Standard
Everything you need to know about the benchmark standard for pallets in Europe: history, specifications, identification, exchange and repair.
The European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) manages the largest open pallet pool in the world. Founded in 1991, it is responsible for certification, quality control and trademark management for more than 600 million pallets in circulation across Europe.
The open pool principle means that any compliant EPAL pallet can be exchanged anywhere in Europe on a one-for-one basis — you hand over a compliant EPAL pallet for every pallet you receive. The pool has no single owner: pallets circulate freely between shippers, carriers and receivers.
If you are used to closed rental pools, the difference matters: EPAL pallets are bought and owned outright, with no rental contract, no return obligation to an operator and no per-trip fee. That is what makes them the default currency of European road freight.
The 1200×800 mm format has its origins in UIC leaflet 435 of the International Union of Railways, created in 1961 to standardise transport bases for rail freight. The dimension was chosen because it fits precisely within the width of a European goods wagon.
In 1991, EPAL took over the management of this standard and put in place the licensing and quality-control system that has made it the trusted benchmark it is today. The current reference standard is EN 13698-1.
The EPAL 1 pallet (1200×800×144 mm) is built from 11 boards (5 top boards, 3 bottom boards, 3 stringer boards) and 9 solid wood blocks, assembled with 78 stamped nails each marked with two letters. Board thickness is 22 to 24 mm.
Permitted wood species are pine, fir, spruce and Douglas fir. Poplar is prohibited for the stringer boards (insufficient strength). The 4 corners are chamfered to make strapping and stretch-wrapping easier, and the edges of the bottom boards are bevelled on both sides.
Performance: 1,500 kg dynamic load (in motion on a forklift), 4,000 kg static load (on the ground), and a maximum of 5,500 kg in stacking on the bottom pallet of the stack.
Transport optimisation: 33 EPAL pallets per 13.6 m semi-trailer, 10 pallets per 20-foot container.
Four things to check to confirm a pallet's authenticity:
Branded EPAL logo — burnt into the left and right outer blocks on the 1200 mm side. The logo is an oval containing the letters “EPAL”.
IPPC marking — on the centre block, made up of the FAO wheat-ear logo, the country code (e.g. FR for France), the producer's registration number and the “HT” mention (heat treatment).
78 stamped nails — each nail carries two letters identifying the manufacturer.
EPAL control nail — present only on repaired pallets, it certifies that the repair was carried out by an EPAL-licensed repairer.
An EPAL pallet must not be accepted in exchange if it shows any of these defects:
A missing or broken board that makes the pallet unfit for use. A split block exposing more than one nail shank. Twisted blocks protruding more than 10 mm beyond the deck. A missing EPAL mark. Visible contamination (chemicals, mould). Foreign bodies (protruding nails, dangerous splinters).
In these cases, the pallet must go to an EPAL-licensed repair centre before it can re-enter the exchange pool.
DirectPAL supplies EPAL pallets in 1st grade (near-new condition), 2nd grade (light wear), machine grade (compatible with automated lines) and pharma grade (reinforced traceability) — sorted and checked lot by lot, delivered by full truckload across the EU. See our EPAL pallets →
EPAL also manages the EPAL 2 pallet (1200×1000×162 mm, 1,250 kg dynamic load, 17 boards), the EPAL 6 half-pallet (800×600×144 mm, 500 kg dynamic), and the EPAL CP pallets (CP1 to CP9) for the chemical industry. Half and quarter pallets → · CP pallets →
Official sources:
EPAL — European Pallet Association e.V. — the international body certifying and managing the EPAL pool.
EPAL Euro pallet — technical data sheet — technical regulations, quality classification and exchange conditions.