The current pallet standard in Russia and several CIS countries is GOST 33757-2016 "Flat wooden pallets. Specifications", which took effect in Russia on 1 May 2017 and replaced the Soviet-era GOST 9078-84 and GOST 9557-87. It keeps the familiar 1200 × 800 mm and 1200 × 1000 mm footprints plus two large formats (1200 × 1600 and 1200 × 1800 mm), and defines types, tolerances, timber quality, fasteners and marking.
From GOST 9078-84 to GOST 33757-2016
GOST stands for gosudarstvenny standart (state standard). Since the break-up of the USSR, "GOST" documents with the interstate prefix are adopted through the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (EASC), and each member country decides whether to put them into force nationally.
For more than three decades the core document for flat pallets was GOST 9078-84 "Flat pallets. General specifications". Introduced by the USSR State Committee for Standards from 1 January 1986, it replaced three older standards (GOST 9078-74, GOST 19812-74 and GOST 9495-75). Unlike its successor, it was material-neutral: it covered pallets of wood, steel, light alloys, synthetic materials and combinations. A companion standard, GOST 9557-87, described the wooden 800 × 1200 mm pallet that in practice mirrored the European exchange pallet.
The interstate standard GOST 33757-2016 was approved by EASC on 27 July 2016, with Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan voting for adoption. Rosstandart Order No. 1386-st of 12 October 2016 brought it into force in Russia on 1 May 2017, and on that date both GOST 9078-84 and GOST 9557-87 lost force in Russia. Armenia registered the standard nationally with effect from 1 December 2018. Other countries apply it according to their own national adoption decisions, so it is worth checking the national standards catalogue of the destination country.
A separate standard, GOST 33759-2016, introduced at the same time, covers reusable polymer (plastic) pallets. Metal and other non-wood pallets therefore no longer fall under a single "flat pallet" document as they did under GOST 9078-84.
| Standard | Title (translated) | Status in Russia | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOST 9078-84 | Flat pallets. General specifications | Withdrawn 1 May 2017 | Flat pallets of any material |
| GOST 9557-87 | Flat wooden pallet 800 × 1200 mm | Withdrawn 1 May 2017 | EUR-type wooden pallet |
| GOST 33757-2016 | Flat wooden pallets. Specifications | In force since 1 May 2017 | Wooden flat pallets, all GOST types |
| GOST 33759-2016 | Polymer reusable pallets. General specifications | In force since 1 May 2017 | Plastic pallets |
Pallet types and designations
GOST uses compact Cyrillic codes. "П" (P) means poddon (pallet), a leading "2" means a two-deck (double-faced) pallet, the trailing digit gives the number of entry sides, "О" indicates openings in the bottom deck and "В" indicates protruding (wing) top deck boards.
| Code | Meaning | Typical footprint |
|---|---|---|
| П2 | Single-deck, two-way entry | 800 × 1200, 1000 × 1200 mm |
| П4 | Single-deck, four-way entry | 800 × 1200, 1000 × 1200 mm |
| 2П2 | Two-deck, two-way entry | 800 × 1200, 1000 × 1200 mm |
| 2П4 | Two-deck, four-way entry | 800 × 1200, 1000 × 1200 mm |
| 2ПО4 | Two-deck, four-way, openings in bottom deck | 800 × 1200, 1000 × 1200 mm |
| 2ПВ2 | Two-deck, two-way, with wings | 1200 × 1600, 1200 × 1800 mm |
The 2ПО4 in 800 × 1200 mm is structurally the closest to the EUR/EPAL 1 Euro pallet: nine blocks, a perimeter bottom deck with openings for hand pallet trucks and full four-way fork entry. Openings in the bottom deck matter because a hand pallet truck's load wheels must drop to the floor, a point covered in detail in the guide to two-way and four-way pallets.
Dimensions, loads and material requirements
GOST 33757-2016 fixes pallet lengths of 1200, 1600 and 1800 mm, widths of 800, 1000 and 1200 mm and nominal heights of 100, 150 or 180 mm depending on type. The maximum permitted deviation on overall dimensions is ±5 mm.
Load ratings follow the logic of the older GOST 9078-84, which expressed them as maximum gross mass (pallet plus load): roughly 1.0 to 1.25 t for the smaller 800 × 1200 and 1000 × 1200 mm types and up to 3.2 t for the large winged formats. GOST 9078-84 also specified test loads of 10.0, 12.5, 20.0 or 32.0 kN that a pallet had to carry without permanent deformation. These are working gross masses for handling, not the static stacking values quoted for EPAL pallets, so the two figures should not be compared directly; the guide to static, dynamic and racking loads explains the difference.
Key material rules in the 2016 standard:
- Timber: softwood or hardwood of at least grade 2 under the Russian sawn-timber standards (GOST 8486 for softwood, GOST 2695 for hardwood).
- Moisture content: maximum 22% at delivery, a limit chosen to reduce mould and shrinkage.
- Fasteners: nails roughly 2.8 to 4.2 mm in diameter and 40 to 90 mm long, with ring-shank or similarly deformed nails specified for strong joints.
- Marking: applied by branding or embossing, showing at least the manufacturer, country, pallet type, mass, date of manufacture and the standard designation.
Pallets for specific products (bricks under GOST 18343-80, for example) have their own standards and are outside the scope of the general flat-pallet documents.
The 1200 × 1000 mm "Finnish" format
Alongside the 1200 × 800 mm pallet, the 1000 × 1200 mm footprint is widespread in Russia, Finland and the Baltic states. In the region it is often called the "Finnish pallet" (FIN pallet), a block-type design long used in Nordic trade and in Russian industry for building materials, beverages and chemicals.
The 1000 × 1200 mm size is one of the six sizes in ISO 6780 and is the same footprint as the EPAL 2 pallet, although FIN and GOST pallets are built to their own specifications and are not part of the EPAL exchange pool. For containers, rack beam spacing and trucks, they behave like any other 1200 × 1000 mm industrial pallet.
EPAL, sanctions and the post-2022 market
Before 2022, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine were significant producers of EPAL Euro pallets and pallet timber for the EU market. In March 2022 EPAL publicly supported the EU sanctions packages and warned that wood imports from Russia and Belarus would no longer be available to EU pallet producers, while many Ukrainian pallet plants had stopped working because of the war. The resulting supply gap contributed to the European pallet shortage of 2022.
Inside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan), domestic supply chains rely on GOST pallets, pallets certified by national industry associations, and EUR-type pallets built to GOST 33757 dimensions. Russian retail chains frequently publish their own acceptance criteria (size, condition, marking, moisture) that suppliers must meet in addition to the standard. Buyers should not assume that an "EUR-type" pallet produced in the region carries a valid EPAL licence; only pallets with genuine EPAL marks belong to the open exchange pool.
ISPM 15 and phytosanitary rules in the EAEU
GOST 33757-2016 is a product standard; it does not replace phytosanitary rules. For international shipments, wood packaging must meet Russia's and the EAEU's quarantine requirements, which are based on ISPM 15. The EAEU's Uniform Quarantine Phytosanitary Requirements, adopted by Decision No. 157 of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission on 30 November 2016, set out the accepted marks confirming heat treatment through the full thickness of the wood or fumigation.
On 9 September 2026 the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission adopted Decision No. 102, under which wooden packaging and dunnage bearing a mark in the format set out in Decision No. 157 no longer requires a phytosanitary certificate. The decision enters into force on 28 October 2026. Unmarked wood packaging remains subject to phytosanitary control.
Practical points for exporters and importers:
- Pallets used for export from Russia or the EAEU need an ISPM 15 mark from an approved producer, regardless of GOST compliance.
- Pallets entering the EAEU should carry a legible ISPM 15 mark on two opposite sides.
- Domestic pallets made to GOST 33757 without heat treatment are fine for internal logistics but not for cross-border trade.
Frequently asked questions
Is GOST 9078-84 still valid?
No, not in Russia. It lost force on 1 May 2017 by Rosstandart Order No. 1386-st and was replaced, for wooden pallets, by GOST 33757-2016. Older contracts and documents still cite it, so suppliers often reference both.
Is a GOST 2ПО4 pallet the same as a Euro pallet?
It has the same 1200 × 800 mm footprint and a similar nine-block, four-way design, but it is built to the GOST specification and does not carry EPAL marks. It cannot be swapped in the EPAL open exchange pool.
Which pallet sizes are most common in Russia?
The 1200 × 800 mm and 1200 × 1000 mm footprints dominate. Larger 1200 × 1600 and 1200 × 1800 mm winged pallets are used for bulky industrial goods.
Do GOST pallets need ISPM 15 treatment?
Only when they cross borders. GOST 33757-2016 covers construction and quality; ISPM 15 heat treatment and marking are required for international shipments.
Sources
- GOST 9078-84 Flat pallets. General specifications (status and text) — Meganorm
- GOST 33757-2016 Flat wooden pallets. Specifications — Meganorm
- GOST 33757-2016 catalogue entry — National Institute of Standards of Armenia
- EPAL: War in Ukraine impacts the pallet market — EPAL
- EEC Council Decision No. 102 of 9 September 2026 on marked wood packaging — PPT.ru