48 x 45 pallets

Size

48 x 45 inches, or 1,219 x 1,143 millimeters

Deck area

2,160 square inches, which is 15 square feet, 12.5% more than a 48 x 40

Rank

7th in North American pallet production

Listed for

The automotive industry, alongside the 48 x 40 at auto plants and suppliers

Trailer, one layer

26 loaded straight, 28 loaded turned, on a 636 by 100 inch floor

Deck area is 48 times 45, which is 2,160 square inches, or 15 square feet. The 48 x 40 is 1,920, so the 48 x 45 has 240 more square inches of deck, which is 12.5%. That is the reason the size exists: a part with an awkward footprint, or a bin that is a little wider than 40 inches, sits properly on it.

Michigan ranks first in the nation for automotive manufacturing jobs, at six times the national average concentration. 98 of the top 100 automotive suppliers to North America have a presence in the state, and 65 are headquartered there. A supplier's pallet is often chosen by its customer's drawing, and for automotive the size table points to 48 x 45. The Detroit region produces 1.7 million vehicles a year, so the size is not an oddity here. It is one of the two on the floor.

A single supplier dock can receive both sizes on the same day. The dock may ship on one, or both. That mix is why a dock that wants to buy or sell by size should say 48 x 45 out loud. Many people hear "standard" and mean the 48 x 40. The comparison guide goes through racks, trailers and cells. In a trailer, the 48 x 45 loses to the 48 x 40 only when turned, 28 to 30.

The industries that use it sit across all three core counties: assembly and stamping in Warren and Sterling Heights, supplier headquarters in Troy, Auburn Hills and Southfield, engineering in Livonia and Dearborn, and wire harness and parts work in Canton. The area pages carry the local detail: Warren, Detroit, Troy, Auburn Hills.

• Buying. Say 48 x 45 by name and whether four-way entry matters. Grade B is common in this size and fine for most outbound parts. Used pallets.
• Selling. A stack of 48 x 45 in one grade has steady demand where parts move. A mixed stack with 48 x 40 should be split if you can. Sell used pallets.
• Heat treatment. If the parts go to Ontario, the current US exemption applies; check the lane. Heat-treated pallets.

A tier-one supplier may receive raw material on one size and ship finished parts on the 48 x 45, which means the dock never sees a single size. Pallets stack up in two columns at the end of each shift, and which column grows faster depends on the program. Counting each column separately, week by week, shows the pattern. After a month, a supplier can name the weekly count of each size, and that number is the strongest line in a request.

Racks, cells and fixtures built around a part often leave exactly the room a 48 x 45 needs. A pallet of any other size may sit crooked or not fit at all. When replacing pallets for such a cell, measure the cell opening, not just the old pallet, since the old pallet may have been a stretched fit.

Compare it with the 48 x 40 or see the trailer arithmetic before ordering a truckload.

When you send a request for this size, include the build. Most 48 x 45 pallets seen in supplier work are block builds or four-way stringer builds. State whether you need the stamp. If the pallets will be reused in a closed loop, say how many cycles you expect, since a pallet that will travel ten times needs to be sturdier than one that will travel once.

• Assuming a supplier's pallet is a 48 x 40 because it looks standard.
• Mixing the two sizes in a rack that was fitted for one.
• Ordering without confirming the entry type for the cell it will serve.
• Forgetting that the 48 x 45 loses its trailer advantage when turned.

Stock in this size tends to arrive from supplier docks rather than from general yards, so ask where a lot came from. A lot from a parts supplier has usually been handled gently and kept dry, while one from an outdoor yard may need sorting. If the pallets will cross into Canada, ask for heat-treated ones with a visible mark.