brexit changed nothing here, so on the Poland to UK lane both formats meet on the same vehicle.
How much space each pallet takes
- Euro pallet 1200 by 800 mm: three across the trailer width, roughly 0.4 LDM each.
- Industrial pallet 1200 by 1000 mm: two across the width, roughly 0.5 LDM each.
- A pallet turned sideways or carrying overhanging cartons counts by the footprint it actually occupies, not by its nominal size.
- A pallet that may not be stacked blocks the space above it and is charged accordingly.
The arithmetic and worked examples for a full trailer are in our article on how many pallets fit and how to count LDM.
Pallet exchange and the EPAL system
Euro pallets in the EPAL system are exchangeable: the receiver returns the same number of pallets of comparable quality. On the UK lane that loop works poorly in practice, because the other side runs a different format and a different working culture around pallets. So for shipments to the islands we settle in advance whether the pallet is returnable or one-way and priced into the goods. The standard itself is covered in the EPAL euro pallet, dimensions and exchange.
Receiver requirements often settle the choice
UK retailers and warehouse operators publish their own specifications: maximum height, wrapping method, pallet condition, four-way entry. A pallet that is technically sound but does not match that specification gets rejected at goods-in. We have collected the requirements in UK retail pallet requirements and Amazon UK pallet requirements. Before a first shipment to a new receiver it is worth simply reading them.
Timber heading to the islands has its own rules
Whatever the format, wooden packaging entering the United Kingdom has to meet phytosanitary requirements: treatment and marking under the international standard for wood packaging material. An unmarked pallet can be stopped at the border, and the cost of that delay far exceeds the price of a correct pallet. We cover it in ISPM 15 and wooden pallets to the UK.
Which pallet to choose in practice
The rule is simple. If the receiver does not dictate a format, the euro pallet is cheaper to move because it occupies fewer loading metres. If the receiver works on industrial pallets, re-stacking the goods on the far side costs more than the difference in space. Where the format has to change once the goods are in the UK, we do it at our own warehouse in Milton Keynes: layers transferred, re-wrapped and sent on to the receiver specification. Non-standard loads are calculated case by case, because overhang and unusual height move the figure more than the pallet format does.
Other load carriers and the hidden cost of returns
Beyond the two main formats there are plastic pallets, one-way pallets in low-grade timber, quarter and half pallets used in retail display, and metal cages and containers used in automotive. Each brings different consequences: plastic falls outside phytosanitary requirements but costs more and usually has to come back; non-standard display carriers have to be agreed with the receiver, because a warehouse will not accept something absent from its specification. The biggest trap is the return leg: returnable carriers have to be physically collected from the United Kingdom, and that is a separate movement somebody has to plan and pay for. In practice it is combined with a return load so the vehicle does not run empty. The returnable packaging loop in automotive is covered in returnable packaging, and the mechanics of backhauls in return loads from the UK.
Sources
Not sure how much space your consignment takes or which pallet suits a given receiver? Send dimensions and weights through our quote form and we will calculate the loading metres and advise on format. How groupage works is on our groupage LTL page.
