Table of Contents
- Why pay close attention to hand pallet truck dimensions?
- Dimensions of the standard low-lift pallet truck for warehouses
- Special hand pallet truck options for non-standard pallets
- Dimensions of the high-lift hand truck and the frame height to watch
- A practical guide to matching truck size to pallets
- Frequently asked questions about hand pallet truck dimensions
- Advice on choosing hand pallet truck dimensions
- References
Reviewed and updated by ICD - Week 43/2026
Xilin low-lift pallet trucks come with two fork lengths, 1,150 and 1,220 mm, an overall fork width of 520, 550 or 680-685 mm, and forks 150 mm wide each; the forks lower to 75-88 mm and lift to 185-205 mm depending on the series. Pick the overall width from the pallet’s fork openings and the fork length from the pallet depth. Aisles need to be at least about 1.72-1.81 m wide, according to Xilin’s specification table.
Summary of the main points:
The dimensions of a Xilin pallet truck are the specifications that decide whether it fits your pallets and your warehouse aisles.
This guide looks at the two standard fork options, narrow (550 mm) and wide (685 mm), and also covers the special versions: ultra-low trucks, extra-long forks, short forks and hydraulic high-lift hand trucks.
ICD Vietnam shares its experience of measuring real pallets so that businesses choose the right equipment, avoid wasted investment and keep operations as safe as possible. All figures below come from the Xilin (Ningbo Ruyi Group) specification table and the product pages of the models ICD Vietnam distributes.
Why pay close attention to hand pallet truck dimensions?
Because the wrong size makes the truck unusable even when the load rating is enough. In warehouse management, knowing the specifications of a hand pallet truck not only streamlines work but is also a leading factor in workplace safety.
If you choose the wrong size, the truck will not slide under the pallet, or the forks will be too wide for the center block of the pallet. A truck with the wrong fork length can even make it impossible to maneuver inside a container or a narrow aisle.
The most important dimensions to measure before you buy or ask for a quote are: the overall fork width, the fork length, the lowest fork height, and the frame height with the forks fully raised (for high-lift hand trucks). Getting this right from the start lets the truck do its job, reduces pallet damage and protects the hydraulic ram from overload caused by off-center loads.
Dimensions of the standard low-lift pallet truck for warehouses
The low-lift pallet truck has two main fork options, narrow at 550 mm and wide at 685 mm, with a length of 1,150 or 1,220 mm. The low-lift pallet truck, also called a hand pump truck, is the most common machine for moving goods. In Vietnam it is split into two standard fork widths based on the sizes of current plastic and wooden pallets.
Dimensions of the narrow-fork hand pallet truck
Narrow-fork trucks usually have an overall width of 550 mm and a fork length of 1,150 mm. With Xilin each fork is 150 mm wide, so the inner gap between the forks is 550 minus 2 x 150, about 250 mm; the 520 mm overall width of the DF-III and DB leaves about 220 mm.
This size is designed for small pallets under one meter or pallets with narrow openings, and works well in warehouses with narrow aisles. A narrow-fork truck is agile when loading inside a truck body or container, where room to turn is limited.
Dimensions of the wide-fork hand pallet truck
This size is widely used for the 2.5-tonne, 3-tonne and 5-tonne trucks. The overall fork width is 685 mm and the fork length is usually 1,220 mm. By the same calculation, the inner gap between the forks of this version is about 380-385 mm (overall 680-685 mm minus two forks of 150 mm).
This size suits many export pallets and single-face plastic pallets of 1,100 x 1,100 mm, 1,200 x 1,000 mm and larger, as long as the openings are wide enough. With the forks further apart, the truck supports the pallet more firmly and wobbles less when moving bulky loads or loads up to 3,000 kg; the WB series goes up to 5,000 kg.
Dimension table for Xilin low-lift pallet trucks
Other common specifications: steering wheel diameter 180 mm on the BF-III and DF-III and 200 mm on the WB; load wheels under the fork tips are smaller, about 70-85 mm, single or tandem; wheel material is PU over a steel core or white load-bearing nylon. In the table below, the pair of lowered and lifted heights (85 / 75 mm) matches the two load-wheel sizes: large wheels for rough floors, small wheels for pallets with low openings.
Below is the specification table for each Xilin low-lift series that ICD Vietnam distributes, for a quick comparison. Pairs of numbers such as 1,520/1,590 correspond to the two fork lengths of 1,150/1,220 mm.
| Specification (Xilin) | DB 2 tonnes | DF-III 2.5 / 3 tonnes | BF-III 2.5 / 3 tonnes | WB 5 tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fork length | 1,150 / 1,220 mm | 1,150 / 1,220 mm | 1,150 / 1,220 mm | 1,150 / 1,220 mm |
| Overall width | 520 / 550 / 680 mm | 520 / 550 / 680 mm | 520 / 550 / 685 mm | 550 / 685 mm |
| Overall truck length | 1,520 / 1,590 mm | 1,520 / 1,590 mm | 1,543 / 1,613 mm | 1,544 / 1,614 mm |
| Handle height | 1,176.5 mm | 1,186.5 / 1,176.5 mm | 1,214 mm | 1,253 / 1,243 mm |
| Lowest fork height | 75 mm | 85 / 75 mm | 85 / 75 mm | 88 / 78 mm |
| Highest fork height | 190 mm | 200 / 190 mm | 195 / 185 mm | 205 / 195 mm |
| Turning radius | 1,265 mm | 1,265 / 1,335 mm | 1,276 / 1,346 mm | 1,300 / 1,370 mm |
| Aisle Ast, 1,000×1,200 pallet turned sideways | 1,720 / 1,790 mm | 1,720 / 1,790 mm | 1,743 / 1,813 mm | 1,744 / 1,814 mm |
| Self-weight | 53 - 62 kg | 55 - 65 kg | 56 - 70 kg | 103 - 110 kg |
Special hand pallet truck options for non-standard pallets
When a pallet is shorter, longer or lower than standard, you need a truck with a matching fork length or lowered height. Besides the standard series, real warehouses often handle special pallets that call for a hand pallet truck of matching size.
Ultra-low hand pallet trucks for paper pallets or thin-base pallets
Many loads from Europe, or pallets made of corrugated board, have a very low entry height. A standard hand truck with a lowest fork height of 75-88 mm will not enter if the pallet opening is lower than that. You then need a low-profile series, at the cost of a shorter lifting stroke than the standard truck because the forks are thinner.
The check is simple: measure the opening height from the floor to the underside of the pallet’s top deck, then compare it with the lowest fork height in the table above. The opening must be at least a few millimeters taller so the forks slide in without scraping the deck. If your pallets fall in this group, send the measurements to ICD Vietnam before ordering.
Extra-long-fork hand pallet trucks for bulky loads
For items such as plastic pipes, sheet metal, plywood, or when you need to lift two pallets end to end, businesses need an extra-long-fork truck. The 3-tonne ICD-DFIII low-lift pallet truck has an option of 1,800 mm forks in place of the standard 1,150 mm.
However, with extra-long forks the operator must allow for a much larger turning radius. Xilin’s table shows that adding just 70 mm of fork length (from 1,150 to 1,220 mm) raises the turning radius by 70 mm and the Ast aisle by 70 mm; 1,800 mm forks therefore need far more room in the warehouse.
Short-fork hand pallet trucks for tight spaces
The opposite of the long-fork series, the short-fork hand pallet truck has forks of 880 mm (the ICD Vietnam 2.5-tonne 880 mm short-fork low-lift truck); Xilin’s option table for the DF-III also lists 800, 900 and 1,000 mm forks. It is a great help when working inside a narrow truck body, in a building’s goods lift or in small component stores, with short pallets of 800-900 mm.
In exchange, short forks do not support a full 1,200 mm pallet: the tips stop mid-pallet, so the load wheels do not support the last board, and a heavy load can bow or break the deck. Choose short forks only if most of the pallets in your warehouse really are short.
Dimensions of the high-lift hand truck and the frame height to watch
For a high-lift hand truck, the deciding figures are the maximum lift height and the frame height when lowered, because the frame is always taller than the lift height. Anyone buying a hydraulic high-lift hand truck should pay special attention to the lift height to make sure it can put the load onto racking safely.
Common lift height specifications
The Xilin high-lift hand trucks that ICD Vietnam distributes lift to 1.5 m, 1.6 m and 2.5 m; high-lift hand trucks in general also come at 2 m and 3 m. One very important specification of a high-lift hand truck is the overall height of the frame when lowered.
If the frame is taller than the warehouse door or the elevator ceiling, you cannot bring the truck into the work area no matter whether the lift height meets the standard. According to the ICD Vietnam product pages, the lowered frame heights of the models are as follows:
| Model (Xilin) | Load | Max lift | Frame height | Truck width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJJA20E | 2,000 kg | 1,500 mm | 2,085 mm | 1,000 mm |
| SDJ1000 | 1,000 kg | 1,600 mm | 2,165 mm | 1,000 mm |
| SDJAS500 / SDJAS1000 | 500 / 1,000 kg | 1,600 mm | 2,100 / 2,155 mm | 1,500 / 1,450 mm |
| SDJA1000-I | 1,000 kg | 2,500 mm | 2,925 mm | 955 mm |
Fork and leg dimensions: narrow legs or splayed legs?
High-lift hand trucks come with adjustable-spacing forks: the SDJA1000-I adjusts 0-720 mm and the SJJA20E 0-740 mm; fixed-fork versions such as the SDJ1000 have an overall width of 570 mm. The key point, though, is the support legs underneath. A narrow-leg high-lift hand truck can only be used with single-face pallets.
If a business uses double-face pallets, it must choose a splayed-leg high-lift hand truck whose spread legs straddle the pallet, so the truck does not tip when lifting loads high.
A practical guide to matching truck size to pallets
Measure the pallet first and choose the truck second: the three measurements you need are the opening height, the center block width and the distance between the outer edges of the two openings. To avoid buying a truck you cannot use, follow ICD Vietnam’s advisory steps below:
- For single-face pallets: this is the most common pallet type, with no bottom stringers across the base. You can use most 2.5-tonne or 3-tonne low-lift trucks or a standard high-lift hand truck.
- For double-face pallets: these pallets have bottom boards across the base. An ordinary low-lift truck still works, but a high-lift hand truck must be a splayed-leg model. If you use a narrow-leg high-lift truck, the legs will hit the pallet’s boards, causing damage and an unsafe lift.
- Tip for measuring a pallet accurately: measure the width of the center block of the pallet and the distance from the outer edge of the left opening to the outer edge of the right opening. The center block must be narrower than the truck’s inner gap (about 250 mm with 550 mm forks, about 385 mm with 685 mm forks), and the distance between the outer edges of the two openings must be larger than the overall fork width.
How wide must warehouse aisles be?
Xilin publishes the minimum Ast aisle for each series: with a 1,000 x 1,200 mm pallet turned sideways, a truck with 1,150 mm forks needs about 1,720-1,744 mm and one with 1,220 mm forks about 1,790-1,814 mm; with an 800 x 1,200 mm pallet placed lengthwise, the DF-III needs 1,770/1,790 mm and the BF-III 1,793/1,813 mm. These are the manufacturer’s calculated minimums and do not include any clearance for the person pulling.
So a warehouse with aisles under about 1.8 m should consider 1,150 mm forks or shorter, while aisles of 2 m or more can comfortably take 1,220 mm forks. If an aisle is narrower than Ast, the truck cannot turn with the pallet; you have to pull it straight out to the end of the row and then turn.
Frequently asked questions about hand pallet truck dimensions
Can a 685 mm wide truck enter a 1-meter pallet?
Usually it is difficult. A 1-meter pallet often has the center block and two edge blocks close together, so the distance between the outer edges of the two openings is under 685 mm and the wide forks catch the pallet’s blocks. Measure the distance between the outer edges of the two openings: if it is under 685 mm, choose 550 mm forks.
Can a 1.6 m high-lift hand truck be used through a 1.8 m warehouse door?
No, unless the mast can be tilted or removed. According to the ICD Vietnam product pages, a 1.6 m high-lift truck such as the SDJ1000 has a 2,165 mm frame and the SDJAS500 is 2,100 mm tall; the 1.5 m SJJA20E is also 2,085 mm tall. All three would catch on a 1.8 m door.
Can a hand pallet truck fit in a building elevator?
Yes, if you choose a short-fork truck, for example 880 mm forks, 270 mm shorter than the standard 1,150 mm. You still need to check the elevator floor capacity to make sure the combined weight of the truck and load stays within the building’s elevator limit.
What is the minimum aisle for a hand pallet truck?
According to the Xilin table, a truck with 1,150 mm forks needs an Ast aisle of about 1,720-1,744 mm and one with 1,220 mm forks about 1,790-1,814 mm when turning a 1,000 x 1,200 mm pallet. Add some clearance for the person pulling the truck.
Can an ordinary hand pallet truck handle low-clearance pallets?
Yes, if the opening height is greater than the truck’s lowest fork height: 75 mm for the small load-wheel version, 85-88 mm for the large load-wheel version. For lower openings you need a low-profile series.
Advice on choosing hand pallet truck dimensions
Measuring pallet dimensions and aisle space carefully before you invest is the most important step toward a standardized warehouse. However durable a hand truck is, it is wasted if its dimensions do not suit the existing warehouse infrastructure.
If you are still unsure whether to pick wide or narrow forks, standard or short, send the three pallet measurements (opening, center block, outer edges of the two openings) and your aisle width to the ICD Vietnam technical team for advice and a quote matched to your specification.
Hotline: 0983 797 186 | 090 345 9186 | 090 5859 186
Zalo: icdvietnam | Email: sales@icdvietnam.com.vn
Related product: see the ICD BF-III low-lift pallet truck, 2.5 tonnes, with a one-piece pump, an overload valve and 1,150 or 1,220 mm forks, distributed by ICD Vietnam.
References
- Specification table for the BF-III, DF-III, DB and WB: Ningbo Ruyi (Xilin), Hand Pallet Truck.
- ISO 3691-5:2014 Industrial trucks, Safety requirements and verification, Part 5: Pedestrian-propelled trucks: ISO.
- Specifications of the high-lift hand trucks SJJA20E, SDJ1000, SDJAS500/1000, SDJA1000-I and the 880 mm and 1.8 m fork trucks: ICD Vietnam product pages.
