When warehouse cages are used on pallets, the core is matching the external cage dimensions to the pallet size; a few millimeters off can cause unstable seating or an uneven forklift lift. The most common pallets in China are the 1200×1000mm three-runner base and the 1100×1100mm nine-block base, and the cage external dimensions should be designed around these two benchmarks.
For a 1200×1000mm pallet, the ideal cage has a 1200mm long side and a 1000mm short side: one cage per pallet fills it exactly, and the forklift can enter from any of the four sides stably. If the cage exceeds the pallet by more than 20mm, the edges overhang and the stacked unit tips easily.
For a square 1100×1100mm pallet, making the cage 1100×1100mm externally is the neatest fit. Square pallets are orientation-insensitive on racking and suit narrow-aisle automated warehouses, but a square cage uses its internal space slightly less efficiently than a rectangular one—watch out when loading long materials.
There is also a side-by-side pallet plan: two small cages on one large pallet. For example, two 600×1000mm cages sit side by side on a 1200×1000mm pallet, making the cages lighter and handling more agile—but confirm that both cages' stacking feet touch the pallet at the same time, with none hanging in the air.
When selecting cages, first confirm your existing pallet size and forklift model, then set the cage's external dimensions—not the other way around. Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. works backward from the customer's pallet and rack-beam dimensions to derive cage specs, ensuring a three-way match for truck loading, racking and stacking.