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Pallet stacking guide for Mexico: pallet sizes, weight and maximum stack height

What to settle before you design a pattern, buy a rack or order a palletizer.

The most used pallet sizes are 1,200 x 1,000 mm and 48 x 40 inches (GS1, 2026), and we could not locate a Mexican standard that sets a single one. Each employer sets the maximum stack height: NOM-006-STPS-2023, Mexico's federal standard on material handling and storage, requires setting it according to the strength and shape of the load (DOF, Mexico's official gazette, March 7, 2024). A guide from Target Robotics, a palletizer manufacturer.

120 100
120 x 100 cm pallet with 10 cases of 40 x 30 cm. Dimensions in centimeters.

Pallet sizes

SizeIn mmWhat is knownCases of 40 x 30 cm per layer
1.20 x 1.00 m1,200 x 1,000Listed as ISO 6780 by GS1. Common according to FAO10
48 x 40 inches1,219 x 1,016GS1 describes it as used mainly in the Americas10
1.20 x 0.80 m1,200 x 800The European size8
1.10 x 1.10 m1,100 x 1,100More common in Asia9

GS1, T2244 list of pallet types (2026), and FAO, chapter 5 of Packaging for fruits, vegetables and root crops. Neither is a Mexican source: ask your customer for the size in writing. Calculate with your case and your pallet.

What is the maximum stack height?

NOM-006-STPS-2023 requires setting it according to the strength, shape and dimensions of the load and how it is placed, and it gives no figure.

Section 9.4(b). It also requires marking that height, putting the heaviest items on the bottom, unstacking from the top and keeping materials from leaning against walls. In practice, pallet height is set by whatever you run out of first: your case's compression strength, the weight your rack can hold, the inside of your trailer or the reach of your machine.

With a usable height of 1.65 m, a 33 cm case gives 5 layers and a 34 cm case gives 4: one centimeter takes away 20% of the load (Target Robotics calculation).

How much does a loaded pallet weigh?

Empty pallet + (pieces per layer × layers × weight per piece)

Example: 5 bags per layer, 10 layers, 25 kg each: 1,250 kg of load, plus the pallet. Weigh yours: it varies with the wood and the moisture. Then check it against three limits: the pallet, your rack and your forklift or AGV.

How to stack correctly

Case patterns
Bags and sacks
How to stretch wrap

  1. No overhang

    Keep the load flush with the pallet edge. Virginia Tech measured a 0% to 40% loss of case compression strength from overhang, depending on how far it sticks out (2024).

  2. Interlocked layers

    The next layer goes reversed or rotated so the seams do not line up. If the case is weak, use a column stack with slip sheets.

  3. Heaviest on the bottom

    And the strongest. NOM-006-STPS-2023 requires it.

  4. Secure the load

    With stretch film, strapping or adhesive, depending on the trip. A column stack takes more stretch film than an interlocked pattern.

  5. By hand, within the standard

    25 kg for men and 20 kg for women aged 18 to 45, under NOM-036, Mexico's federal standard on manual handling. What NOM-036 requires.

Questions about pallets

What is the maximum stack height in Mexico?
Mexican regulations set no single figure for maximum stack height. NOM-006-STPS-2023 requires the employer to set it based on the mechanical strength, shape and dimensions of materials and packaging, and on how they are placed (section 9.4(b)), and also to mark that height and put the heaviest items on the bottom.
What size is a standard wood pallet?
The two most used sizes are 1,200 x 1,000 mm, which GS1 lists as ISO 6780, and 1,219 x 1,016 mm (48 x 40 inches), which GS1 describes as used mainly in the Americas. We could not locate a Mexican standard, mandatory (NOM) or voluntary (NMX), that sets a single size in Mexico.
How much does a pallet weigh?
It depends on the wood, the moisture and the design: weigh yours. For a loaded pallet, add the empty pallet weight to pieces per layer times layers times the weight of each piece.
How do you stack a pallet correctly?
Heaviest items on the bottom, interlocked layers that tie together, the load flush with the edge, nothing leaning against walls, and always unstack from the top. NOM-006-STPS-2023 also requires marking the maximum height.
What pallet types and sizes are there?
There are wood, plastic and metal pallets, with two-way or four-way entry, in sizes such as 1.20 x 1.00 m, 48 x 40 inches, 1.20 x 0.80 m and 1.10 x 1.10 m. Your customer, your rack and your transport define the right size.

Send your pattern and speed. We reply with a version and a price range.

Delivered in 12 weeks. Public price reference: US$120,000 (CSi) to US$550,000 (Kaufman), as of November 3, 2026.

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  1. 1What you palletize
  2. 2At what speed
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  4. 4Your pallet
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  6. 6Space and city