Standard Pallet Sizes for India and Export Markets

Published 26 October 2026 · By Ranjeet Kumar, Proprietor, Solution Enterprises

Short answer: the most common pallet in Indian warehouses and general export is 1200 × 1000 mm. Europe works mainly on 1200 × 800 mm (the EUR pallet), North America on 1219 × 1016 mm (48 × 40 inches), and Japan and Korea on 1100 × 1100 mm. ISO 6780 recognises six footprints in all. Choose the one your consignee’s racking and trucks are built for, then check how it fits the container.

The six ISO footprints and container fit

The container counts below are our own arithmetic, for a single layer, using published inside dimensions of a standard box: 5,900 × 2,352 mm for a 20 ft and 12,032 × 2,352 mm for a 40 ft. They assume the load does not overhang the pallet.

Footprint (mm)	Mainly used in	20 ft	40 ft
1200 × 1000	India, Europe, Asia	9	21–22
1200 × 800	Europe (EUR)	11	24–25
1219 × 1016	North America	9	20
1100 × 1100	Japan, Korea, Asia	10	20
1067 × 1067	N. America, Europe, Asia	10	22
1165 × 1165	Australia	10	20

Why our 20 ft figure for 1200 × 1000 is 9, not 10

Many lists say a 20 ft container takes 10 pallets of 1200 × 1000 mm. Check the geometry. The container is 2,352 mm wide, so two pallets side by side must both have their 1000 mm side across (2,000 mm), or one of each way (2,200 mm). Two 1200 mm sides across would need 2,400 mm, which does not fit.

• Two lanes, both 1200 mm long: 5,900 ÷ 1,200 = 4 per lane, 8 in total, plus one more turned crosswise in the leftover length = 9.
• One lane each way: 4 (1,200 mm long) + 5 (1,000 mm long) = 9.

Ten would need five rows of 1,200 mm, which is 6,000 mm of floor. A standard 20 ft box does not have it. Use the container load calculator with your own footprint, and measure before you promise a buyer a quantity.

Several 40 ft figures are tight too. Twelve pallets of 1,000 mm, or fifteen of 800 mm, leave only 32 mm of length to spare, and the 1165 mm square needs 2,330 of the 2,352 mm width. Stretch film, bulging cartons and a slightly smaller box can cost a position. That is why the table shows ranges.

What India uses

Indian warehouses, third-party logistics operators and most general export run on 1200 × 1000 mm, in timber, plastic and paper. We could not find an Indian standard that makes any single footprint compulsory, so treat claims of a mandated “national size” with care. In practice the pallet is set by your own racking for inbound goods and by the consignee for outbound ones.

Domestic road freight adds one more limit. Indian trucks vary widely in body width and height, and an open-body truck is limited by its sides and tarpaulin rather than by any standard. If a load moves by road before it reaches the port, check the truck as well as the container.

Choosing by destination

• Europe. 1200 × 800 mm is the default for retail and road distribution; 1200 × 1000 mm is also widely used in industry. A German buyer will usually tell you which; see our Germany export page.
• United Kingdom. Both 1200 × 1000 mm and 1200 × 800 mm are common. Ask the receiving warehouse.
• USA and Canada. 48 × 40 inches (1219 × 1016 mm) is the norm. A metric pallet can be accepted but may not suit a buyer’s racks; our USA export page covers the market.
• Gulf. Buyers receive goods from many origins and work with several sizes. Confirm with the consignee rather than assume.
• Japan and Korea. 1100 × 1100 mm is the national standard size in both.
• Australia. 1165 × 1165 mm is the local standard, but it fits ISO containers poorly.

Height counts as much as footprint

A container’s door opening is lower than its inside height (about 2,395 mm on a standard box), so take the door figure from your carrier’s equipment sheet. Your unit load, pallet included, has to pass the door on a forklift with some clearance. If you plan to double-stack, two units together must stay under the inside height with room to spare, and the lower unit must carry the upper one. The packing steps are in how to pack pallets for sea freight containers.

Where a paper pallet changes the choice

A timber or moulded plastic pallet comes in set sizes. A paper pallet can be made to any footprint, so it can match your carton pattern exactly or use a container more fully. That freedom helps only if the consignee does not need to put the pallet into standard racking. If they do, stay with their footprint and use the flexibility on height instead. We make honeycomb paper pallets in standard and custom sizes; send your footprint and load through the quote form.

Before you fix a footprint

1. Ask the consignee which pallet their racking, trucks and conveyors take.
2. Draw your carton pattern on that footprint, with no overhang.
3. Count container positions from the inside dimensions, not from a generic list.
4. Set a maximum unit height that clears the container door.
5. Decide whether double-stacking is allowed and check the bottom unit can carry it.

Common questions

Is 1200 × 1000 mm a Euro pallet?

The standard EUR pallet is 1200 × 800 mm. The 1200 × 1000 mm footprint is shared by the EUR 2 and EUR 3 types and is often called the industrial or ISO pallet.

Can I mix pallet sizes in one container?

You can, but mixed sizes leave gaps that need filling and make the load plan harder. Keep one footprint per container where possible.

Does a high cube container take more pallets?

Not on the floor — it has the same length and width. The extra height helps only if you can stack.

Sources

• ISO 6780, Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling — principal dimensions and tolerances (footprints as tabulated by the Logistics Cluster, Standard Pallet Specifications, and by Wikipedia, Pallet).
• Hapag-Lloyd, 20′ Standard and 40′ Standard container specifications (inside and door dimensions).
• Wikipedia, Pallet — EUR pallet types and the Australian standard pallet.
• Universal Pallet Supply, International Pallet Sizes & Standards (Japan and Korea 1100 × 1100 mm).

Last verified: 26 October 2026. Container counts are our own single-layer arithmetic from published inside dimensions; actual containers vary by maker. Measure, or ask your forwarder, before committing a quantity.