Sam’s Club Pallet Requirements


Sam’s Club is a membership-only big-box warehouse store that is owned by Walmart and depends on Walmart’s logistics and distribution centers for much of its supply chain. As a result, Sam’s Club pallet requirements are essentially the same as Walmart pallet requirements

Sam's Club shopper in isle - for iGPS Sam's Club Pallet Requirements page

Sam’s Club General Pallet Criteria

Walmart, and by extension Sam’s Club, prefers grade-A flush, non-reversible, 4-way, 40-by-48-inch Consumer Brands Association (CBA) pallets or 20-by-48-inch half pallets. The pallets should be made of wood that is free of knots, in sound condition, and clean sawn. Additional pallet criteria can be found below but vendors are still encouraged to confirm this information directly with Sam’ Club to ensure the most up to date information.

  • Have a minimum of 7 top boards.
  • Have a minimum of 5 bottom boards
  • Have a minimum of 3 stringers.
  • No greater than 4 inches of spacing between deck boards.

Each pallet must also meet the following pallet requirements for Sam’s Club:

  1. A pallet must be free of missing or broken boards from its top or bottom deck.
  2. Stringers must be free of patches. Metal plates or additional boards on stringers are unacceptable.
  3. Stringers must not be broken, or excessively cracked. Cracks that are longer than a single inch and visible from three sides are unacceptable. Cracks from aging that do not go through the board and are not visible from three sides can be accepted.
  4. Pallets should be clean, free of stains, and without odors.
  5. Cracked top or bottom boards with cracks wider than ⅛-inch and 15 inches or longer in length are unacceptable.
  6. A pallet must not have splinters that are longer than three inches.
  7. No tapered breaks deeper than an inch along a ten-inch or longer run.
  8. All nails must be flush with the surface of the board or countersunk.
  9. Partial footings where ¼-inch of a stringer board’s width or length directly connecting a bottom board is missing, or nail shanks are exposed are unacceptable.
  10. Stapling or gluing PDQ displays to the pallets is expressly not allowed.

These Sam’s Club pallet requirements are specific to single-use wood stringer pallets. Sam’s Club parent company Walmart also allows the use of wood block pallets or pallets made of alternative materials like plastic with previous approval. If Sam’s Club suppliers do not wish to provide their own pallets they may rent acceptable pallets from approved pallet pooling companies iGPS, CHEP, or PECO.

Pallet pooling programs take responsibility for procuring and maintaining a supply of pallets for vendors of any size. The pallets provided by pallet pooling companies tend to be sturdier than stringer pallets, helping to prevent product damage as well as equipment damage and employee injury. One particular alternative pallet material stands above the rest when it comes to maximizing these advantages.


iGPS pallets loaded with grocery store goods loading onto a forklift

How Plastic Pallets Meet Sam’s Club Requirements

Resilient plastic rental pallets from iGPS eliminate splinters and debris in warehouses and distribution centers. Non-absorbent HDPE plastic reduces the potential for cross-contamination or product damage in the supply chain. iGPS pallets offer the following features:


Unitized ConstructioniGPS pallets have a fastener-free construction that prevents nails and screws from damaging products or coming loose and reducing pallet integrity.
High Load CapacitySam’s Club expects stringer pallets to support 2,100 pounds and block pallets to support 2,800 pounds. The iGPS plastic pallet can support 5,000 pounds of dynamic load.
Greater SustainabilityPlastic pallets are made from fully recyclable materials and boast cradle-to-cradle recyclability. This helps preserve forests and keeps plastic in use and out of the environment.
Track and TraceiGPS plastic pallets support GS1 tracking through both barcodes and embedded RFID chips, allowing the movement of pallet loads to be easily tracked and recorded.
Lightweight ConstructionSam’s Club parent company Walmart has pledged to cut a gigaton of emissions over the next decade. iGPS plastic pallets weighing around 50 pounds, reducing wear and tear on equipment and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
HygieniciGPS plastic pallets can be easily cleaned and don’t easily mold or mildew like wood pallets do. Plastic pallets can even be sanitized for specialized hygienic use.

Plastic pallets are simply stronger, cleaner, and more sustainable than wood stringer or block pallets. Heavy-duty plastic pallets from iGPS easily meet Sam’s Club pallet requirements as well as the pallet guidelines specified by parent company Walmart.